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Some viruses always pass. Even in places where a mask is required, some unfortunate people get infected with the new corona virus. But many of them are lucky: They do not end up in the intensive care unit, but only have mild symptoms or no symptoms. They may have the masks to thank for this slight progress. Because without masks they would have contracted more virus initially, and the initial viral load is probably related to the severity of the course.
The connection in humans is not secure, respond professors Sarah Tschudin Sutter and Manuel Battegay of the University Hospital Basel to a request from CH Media. But they say:
A research team from the University of Hong Kong was able to observe the effect in hamsters. For their experiment, they placed cages of healthy hamsters next to cages of hamsters that had received coronavirus in the nose. Some cages were protected with hygienic masks, while others were unprotected. As expected, significantly fewer of the protected hamsters were infected than the unprotected ones. But it also showed that those infected despite being protected had their lungs, trachea and nose in better condition than those infected who were not protected.
Cruisers are cages for hamsters of people
The connection between the initial viral load and the course of the disease is intuitive. When the virus enters the body, a battle begins. On one side are the rapidly multiplying pathogens. On the other hand, the immune system kills infected cells and produces antibodies. The fewer viruses there are at first, the greater the chances of a quick immune system victory, laymen might think. But it’s not that simple. “It remains to be seen whether the results of the animal experiments will also be confirmed in humans,” say hygienists at the Basel hospital. The interactions of the new coronavirus with the human immune system are complex and are likely to be influenced by genetic factors.
Countries where face masks are common have fewer deaths.
© Keystone
For other viruses, for example those responsible for measles and those that cause sharp blades, a similar connection was found in humans. However, with the new coronavirus, there is still a lack of data, and experiments with intentional Covid-19 infections can be done with hamsters, but not with humans. After all, the current year has provided quite a bit of illustrative material. The situation on a cruise ship is pretty close to hamster cages. The one that was not equipped with protective masks in February is world famous: the Diamond Princess, on whose board more than 600 people were infected. Eighteen percent of those infected, that is, about one in five, showed no symptoms.
The passengers and crew of a smaller cruise ship that set sail off the southern tip of Argentina in mid-March were much less affected. After the first confirmed case, all passengers and crew were fitted with masks. In the end, the virus could still be detected in more than half of them, in 128 of 217. But four-fifths of those infected did not develop symptoms.
Countries where masks are common have fewer deaths
It seems similar with healthcare workers. When there was a lack of masks in Italy at the beginning of the pandemic, there were also many deaths among hospital staff. However, in hospitals where masks are constantly worn, experience has shown that there are hardly any severe courses on the staff.
Furthermore, there were notably fewer courses of serious illness in spring in countries and regions where a high proportion of the population wore masks, for example in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea. According to statistics from Johns Hopkins University in Singapore, the proportion of deaths among confirmed infections is the lowest. In mid-April, a general requirement for a mask outside one’s home took effect.
Wearing a mask can prevent the virus from spreading.
© Keystone
In addition to masks, there are several other factors that can affect the death rate. Therefore, the informative value of these figures is limited.
In Switzerland, severe courses are proportionally rarer than in spring. One of the reasons for this is that more and more young people are contracting the virus. The fact that more are tested also affects the number. “To what extent the wearing of masks also has an impact remains unclear at the moment,” say Tschudin and Battegay from the University of Basel.
Infections without symptoms are also dangerous
If the use of masks really prevents severe gradients, this is positive in several ways. The risk for those directly affected is reduced and an overload of the health system is less likely. But there could also be an undesirable side effect: Those who carry the virus without feeling any symptoms will almost never go into quarantine and thus could contribute to the spread of the virus without being detected.
The effectiveness of a mask also depends on how well it fits the face.
© Keystone
However, in general, masks help slow the spread of the epidemic; most experts agree on that. How big the effect is is controversial. In the spring it was still said that most of the transmission occurs by contact, for example, through the hands. But now aerosols, microscopic droplets floating in the air, seem to play a bigger role.
With all the yeses and buts, facts of science are urgently needed. The tests are carried out in laboratories, but the effectiveness of a mask also depends to a large extent on its fit to the face, in what situations it is worn and if the necessary hygiene measures such as washing hands are used when handling. Significant figures from Denmark are coming soon. A study with 6,000 Danes was completed, but the results have not yet been published. Up to 40,000 people are said to be taking part in a study conducted by a Danish professor in the West African state of Guinea-Bissau.
