Tests carried out on hamsters show that using a surgical mask (FFP1) considerably reduces the spread of Covid-19.
“The Minister of Health reiterated that there was no scientific consensus at this stage on the usefulness of the mask for all French people”, hammered Sibeth Ndiaye, government spokesperson, on Franceinfo on April 20. At the start of the coronavirus epidemic, the question of masks was a huge controversy for a long time. In France, faced with the shortage, the government assured for weeks that they would be of no use to the general public before finally strongly encouraging the population to wear them outdoors. Today, tests carried out on hamsters show that using a surgical mask (FFP1) significantly reduces the spread of the virus, revealed the University of Hong Kong to the Chinese press on Sunday May 17.
To reach this conclusion, the researchers placed cages containing hamsters previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 near those of healthy animals. They placed surgical masks between the two cages, with an airflow going from the cage of the sick animals to that of the healthy animals. Results: Without masks, two-thirds of healthy hamsters were infected within a week. On the other hand, when the masks were in place, the transmission of the virus was reduced by more than 60%: the infection rate fell to 15%.
“It is very clear that using the masks on infected subjects (…) is more important than anything else”, comments Professor Yuen Kwok-yung, a recognized coronavirus microbiologist, who led the study. He is one of the experts to have discovered the SARS virus when it appeared in Asia in 2003 and immediately advocated for the mask by the population to protect against coronavirus. “We now know that a large proportion of infected people do not show symptoms, so universal mask wearing is really important”, he continues.
Some reservations
However, these results should be taken with a grain of salt. Indeed, this new study has not yet been published. Furthermore, “it uses small animals rather than humans, and it is uncertain whether the infection would spread in the same way in humansexplains to Point Benjamin Cowling, professor at the School of Public Health at the University of Hong Kong, author of an in-depth study on the effectiveness of the mask on seasonal coronaviruses (such as the common cold), published in April. But it remains an important study. This is the first study that specifically observes the effects of masks on Covid-19”he concedes, however.
Remember that by wearing a surgical mask Where Fabric, the protection is not total, unlike that allowed by the FFP2 masks used by caregivers. The surgical mask is intended in particular to avoid the projection of droplets during the expiration of the wearer. It thus retains 95% of exhaled particles and only protects from the inside out. Therefore, it does not prevent the wearer from potentially being infected with the virus.
Respect for barrier measures above all
Also, the surgical mask is an additional care measure but it will not be enough to completely eradicate the spread of the virus. If Asian cities, including Hong Kong, which has limited the number of Covid cases to one thousand (four deaths), have managed to control the epidemic much faster than us, it is not only because they have not suffered from a shortage of masks. It is also because governments have tested and isolated all the sick and set up applications for tracking populations that are much more difficult to set up in our Western democracies. Moreover, physical distancing measures have been better respected by citizens.
“What is clear is that research is limited in this area. We encourage countries considering the use of masks for the general population to study their effectiveness so we can all learn.. Most importantly, masks should only be used as part of a comprehensive set of measures. There is no binary answer, nor silver bullet. Masks alone cannot stop the pandemic. Countries must continue to find tests, isolate and treat every case, and trace all contacts.”recently explained Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the WHO.
Mask or not, there are “proven” barrier gestures to protect yourself and others: keep your distance, wash your hands, cough or sneeze into your elbow and avoid touching your face.
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