Mandatory or strongly recommended, the wearing of a mask has become widespread in several countries since the start of the pandemic. Various experiments show that the mask effectively protects the population, and therefore, that it slows the spread of the Sars-Cov-2 virus.
The link between the amount of viral load and the severity of the disease
The people seem “get less sick”When they wear a mask. When a virus gets into the body, it influences nearby cells to produce infected cells. It is then that the immune system will play its role and trigger a biological process of protection, creating a real fight against these contaminated cells. If the viral load, at the time of infection, is very high, this can cause an overly strong immune response (such as a cytokine storm). A double fight is waged: the virus tries to grab as many cells as possible, while the immune system deploys all its forces to contain the infection. The organism can then be severely damaged, and its host can develop a severe form of the disease.
Conversely, if the viral dose is low at the time of infection, the immune defenses are activated less “violently”And manage to contain the virus. This explains why many people infected with Covid-19 have few symptoms, if at all.
Studies, carried out in 2015, on male volunteers and influenza (of the H1N1 type), prove this information: the higher the viral load administered, the more serious the disease. In an article published on July 14, 2020, researchers come to the same conclusion, concerning a study on the Sars-Cov-2 virus, administered to Syrian hamsters.
What does this have to do with the mask?
The main mode of transmission, now well known to all, is by droplets, and, in smaller proportions, by aerosols. Laboratory experiments, carried out by researchers and epidemiologists, show that the mask acts as a shield. Indeed, the fibers that make up the mask capture and trap most of the particles likely to contain the Sars-Cov-2 virus. Even if the effectiveness is not 100% guaranteed, wearing a mask, surgical or fabric, would block at least 80% of these particles. In addition, wearing a mask in closed environments increases the rate of infected and asymptomatic cases. On the cruise ship, the “Greg Mortimer”, The crew members distributed masks to all passengers and staff on board, as soon as the first case of Covid-19 was identified. Of those 217 people, 128 tested positive, but 81% of them did not show any symptoms. Studies have also been carried out, particularly in food factories. The same observation is established. For many doctors, the mask is a tool, which, if used properly, shows real protective capacities against severe forms of Covid-19.
