
(Anastasiia Chepinska, Unsplash)
This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum.
Author: Rajeev Venkayya, President, Global Vaccine Business Unit, Takeda Pharmaceuticals International Inc. & Gabrielle Fitzgerald, Founder and CEO, Panorama, Co-Founder, Pandemic Action Network
- Messaging on the importance of wearing a mask during the pandemic has at times been confusing.
- Universal mask use can significantly reduce virus transmission in communities.
- Masks are not perfect barriers to transmission, and should be combined with other preventative measures such as social distancing and contact tracing.
- Masks and face coverings can prevent the wearer from transmitting the COVID-19 virus to others and may provide some protection to the wearer. Multiple studies have shown that face coverings can contain droplets expelled from the wearer, which are responsible for the majority of transmission of the virus. This ‘source control’ approach reflects a shift in thinking from a ‘medical’ perspective (will it protect the wearer?) to a ‘public health’ perspective (will it help reduce community transmission and risk for everyone?).
- Many people with COVID-19 are unaware they are carrying the virus. It is estimated that 40% of persons with COVID-19 are asymptomatic but potentially able to transmit the virus to others. In the absence widespread screening tests, we have no way of identifying many people who are silently transmitting the virus in their community.
- Universal mask use can significantly reduce virus transmission in the community by preventing anyone, including those who are unwittingly carrying the virus, from transmitting it to others. Disease modeling suggests masks worn by significant portions of the population, coupled with other measures, could result in substantial reductions in case numbers and deaths.
Speak your Mind Here