There's masks and then there's masks; FFP3 professional surgical masks will protect you from Sars Cov 2 transmission, a piece of cloth around your face hardly will.
I had a good conversation with our widow cleaner his morning, his idea of controlling the Covid 19 pandemic was for every one to be obliged by law to wear a cloth or surgical mask when going to a supermarket, pub etc. but to relieve ourselves of other measures such as social distancing. He was not impressed with youngsters going to a nightclub, getting smashed or high and then dancing around and kissing one another. I got the impression that he wanted that banned.
I thought to myself dream on but I was too polite to suggest that he was deluding himself. There have hardly been any peer reviewed randomised controlled trials of masks, or other measures, used to reduce the transmission of Sars Cov 2 or any other virus for that matter. There is there is no proof whether masks work or not and to what extent.
One thing is clear, in the UK, there is a third wave of the epidemic despite mask wearing, the 2 metre distance rule and the rule of 6 indoors. Infections are now out of control even after more than 50% of the adult population has been vaccinated by highly effective vaccines.
To rely on ordinay masks alone to protect yourself and others from transmission of the Sars Cov 2 virus is probably a big mistake.
Some research has been done regarding the efficacy of FFP3 masks compared to ordinary surgical masks. The FFP3 mask has been observed to be many more time effective at filtering out the Sars Cov 2 virus. A well fitted mask used by a trained user filters out most virus particles to leave wearers and those around them safe from infection. An ordinary surgical masks is found wanting when working directly with Covid 19 patients.
The results of these observations made in a Cambridgeshire are shown below. This was not a randomised controlled trial and the results were not peer reviewed, but the findings are promising enough for a recommendation to be made that all staff dealing with Covid 19 patients should wear FFP or Full face Protection Masks. I am surprised that this was not the case from the outset of the epidemic.
https://www.cuh.nhs.uk/news/drop-in-staff-covid-19-infections-after-ppe-upgrade/
It is worth reading these articles to put mask wearing into perspective.
It is my view that the medical authorities have placed too much emphasis on the use of cloth masks and ordinary surgical masks to protect the public. They do help, perhaps, to reduce transmission of the virus but it is not clear by how much; no epidemiologist is prepared to say to the public that there is no proof that they work at all, or even if they do, by how much do they reduce the risk of infection. Masks must be used along with social distance, the rule of six and improved ventilation for them to work. In fact, if a two meter distance was adhered to, along with reduced crowds in confined spaces there would probably be no need for masks. Recently, I have sat on trains and in restaurants where people have sat right next to me. I was wearing a mask out of courtesy , but did not feel 100% safe from transmission of the virus. Of course, we have to take risks in our daily lives, but I would prefer it if social distancing was strictly enforced to reduce the viral load of infective agents which can easily pass through a standard everyday mask.
The medical authorities must not lull the public into a false sense of security to believe that ordinary masks alone can stop the spread of the Covid 19 virus and the epidemic: they simply cannot.
I shall wear a mask as a matter of courtesy, whilst being aware that it is probably best to avoid crowded places where social distancing measures are ignored. The vaccinations have been proven to work by randomised controlled trials which have been peer reviewed, and thank heavens for that. Vaccinations have also been proven to be safe. The jab is key to solving the the problems of the pandemic but it too must be used with other measures to contain the virus. It looks as though the vaccine protects you from a severe form of the Covid 19 disease so that the need hospitalisation is reduced. Vaccination does not fully protect you, however from, catching the disease again. Covid 19 is not a pleasant disease to catch even in its mild form, and further research needs to be done to examine the chronic effects of long Covid.
The epidemic is still raging strong and relying on just a mask to protect you and others is foolhardy. The best approach, from my point of view, is to have the vaccine and still bear in mind social distancing. If you must wear a mask then buy an FFP3 professional mask and learn how to use it safely with out putting others at risk but you might find that totally impractical when you want to eat a sandwich and drink a pint at the local.
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