23: Busting Six Mask Myths
Where do the data stand on mask-wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic? Kristen tackles six myths (start times):
Masks don’t work (00:12:41)
Masks are unsafe (00:40:48)
Masks solve everything (00:52:34)
My mask protects only me (00:58:10)
Wear a mask only if you’re sick (01:03:35)
Mask-wearers are afraid or virtue signaling (01:06:00)
Guidelines on how to properly wear cloth masks begin at 01:09:06.
Abbreviated Reference List*
How to Protect Yourself & Others, CDC, Updated Oct 28, 2020
How to Select Masks, CDC, Updated Oct 29, 2020
Masks overview, WHO, Updated October 20, 2020
COVID-19: How much protection do face masks offer?, Mayo Clinic, Published Aug 20, 2020
5 Questions: Stanford scientists on COVID-19 mask guidelines, Stanford Medicine, Published June 19, 2020
*This is the most thoroughly-researched episode of EBS yet. Please see below for a full list of references.
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Early Bird Science is a podcast meant for entertainment and education only. While Kristen has a doctorate (Ph.D.), she is not a medical doctor. Please consult with your physician before making decisions about your health.
Full List of References
Introduction
Social and behavioral consequences of mask policies during the COVID-19 pandemic, PNAS, published Sep 8, 2020
Modeling COVID-19 scenarios for the United States, Nature Medicine, published Oct 23, 2020
News article about this paper: Universal Mask Wearing Could Save Some 130,000 Lives In The U.S., Study Suggests, WPR, Published Oct 24, 2020
Mask compliance, all published in July 2020
MYTH 1: Masks Don’t Work
Virus size vs. size of holes in masks
SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) by the numbers, eLife, Published online April 2, 2020
COVID-19 masks FAQs: How can cloth stop a tiny virus? What’s the best fabric? Do they protect the wearer?, The Conversation, Published October 12, 2020
How COVID-19 Spreads, CDC, Updated Oct 28, 2020
Reducing transmission of SARS-CoV-2, Science, Editorial published June 2020
Fact check: No, N95 filters are not too large to stop COVID-19 particles, USA Today, published Jun 11, 2020
Evidence for masks working: Population study, case study, animal study
Community Use Of Face Masks And COVID-19: Evidence From A Natural Experiment Of State Mandates In The US, Health Affairs, Published Jun 16, 2020
Absence of Apparent Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from Two Stylists After Exposure at a Hair Salon with a Universal Face Covering Policy - Springfield, Missouri, May 2020, CDC, Published Jul 17, 2020
Surgical Mask Partition Reduces the Risk of Noncontact Transmission in a Golden Syrian Hamster Model for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), Clinical Infectious Diseases, Published Oct 15, 2020
Masks Do More Than Protect Others During COVID-19: Reducing the Inoculum of SARS-CoV-2 to Protect the Wearer, Journal of General Internal Medicine, Editorial from Jul 2020
Cloth masks work
Covid-19 Updates Do cloth masks actually work?, MIT Medical, Published Jul 7, 2020
How to Select Masks, CDC, Updated Oct 29, 2020
5 Questions: Stanford scientists on COVID-19 mask guidelines, Stanford Medicine, Published Jun 19, 2020
COVID-19: How much protection do face masks offer?, Mayo Clinic, Published Aug 20, 2020
Visualizing the effectiveness of face masks in obstructing respiratory jets, Physics of Fluids, Published online Jun 30, 2020
Testing the Efficacy of Homemade Masks: Would They Protect in an Influenza Pandemic?, Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, August 2013
How to Protect Yourself & Others, CDC, Updated Oct 28, 2020
Masks overview, WHO, Updated Oct 20, 2020
Data on commercially available, non-medically-rated surgical masks: Visualizing droplet dispersal for face shields and masks with exhalation valves, Physics of Fluids, Published online Sep 1, 2020
MYTH 2: Masks are unsafe
Carbon dioxide buildup and/or oxygen depletion
See “How to Select Masks” from the CDC under MYTH 1
Effect of Face Masks on Gas Exchange in Healthy Persons and Patients with COPD, ANNALSATS Articles in Press, From the American Thoracic Society, Published Oct 2, 2020
WHO mythbusters page, Accessed Nov 3, 2020
Debunked myths about face masks, Mayo Clinic, Jul 10, 2020
Wearing face masks does not cause hypercapnia or affect the immune system, Health Feedback, Published Apr 28, 2020
Debunking Mask Myths: Why It's Important To Wear A Face Mask, Henry Ford Health System Staff, Published on Jul 23, 2020
N95 masks
See “COVID-19: How much protection do face masks offer?” from Mayo Clinic under MYTH 1
Surgical mask placement over N95 filtering facepiece respirators: Physiological effects on healthcare workers, Respirology, Published Mar 29, 2020
Physiological impact of the N95 filtering facepiece respirator on healthcare workers, Respiratory care, Published May 2010
From the Frontlines: The Truth About Masks and COVID-19, American Lung Association, Published Jun 18, 2020
Physiologic and other effects and compliance with long-term respirator use among medical intensive care unit nurses, American Journal of Infection Control, Published Dec 2013
Masks do not weaken the immune system or make the wearer sick
See “Wearing face masks does not cause hypercapnia or affect the immune system” from Health Feedback above
See “Debunking Mask Myths: Why It's Important To Wear A Face Mask” from Henry Ford Health System above
Face touching
Comparison of Face-Touching Behaviors Before and During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic, JAMA Network Open, Published Jul 29, 2020
Frequency of face touching with and without a mask in pediatric hematology/oncology health care professionals, Pediatric Blood & Cancer, Published Jul 16, 2020
Psychological, anxiety
See “COVID-19: How much protection do face masks offer?” from Mayo Clinic under MYTH 1
Yahoo article with recommendations for anxiety, breathing issues, sensory sensitivities: What to Do If You Can't Wear a Face Mask, Published May 14, 2020
MYTH 3: Masks solve everything
See “How to Protect Yourself & Others” from the CDC under MYTH 1
Physical distancing, face masks, and eye protection to prevent person-to-person transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis, The Lancet, Published Jun 1, 2020
Impact assessment of non-pharmaceutical interventions against coronavirus disease 2019 and influenza in Hong Kong: an observational study, Lancet Public Health, Published May 2020
MYTH 4: My mask protects only me
See “Surgical Mask Partition Reduces the Risk of Noncontact Transmission in a Golden Syrian Hamster Model for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)” from Clinical Infectious Diseases under MYTH 1
See “Visualizing the effectiveness of face masks in obstructing respiratory jets” from Physics of Fluids under MYTH 1
See “COVID-19 masks FAQs: How can cloth stop a tiny virus? What’s the best fabric? Do they protect the wearer?” from The Conversation under MYTH 1
Respiratory virus shedding in exhaled breath and efficacy of face masks, Nature Medicine, Published Apr 3, 2020
MYTH 5: Wear a mask only if you’re sick
Temporal dynamics in viral shedding and transmissibility of COVID-19, Nature Medicine, Published Apr 15, 2020
A note of critique: Is presymptomatic spread a major contributor to COVID-19 transmission?, Matters Arising, Nature Medicine, Published Aug 17, 2020
Despite this critique, the point still stands that virus transmission is possible without symptoms
See “5 Questions: Stanford scientists on COVID-19 mask guidelines” from Stanford Medicine under MYTH 1
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Frequently Asked Questions, CDC, Updated Oct 29, 2020
MYTH 6: Mask-wearers are afraid or virtue signaling
Kristen’s opinions, based largely on information presented in MYTHS 1-5
How to wear a cloth mask and extra Q&A
See “COVID-19: How much protection do face masks offer?” from Mayo Clinic under MYTH 1
See “5 Questions: Stanford scientists on COVID-19 mask guidelines” from Stanford Medicine under MYTH 1
How to Store and Wash Masks, CDC, Updated Oct 28, 2020
See “How to Select Masks” from the CDC under MYTH 1
See “Visualizing droplet dispersal for face shields and masks with exhalation valves” from Physics of Fluids under MYTH 1
CDC calls on Americans to wear masks to prevent COVID-19 spread | CDC Online Newsroom, CDC, Press release Jul 14, 2020
Additional notes and resources
The CDC strongly recommends getting your flu shot, especially this cold and flu season.
How to Protect Yourself & Others, the version of this page updated on Nov 4, 2020
New compliance data: In the U.S. there is a statistically-measurable inverse correlation between the proportion of people in a state reporting wearing a mask and the proportion who know someone with COVID-19 symptoms. In other words “as mask use increases, the frequency of observed COVID-19 symptoms decreases.” This is further evidence to combat MYTH 1 that masks do not work. Kristen had not found these data until after recording this episode.
Real-time pandemic data from Carnegie Mellon's CovidCast shows why you should wear a mask, The Washington Post, Published Oct 23, 2020
One more source: Face masks: what the data say, Nature News Feature, Published Oct 6, 2020
