The CDC Officials encouraged Americans to Wear Masks after new Covid-19 cases

Listen to this article

The U.S health officials are taking a new tack to encourage Americans to wear masks. They are emphasizing recent research that a mask protects the person who wears it. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) previously advised people to wear masks because it stops people who are infected with coronavirus whether they know it or not from spreading it to others. The CDC posted a new scientific brief discussing recent studies finding that a wearer gets some protection. But, the agency’s guidance didn’t change. It continues to advise Americans to wear masks to stop the virus from spreading. But the chief medical officer for the CDC’s COVID-19 emergency response, Dr. John Brooks said, “We’re saying here’s another reason to do it”.

The officials of the CDC were influenced by a recent study led by Japanese researchers who used mannequin heads and artificial respirators to simulate the spread of coronavirus particles through the air, and assess how well masks blocked transmission. It also confirmed earlier research that masks work best when worn by an infected person who might spread it by coughing, sneezing, or talking. Point to be noted that the study says masks block at least 60% of the amount of virus that comes out of an infected person. But the researchers also said there was a benefit when an uninfected person wearing a mask was unlucky enough to be near an infected person who wasn’t wearing one.

The amount of virus the uninfected person inhaled fell by 37% to 50% if they wore a mask. The decline in virus particles reaching the second person was the largest close to 70% when both people were wearing masks. The study didn’t perfectly mimic most real-world situations. For instance, the heads were closer together than 6 feet and the exhaling mannequin head was doing more of a constant cough than regular breathing. Brooks also said the value of everyone wearing masks is suggested by several other studies of real-world situations including one of the customers in a Missouri hair salon, another on a U.S aircraft carrier, and several others that got infections and deaths in places, and it resulted in adopting mask mandates.