People have massively been asking about the effectiveness of face masks against COVID. However, many people believe in the fact that face masks provide all the protection needed against COVID and are religiously wearing them. But if you are wondering if these masks are really effective or are just worn fearfully, then you must read the following.
Masks are recommended by world health organizations to be worn while going out in public as they provide a barrier that prevents the respiratory particles from traveling into the air and onto the closeby people if the mask wearer is suffering from the illness and coughs or sneezes out of it. This is named as source control. The clinical and laboratory studies show that masks minimize the spray of infected droplets into the air when appropriately worn over the face and mouth.
Now, if you are a healthy individual, you still must wear masks and respirators when going out. This is because we are continuously exposed to harmful viruses when we breathe in the public that may increase the possibility of a bare mouth breather catch COVID-19. If a mask is worn that is either a medical mask or an N95, the air breathed gets filtered with the soft fiber material used in medical masks, and the chance of COVID traveling to our respiratory systems reduces to a considerable amount.
Should I wear a mask?
You should wear a mask if you are a caregiver or are in healthcare environments giving services to those who are COVID positive. Your mask must be tightly sealed with your face and should not have any opening of air to flow into your respiratory system. Make sure you are constantly cleaning and disinfecting surfaces around you and are maintaining the required protective measures to ensure your safety.
Children below age 2 are not advised to wear a mask, and those who have breathing problems can also avoid wearing a mask. But make sure that these people are not exposed to situations form where they can catch COVID and might fall sick. People who are unconscious, incapacitated, or are unable to get the mask off without help. Masks provide the maximum protection form COVID once worn the right way and should be taken seriously to help stay protected from the deadly virus. You can buy N95 masks that are known to provide 95% filtration of air to breath.