Healthy Living: Masks Fact Check
The State of Emergency comes to an end on the thirtieth of June. The details of what will be allowed are yet to be publicly disclosed, but some public measures will continue. One such measure is the use of face masks and most Belizeans have adhered to the practice. While we can all agree that they do take some getting used to, is there any truth to the social media claims that they may be dangerous? In tonight’s Healthy Living, we go looking for the facts.
Marleni Cuellar, Reporting
Since the first of May – as a part of our adjustment to life in a pandemic – we have strapped some sort of face-covering as is legally mandated. The fines are costly, and we’d guess many are compliant to simply avoid the having to pay them. But scientists around the world agree that face coverings are an essential tool in reducing the spread of Covid-19. In this YouTube video, Doctor Larry Chu of Standford University – School of Medicine explains how face masks work.
Larry Chu
Dr. Larry Chu, Professor, Standford University
“Wearing non-medical face masks can save lives. They do so by blocking infectious droplets and trapping them from within the mask, and that protects others around you.”
In essence, we wear face masks to protect others. Others who wear face masks protect us. But despite science, if you’ve scrolled through your social media feed recently, you may have seen some posts like these. Medical-looking advice warning about the dangers of using face masks. Some have been fact-checked and tagged as misinformation by Facebook, but some of the misinformation continues to circulate. The most common myth is that masks reduce oxygen intake. We asked the Ministry of Health Technical Advisor of the Health Education and Community Participation Bureau (HECOPAB) to set the record straight.
Kathleen Azueta-Cho
Kathleen Azueta-Cho, Technical Advisor, HECOPAB, Ministry of Health
“There is no change or increase in the level of carbon dioxide or decrease the level of oxygen while it does become difficult to breathe. It may take a bit more effort; there is no chance of the makeup of the air that passes through the mask. There is no evidence showing any effect on your immune system. I know we have information that it will trigger the immune system. There is no evidence showing that. A lot of misinformation and I think that is one of the reasons why there has to be that continuous education the adequate use and management of these face masks. Were breathing air with oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide. The gasses, the fabric are, for the most part, porous, so the gasses do not get trapped in that mask. They pass out and pass (in).”
So, the molecules of gasses like oxygen and carbon dioxide, are too small to be blocked or contained within the common face masks. One example is a surgeon who would wear medical masks for hours conducting complex surgeries with no impairment to their mental capacity as a result of using masks. The key, according to Azueta-Cho, is finding a mask that works best for you.
Kathleen Azueta-Cho
“You have to be very mindful of the type of material that you are using. That will determine how comfortable you will feel and then your personal preference.”
At the start of June, the World Health Organisation revised its guidelines encouraging the widespread use of cloth face masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. But the W.H.O. Director-General, like our own local health professionals, soundly warns that masks alone will not protect us.
Kathleen Azueta-Cho
“It can’t be used alone. We have to wash our hands, we have to practice physical distancing, we have to practice proper cough etiquette because it can minimize the spread, but alone it won’t work.”
Tedros Ghebreyesus
Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director-General, W.H.O. [File: June 5th, 2020]
“Masks are only effective in a comprehensive approach in the fight against COVID-19. The cornerstone of every response in every country must be to find, isolate, test and care for every case and to trace and quarantine every contact.”
Children under two shouldn’t wear face masks, but for the rest of us covering our nose and mouth in public may not be comfortable. Still, we should breathe easier, knowing it is not damaging our health.
