On her Facebook Page, Wendy Bell posted this:
Pennsylvania is now under a universal masking order.The secretary of health says people are required to wear masks indoors and outdoors when they are with others who are not members of their household.Further, she expects law enforcement and business owners to enforce her orders.Do you think masks work?
Wendy, what's the point of asking your adoring fans whether they think masks work?
They do. Masks work. The scientific data support the use of masks to protect the public from spreading the virus. This is a fact. It's not a matter of opinion. A person watching your living room broadcasts with a different opinion does not change that fact.
From the CDC:
SARS-CoV-2 infection is transmitted predominately by respiratory droplets generated when people cough, sneeze, sing, talk, or breathe. CDC recommends community use of masks, specifically non-valved multi-layer cloth masks, to prevent transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Masks are primarily intended to reduce the emission of virus-laden droplets (“source control”), which is especially relevant for asymptomatic or presymptomatic infected wearers who feel well and may be unaware of their infectiousness to others, and who are estimated to account for more than 50% of transmissions. Masks also help reduce inhalation of these droplets by the wearer (“filtration for personal protection”). The community benefit of masking for SARS-CoV-2 control is due to the combination of these effects; individual prevention benefit increases with increasing numbers of people using masks consistently and correctly.
So a mask protects in two ways:
- Source control - the mask filters the virus in transmission from an infected person (including those who don't know they're infected) to someone else.
- Filtration for personal protection - the mask filters the virus in transmission to an uninfected person.
But is there a downside to maskwearing? For example, what does the science say about the build-up of CO2 when wearing a mask?
From the American Lung Association:
Do Masks Cause Low Oxygen Levels?
Absolutely not. We wear masks all day long in the hospital. The masks are designed to be breathed through and there is no evidence that low oxygen levels occur.
And if you want to read a study that says the same, here's one. From the paper's "Discussion" section:
Although we did not measure changes in tidal volume or minute ventilation, this data find that gas exchange is not significantly affected by the use of surgical mask, even in subjects with severe lung impairment.
And:
It is important to inform the public that the discomfort associated with mask use should not lead to unsubstantiated safety concerns as this may attenuate the application of a practice proven to improve public health. As growing evidence indicates that asymptomatic individuals can fuel the spread of COVID-19,12 universal mask use needs to be vigorously enforced in community settings, particularly now that we are facing a pandemic with minimal proven therapeutic interventions. We believe our data will help mitigate fears about the health risks of surgical mask use and improve public confidence for more widespread acceptance and use.
So that's settled, right?
But seriously Wendy. Why are you even questioning this?
Every time you do this, you're undermining the credibility of the science - thus putting the public health at risk.
Every time you do this, you're putting more people are at risk of getting very very sick. And some of those people may die.
Wendy Bell - The Angel of Death.
