Why can't novel coronavirus infection be avoided only by wearing a mask?

Since novel coronavirus was confirmed to spread from person to person, the number of infected people has advanced from the initial digital level to tens of thousands today, and many people's awareness of virus prevention has also risen to a more "extreme" state. Sometimes, you will even find that some people wear masks with countless layers at first sight, and special protective masks like N95 are also commonly worn by many ordinary people. However, the difference between different masks and the correct way to wear masks are still misunderstandings in epidemic prevention. So, what is the route of transmission in novel coronavirus? Why can't wearing a mask alone prevent people from being infected with the virus?

First of all, we need to know what the role of wearing a mask is. When people infected with novel coronavirus sneeze and cough, wearing a mask correctly can effectively prevent these droplets from entering our respiratory system, and prevent hands from touching external things to spread the virus to the nose and mouth (provided that you take care of your hands). When experts suggested that masks could effectively block the spread of the virus, many people snapped up all kinds of masks and wore them in multiple layers. I just know that different types of masks are different in use, and the blocking effect of masks on virus transmission is not proportional to the number of people wearing them.

In fact, as long as we are in a complex environment, the protective effect of masks is limited, such as some public facilities that have to be touched, elevator buttons or handrails in vehicles. Whether wearing a mask incorrectly, choosing the wrong mask type, accidentally touching your mouth, or cleaning your nose, the protective effect provided by the mask has almost lost at this moment. In other words, wearing a mask does not protect the human body from viruses, but it is only one of the effective ways to prevent epidemic.

Although many professionals have been conducting popular science on the route of transmission in novel coronavirus, the general public often only amplify part of the information, which is also the fundamental reason why they rob alcohol when they hear that the virus is afraid of high temperature. Regarding this epidemic prevention war, what we should do most is to stay indoors, instead of running around like wind and rain. Misunderstanding of protection is not only easy to cause panic of material shortage, but also easy to cause asymptomatic people to spread the virus among healthy people during this period.

Although professionals have been reminding the public to wear surgical masks, front-line medical personnel should make full use of special protective masks like N95. However, when we go out, we can find that people who wear N95 are often more than those who wear medical surgical masks, and some even think that N95 can bring them better protection. I believe that people who have worn N95 masks must have such an experience. This is a mask that makes people feel difficult to breathe. After wearing it for a long time, they can obviously feel that the mask has become moist and warm.

Why does wearing N95 give people a lot of discomfort? In fact, this is not a mask type that can be worn for a long time, nor is it a mask type for the general public. Moreover, medical staff have received formal training on how to wear N95 correctly and make the mask fit the nose completely. The material of this mask is thick, which makes it difficult for us to breathe, so the mask soon becomes wet and hot. Although N95 can really protect novel coronavirus, it is not recommended for people to wear such masks for a long time, especially when the first-line materials are so scarce. Wearing a medical surgical mask can not only effectively isolate droplets, but also give us a smoother breathing experience, not to mention its protective effect is not as good as N95.

Regarding the prevention in novel coronavirus, it is necessary to wear a mask in a crowded space, but it is also important to wash your hands frequently and not contact people who have been infected with the virus. Whether it is disinfection or masks, there are indeed many misunderstandings in the implementation of the general public, and more professional popular science content is needed for information bombing. Of course, in this special period, if there is no reason to go out, in principle, it is recommended that everyone exercise at home, which is something that each of us can contribute to preventing the epidemic. Correct protection and self-regulation are also the main responsibilities of being responsible for yourself and not adding chaos to society.

Author: Shi Lan