09-14-2020, 11:00 PM
As I pointed out in the other thread, the study that was the topic of the Restaurant thread also indicated, at least on its face, that the personal use of masks was NOT a distinguishing characteristic of those in the control group versus those that got COVID-19. Those in the control group reported somewhat more use of masks by others in the restaurants. (and in bars/coffee shops, but those numbers are too small to mean much).
That's troubling to me as I can see (and hope) how personal use of masks could/should be helpful. Perhaps the issue is that for the general public, masks and face coverings could be almost anything. I really hope someone is doing further studies to better determine whether masks help reduce COVID-19 spread, and whether the kind of mask matters. There definitely have been studies that showed masks helped in healthcare settings for other illnesses. I expect wearing masks helps slow the spread of COVID-19, but I'd feel better if all the "whatever you can do to cover your face" masks are either shown to be effective or are not.
That's troubling to me as I can see (and hope) how personal use of masks could/should be helpful. Perhaps the issue is that for the general public, masks and face coverings could be almost anything. I really hope someone is doing further studies to better determine whether masks help reduce COVID-19 spread, and whether the kind of mask matters. There definitely have been studies that showed masks helped in healthcare settings for other illnesses. I expect wearing masks helps slow the spread of COVID-19, but I'd feel better if all the "whatever you can do to cover your face" masks are either shown to be effective or are not.