I know for a lot of people the debate over masking is over: "Its been proven scientifically that masks help limit viral spread" they'll say. Often it's because they read a headline somewhere that says masks can be an effective tool. Of course science is always evolving, research goes on and on and what was true on Monday can be proven false on Tuesday.
That's certainly been the case with the debate over masks. We've gone from hearing that they offer no real utility, to that they are vital in the battle against viral transmission.
Now Duke University has come along with a new study that basically says that the devil is in the details, or rather in the material of the mask and how it's worn. While N95 masks were judged to be most effective, that is not what the public in Canada is being told to wear, our rules stipulate any type of fabric over the face is all that is needed.
If Duke's research is on the money, then that is wrong.
Their study certainly vindicates my own opinions based on what I see day to day, both before masks were required and after. There are all types of masks out there, the tight fitting N-95s, looser fitting procedural masks with folded material, neck sleeve type gaiters, simple kerchiefs, I've seen people pay for gas simply pulling their shirt up over their mouths.
And of course beyond the types of masks being worn there's the manner in which they're handled. Pulled out of dirty pockets and then returned, constant touching of the outside material, some worn without covering the nose and even half the mouth at times.
Duke's research was aimed at trying to determine which masks work best, and what they found is that some of the masks people wear are actually worse than wearing no mask at all.
I should note that it is not my desire to trigger people, I know many had hoped this issue was settled, but true students of science know that is not the way things work. Science is a process, and that process doesn't stop when it reaches a point with which one agrees. Trump loving mask supporters won't appreciate the fact that I'm going to share the link to CNN's reporting, I can already hear the cries of "FAKE NEWS"!!! But whaddyer gonna do, sadly many people won't believe anything unless it confirms their preconceived bias.
To briefly summarize what is in the article, not surpisingly N95 masks were deemed the most effective, but of course the general public is not being told to wear those, but rather to use some type of cloth material instead.
The article goes on to say that three layer surgical and cotton masks performed "well". The least effective were neck fleeces sometimes called gaiters, like what runners use. In point of fact the researchers found these fleece gaiters increase the number of droplets because the material breaks larger droplets into smaller particles that will hang in the air longer and are more eaisly carried away.
We've gone from being told that masks offered no real benefit, to being told everyone must wear one in indoor public places. Now the science is saying that only certain types of masks should be worn. Are we going to create a mask police to check on material and number of layers now? At this stage nothing would surprise me.
For the moment those with single layer neck fleeces, bandanas and the like, you're all still good and probably risk being attacked by some terrified Karen if you dare go shopping without a mask on, it's already happening.
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