Masks are Widely Used in Asia, but How Effective is it?
A pregnant woman wearing a face mask as a precautionary measure walks past a street mural in Hong Kong
The use of face masks in Asia during the coronavirus outbreak has been far more widespread than in the West, where governments have urged people to reserve supplies for frontline medical staff, so have they helped limit infections?
Experts agree that the ordinary surgical masks commonly worn in parts of Asia during cold and hayfever seasons are not a foolproof way to prevent coronavirus infection.
But people infected with the virus are advised to wear them to stop the spread to others, and there is evidence that transmission can happen before a person knows they are sick. That has bolstered the argument of mask supporters who believe they can help limit the outbreak.
In parts of Asia, mask-wearing has been a key response to the outbreak, with Japan’s government announcing Wednesday each household would get two reusable cloth versions, and Hong Kongers not only wearing them but sending them to relatives abroad.
Main types of popular protective masks used as the number of infected cases of 2019 novel coronavirus continues to rise
“But where I grew up, in the US, wearing masks is seen by some, if not many, as a personal infringement -– an unwanted imposed obligation,” he told AFP.
The use of masks in parts of Asia with relatively low numbers of infections and deaths from the virus, including Japan and Hong Kong, has led some to theorize mask-wearing is making the difference.
But experts are skeptical.
Ben Cowling, a professor at the University of Hong Kong’s School of Public Health, instead credits a range of public health measures implemented in these countries.
These include “identifying cases and isolating them, tracing and quarantining their contacts, and also implementing social distancing in the community,” he told AFP.
Wearing face masks has been a key response to the coronavirus outbreak in some Asian countries.
False Sense of Security
And Fukuda too cautioned against thinking of mask-wearing “as a magic X-factor”.
“Some places like Singapore have generally done very well without strongly emphasising masks,” he noted.
He attributes the smaller outbreaks to measures including contact tracing, good coordination, social distancing “and a general public that has been quite worried from the start and willing to work with health authorities”.
“It’s the entire package that is important.”
And some experts warn mask-wearing can backfire, even where supplies are plentiful.
“Masks may give people a false sense of security,” said Simon Clarke, an associate professor of cellular microbiology at the University of Reading.
The WHO emphasizes that there is a global shortage of masks and that there is a desperate need to route available supplies to frontline health workers
Better Than Nothing?
Advocating mask usage, he fears, could also embolden people who are reluctant to adhere to social distancing measures.
“I can envisage a situation where people who are infected and therefore shedding virus, think their mask gives them licence to go out to public places or to work,” he told AFP.
“We all know people who think nothing of bringing colds into work to share with everyone — it will be the same for coronavirus.”
Despite the lack of strong evidence, there are signs that officials in the West are moving towards encouraging mask use.
Different countries are looking into various ways to slow down the virus transmission, this includes the use of masks.
“One of the best ways to do that is with a mask,” he told CNN.
Cowling said additional research was needed to guide policy on what kinds of masks were useful and how they should be utilized, but that increased mask usage might be worthwhile.
“I think countries are looking at every possible measure to slow down transmission, so that even if a measure like face masks could only reduce transmission by a small amount, it might still be worth doing.”