Mask gives a fighting chance against threat

Would I be more likely or less likely to get my head split open if I played American football without a helmet?

If I'm in the supermarket and someone sneezes in my face, what would my chances be of catching an illness from that person if I were wearing a mask as opposed to not?

I think the answers are obvious, but for some reason, national health officials and many people in general in the United States at first were reluctant to recommend mask-wearing during the coronavirus pandemic and even had advised against it, as both the surgeon general and secretary of health and human services did.

As cases of COVID-19 multiplied across the US, the stance against masks gradually changed.

US Surgeon General Jerome Adams, who at first advised against wearing masks, went on TV last week showing the proper way to wear one. He also advised the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to change its policy, because of apparent asymptomatic transmission.

Part of the hesitation of government agencies to recommend masks was the concern that supplies would be depleted for those who need them the most, such as doctors, nurses, first responders and everyone else on the front lines of this scourge.

"We now know from recent studies that a significant portion of individuals with coronavirus lack symptoms (asymptomatic) and that even those who eventually develop symptoms (presymptomatic) can transmit the virus to others before showing symptoms," the CDC said in a statement.

"This means that the virus can spread between people interacting in close proximity－for example, speaking, coughing, or sneezingeven if those people are not exhibiting symptoms. In light of this new evidence, CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission."

The World Health Organization, after a review of its policy on masks, said it would not recommend they be worn by the uninfected.

"If you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with suspected 2019-nCoV infection," the WHO says on its website.

One city in Texas is taking the mask issue seriously. The city of Laredo, in an ordinance effective April 2, states that every person over age 5 is required to wear "some form of covering over their nose and mouth" on public transportation and when inside a building open to the public, and in some other situations, or risk a $1,000 fine.

Maybe some people think they're too cool to wear a mask, or that it makes them appear weak.

One argument I had encountered on social media is that people can't find the masks at stores or online, and that is largely true, as there also have been cases of hoarding and exorbitant price markups. More masks should be available soon. Many US and Chinese companies are pitching in by making them or shipping them here.

The venerable American clothing company Brooks Brothers is repurposing three of its factories to produce masks and gowns.

The maker of the uniforms for Major League Baseball teams is producing the protective equipment from team uniform fabrics.

On Twitter, the hashtag#WearAMask and similar ones were trending recently.

"I'm an RN(registered nurse) who has been appalled by the CDC's advice not to wear masks," wrote Twitter user Two Margarets. "A simple public health campaign can educate people on proper mask techniques. At the very least, universal mask-wearing reduces transmission rates."

I am encouraged that more people at supermarkets in the New York area are now wearing face protection.

East Asian countries have long embraced mask-wearing. At China Daily in New York, most of us are mask adherents, or at least we were when we last worked together in the office more than a few weeks ago.

I'm not saying wearing a mask is foolproof. You need to protect your eyes and probably your ears, too. You also have to keep your hands clean and not touch your face. A full hazmat suit would be better, come to think of it.

But you have to give yourself a fighting chance against an insidious threat, instead of assuming you're immune.