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- Laraine, it seems like a
lot of people are skeptical
about whether or not a mask is
protective against COVID-19.
- Yeah, I've heard a lot of
people have a lot of questions
about how effective masks are.
I'll say that the best
way that masks protect us
is by preventing somebody who
has infection with COVID-19
from spreading that virus to others.
And that occurs even if they are not aware
that they're infected.
Up to 40% of people who
have COVID-19 infection
don't realize it, they
may not have any symptoms,
and the mask serves the primary purpose
of collecting any droplets
that might contain virus
and preventing them from
spreading into the environment.
There may also be some impact of the mask
and preventing someone
else from getting you sick
if you're wearing a mask,
but the details and the
amount that the mask works
in that way, particularly cotton masks,
is still being investigated.
- Does wearing a mask cause you to breathe
in more carbon dioxide?
- That's a very interesting question.
As you know, when we breathe,
we breathe in the air
and primarily use oxygen
and we breathe out air and
primarily carbon dioxide,
but our masks are not air tight.
And in fact, we can breathe
through the molecules
of oxygen breathing into our masks
and carbon dioxide out of our masks.
So effectively there is
not really an opportunity
for accumulation of carbon
dioxide in a meaningful way
that would cause someone to get sick.
- Laraine, a lot of people are worried
about the health effects
of wearing a mask.
Can you comment on how long
you can safely wear a mask?
- Most people can safely wear a mask
for a prolonged periods of time.
There are some rumors
circulating about concerns
about adverse effects of wearing masks,
but for most people it's
entirely safe to wear masks
for as long as they need to do so.
If, however, an individual has feelings
that they're feeling short of breath
or they're feeling as if
they need to have a break,
they should take a break
and they should do so
away from other people.
Some people find it more comfortable
to wear a mask just covering
their mouth, is that okay?
Do they really need to wear
a mask to cover the nose
and the mouth?
- That is an excellent question
'cause I see a lot of mask use
out there that is not ideal.
And the answer is them to be effective,
the mask has to cover
your nose and your mouth,
so you have to have your
mask pulled up over your nose
and your mouth,
otherwise your respiratory
droplets will be breathed out
and potentially come into
contact with other people.
It always feels like
everybody's a bit muffled
wearing a mask, but when you're talking,
you're expelling a lot
of respiratory droplets.
So if you are pulling
down your mask to talk,
you're absolutely creating a
lot more respiratory droplets
and then creating a possible exposure.
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