When President Donald Trump paid a recent visit to Walter Reed National Military Center, he was wearing a mask. He has been reluctant to wear a mask until now and has stated that you don’t need to wear a mask when you’re tested all the time and those around you are tested.
Responding to comments about his mask, Trump said it was appropriate to take in a hospital setting to avoid infecting soldiers. He told reporters that he loves wearing masks on appropriate occasions and that he has never been against masks but that there is a time and a place to wear them. He obviously did not consider it the time and place to wear a mask at White House events, his campaign rally in Tulsa or at Memorial Day commemoration attended by elderly veterans.
Most Americans are apparently in favor of wearing masks according to a recent Pew Research poll but people get confused by contradictory advice. The fact that messages from public health officials differ from those given by some politicians doesn’t help. Many of Donald Trump’s supporters have followed Trump’s example in not wearing masks in public.
Science shows masks are effective
In the early days of the pandemic, not all public health experts endorsed wearing cloth masks. Fear of masks not being available to those who really needed them and speculation about their effectiveness were the reasons given. However, this has changed and they now support the wearing of masks to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 as more becomes known about how it spreads. A growing body of scientific evidence points to the effectiveness of mask-wearing.
Various studies have shown that face coverings reduce large droplet transmission and a study by researchers from Florida Atlantic University found that some masks are more effective than others. Homemade masks that fit well with multiple fabric layers are able to reduce the dispersal of droplets more effectively than others and bandannas were found to be least effective. There hasn’t been a randomized control trial for mask use yet but all the current data seems to suggest that wearing masks is beneficial.
Science supports that wearing a mask is one of the best ways to prevent transmission of COVID-19 and this should make the decision to wear one easy. When a website like Our Fit Pets gives you solid scientific advice about how to care for your pets, neglecting this advice doesn’t make sense and it should be no different when it comes to human health.
CDC recommendation
The CDC recommends people wear close-fitting cloth masks in public to help prevent the spread of COVID0-19 and Andrew Cuomo, New York Governor, has urged Trump to sign an executive order that mandates the use of masks. Over 20 states require face masks to be work in public, although some states like Florida, which have been hit hard, have not issued statewide orders. While Republican governors boast about victory over the pandemic, COVID-19 cases continue to rise in their states.
Why are some people not wearing masks?
Information floating around on social media suggests that wearing a mask could cause oxygen levels in the blood to drop and that this could lead to the buildup of carbon dioxide in the body. This has been refuted by medical professionals.
A policy that mandates that masks be worn in public is a simple one. It is a policy that other countries around the world have had no difficulty implementing. Somehow in America, however, mask-wearing is regarded by some as infringing on their liberties. Does Donald Trump’s wearing of a mask indicate that certain dynamics are shifting?