Masks do protect wearers from Covid-19 after all, US CDC finally admits
- The US national health agency initially said masks don’t safeguard the general public and are needed only by health care workers
- It has now caught up with the mounting science that shows masks do indeed protect wearers by filtering out any incoming airborne droplets
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention now says masks, even cloth ones, protect wearers from catching, as well as spreading, the coronavirus.
Yes, this is the same national health agency that initially said masks do not safeguard the general public and are needed only by health care workers. It is the same agency that, a few months later, said a mask will not protect the wearer from inhaling the virus – but you should wear one anyway to protect other people in case you are infected but do not know it.
On Tuesday, the CDC caught up with the mounting science that shows masks do indeed protect wearers by filtering out any incoming airborne droplets.
“Adopting universal masking policies can help avert future lockdowns, especially if combined with other non-pharmaceutical interventions such as social distancing, hand hygiene, and adequate ventilation,” the CDC said.
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An analysis cited by the CDC found a 15 per cent increase in universal masking could prevent economic losses of up to US$1 trillion.