Do Masks Save Lives? Part III

This is what we know about cloth and surgical masks and transmission of Covid:

1. To be infected with Covid 19 you have to be within 6 feet of someone (even if they are coughing or sneezing) for greater than 15 min.  Therefore, social distancing is paramount!  If you aren’t near it, you can’t get it, mask or no mask. 
2. Masks must cover the nose and mouth and fit closely to the face or virus can be spread.
3. There are no randomized controlled studies specifically looking at the efficacy of wearing cloth masks and the rate of Covid transmission.
4. When wearing masks of any kind, virus is spread when taking the mask off and on.  Once you wear it, you need to continue to wear it, or social distance if you take it off.***
5. After continuous use for any amount of time, masks should be thrown out in a plastic bag or washed with the exception of N95 masks or N95 respirators which will be discussed in the next blog. 
6. Most people cannot physically wear a mask for more than 4 hours straight unless it has some kind of ventilation.
7. Once you take a mask below the nose you have contaminated it and you need to get a new or cleaned mask.

How many people do you know who follow the above rules?

In a study done by the CDC comparing questionnaires completed retrospectively from symptomatic patients going to a testing center and testing positive for Covid (154 patients) versus those testing negative for Covid (160 patients) it was found:

Those Negative for Covid were more likely:

1. To be non-Hispanic White (p<0.01),
2. Have a college degree or higher (p<0.01),
3. Report at least one underlying chronic medical condition (p = 0.01)

In the 14 days before illness onset of those testing Positive vs Negative for Covid,

1. 71% of those positive for Covid and 74% of those negative for Covid reported always using cloth face coverings or other mask types when in public.
2. Close contact with one or more persons with known COVID-19 was reported by 42% of Covid positive versus 14% of Covid negative participants (p<0.01),
3. 51% of close contacts were family members.
4. There was no difference between those testing positive or negative when shopping, visiting others in the home with less than 10 people, going to the office,  salon, gym, religious gatherings, or using public transportation.
5. Covid positive cases who did not know any close contact positive with Covid,  were more likely to have gone to a bar or restaurant where patrons did not adhere to social distancing and wearing a mask.* (Thanks to my daughter Emily for finding this study!)

Next week’s blog will be reviewing the efficacy of PPE’s, private protection equipment, usually reserved for healthcare workers, but currently available to the public, as well as spread of disease of asymptomatic carriers.  

Again, I urge, please apply silver gel to your hands and face every AM to help protect yourself from any viral or bacterial infection. (RMC uses ASAP Silver Gel)  Take Vitamin D, Zinc, Vitamin C, and Quercetin or EGCG, to further protect you. 

Currently, my colleague in California and I have 3000 patients, only 2 of which have tested positive for Covid and they were asymptomatic.  All our patients, as part of their initial and continuous care, are screened and levels optimized for Vitamin D, Vitamin C, and Zinc.

Be Safe, Conscientious of others, and Always Have an awesome day.  Dr. D