There has been a turning
point in the U.S. with many states mandating everyone to wear
masks to curb the spread of COVID-19. However, misinformation and mixed signals
about masks continue to circulate. This has threatened to drown out the growing
body of evidence that shows wearing masks can help fight SARS-CoV-2. Physicians
want to clear up those misunderstandings and get everyone to #MaskUp.
The epidemiological
experts at the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and
Evaluation are estimating that if 95% of
Americans wore masks, the expected U.S. death toll between now and Nov. 1 would
be cut by nearly 34,000 cases.
Five AMA members took time
to discuss what they wish people knew about mask wearing to help clear up any
misinformation. They are:
· Ricardo
Correa, MD, endocrinology fellowship program director and the director for
diversity at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix.
· Meena
Davuluri, MD, MPH, a urologist and health outcomes fellow at New
York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City.
· Pratistha
Koirala, MD, PhD, an ob-gyn resident at Danbury Hospital.
· Nicole
Riddle, MD, an associate professor and associate pathology residency program
director at University of South Florida Health in Tampa.
· Megan
Srinivas, MD, MPH, an infectious diseases specialist and translational health
policy research fellow at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Here is what these
physician experts had to say:
Masks are vital to
preventing spread
It is important for
everyone to understand “the very basic level of why they should wear a mask,”
said Dr. Srinivas. “A lot of the reasons people aren’t wearing it is because of
the mixed messaging we’re getting from our state, local and national leaders.”
“The most important thing
that we can get across for our patients is clearing that misconception and
those falsehoods and just telling them how masks are effective and that they in
fact are safe,” she added.
Dr. Davuluri, a urologist,
uses her workplace humor to draw on an analogy to illustrate efficacy of masks.
“If two individuals are
standing across from each other and neither are wearing pants, if the person
across from you urinates, you will get wet,” said Dr. Davuluri. “If you are
wearing pants and the person across from you urinates, you will be partially
protected. If both individuals are wearing pants, you will be completely
protected and remain dry.”
“It’s the same for mask
wearing. If neither individual is wearing a mask, you will both be exposed,”
she said. “If one person is wearing a mask, you will be partially protected. If
both individuals are wearing a mask, both will be protected from being exposed
to the virus.”
The bottom line, added Dr.
Riddle, is that “masks really do prevent the spread of disease, specifically
this virus that we're all fighting. ... They really do save lives—yours and
others.”
The AMA is partnering with
other leading health organizations to encourage people to mask up to stop the spread of COVID-19.
This is not a political
statement
“The most common push back
that we’re feeling right now is that there is a politicizing of the use of a
mask. This has nothing to do with a political party,” said Dr. Correa. “People
need to understand that this is a public health problem and it has nothing to
do with the election of 2020. This is happening across the entire world.”
“A mask is just about
keeping yourself safe, keeping your family members safe, keeping your loved
ones safe and keeping our community safe,” said Dr. Davuluri. “That's really
what the mask is all about. It's not impinging on anyone's freedom or their
rights. The only thing we really know is the best way to prevent this disease
is by wearing a mask.”
In a recent episode of the
“AMA COVID-19 Update,” experts shared how to make your voice heard to encourage public use
of masks.
It’s OK to wear for
long periods of time
“The most common pushback
that I get, where I am, is that masks are uncomfortable or concern about if
it’s safe to be wearing a mask for so many hours of the day,” said Dr. Koirala.
“Talking about my own mask-wearing is important and reminding them that their
physicians wear them too.”
“You can really wear them
without fear of deoxygenating or going into an asthmatic fit for most people,”
said Dr. Riddle, adding that “people can wear them whether they're exercising or
in labor or doing surgery for 14 hours—there really isn't an excuse to not wear
one for almost everyone.”
Cover your nose and
mouth
“One of the things that
I’d like to see is more people covering their entire nose and mouth,” said Dr.
Koirala. “I see many people who just cover their mouth and they don’t cover
their nose, and that is just not going to be as effective in terms of
protecting themselves.”
“Masks are worn to protect
others,” said Dr. Correa, adding that “If you care about others, you should wear
a mask.”
Learn from AMA President
Susan R. Bailey, MD, about why it’s time to #MaskUp.
Know when to wear a
mask
“The hardest thing, aside
from just understanding why masks are important, is a lot of patients struggle
to know when to wear a mask,” said Dr. Davuluri. “It’s very straightforward. If
you’re indoors anywhere, so the grocery store, any sort of a shop or you’re in
a house with people you’re visiting and they’re not your immediate family,
those are all scenarios where you should be wearing a mask.”
“When you’re outside, you
need to wear a mask if you’re in crowded areas,” she said. “If you’re in a
scenario where you can’t keep distance from someone at all points and times,
you should be wearing a mask.”
Medicine changes as we
know more
“There's just been a lot
of whiplash in terms of what people have been saying, because at the beginning
of the pandemic, people were saying not to wear masks, and now all the health
experts are saying that you should wear masks,” said Dr. Koirala. This is when
physicians need to remind patients “that this is part of the scientific process
as we’ve learned more and more about COVID-19.”
“Medicine changes and it
evolves,” she said. “The more we learn about something, the better we’re able
to treat it.”
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