CDC Weighs Wearing Masks To Prevent Spread Of Coronavirus

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect our daily lives, a topic that keeps coming up is whether we should wear masks in public to protect ourselves.

Initially, the Centers For Disease Control claimed that masks were only essential if you were sick, to prevent spreading germs when coughing or sneezing.

The CDC also warned against wearing masks due to the shortage of supplies for medical professionals.

However, on Monday, Dr. Robert Redfield, Director of the CDC, revealed in an interview with WABE in Atlanta that the agency is reconsidering who should wear masks as they review guidelines.

Plans for the CDC to potentially alter its guidelines come after new data shows higher numbers in transmission from individuals who are infected with COVID-19 but don’t show any symptoms.

“[Masks are] being critically re-reviewed, to see if there’s potential additional value for individuals that are infected or individuals that may be asymptomatically infected,” Dr. Redfield said.

Redfield also deemed the coronavirus three times as infectious as the flu.⠀

According to the data researchers have discovered about the virus, people can spread the virus as long as two days before feeling any symptoms.

“This helps explain how rapidly this virus continues to spread across the country, because we have asymptomatic transmitters, and we have individuals who are transmitting 48 hours before they become symptomatic,” Dr. Redfield continued. “That’s important because now you have individuals that may not have any symptoms that can contribute to transmission, and we have learned that, in fact, they do contribute to transmission.”

A recent review of mask-wearing guidance for the public comes after the White House coronavirus task force requested that they reconsider the guidelines as they’re leaning towards recommending it, according to a federal official, the New York Times reports.

However, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and member of the task force, voiced his concern with the potential worsening of scarce medical supplies, including N95 masks and other medical masks for health care workers.

“You don’t want to take masks away from the health care providers who are in a real and present danger of getting infected,” Dr. Fauci said in an interview with CNN, Tuesday morning. “The idea of getting a much more broad communitywide use of masks outside of the health care setting is under very active discussion at the task force. The CDC group is looking at that very carefully.”

In a recent interview with CBS News, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Scott Gottlieb spoke on how masks protect us.

“The value of the mask isn’t necessarily to protect you from getting sick, although it may offer some protection,” Gottlieb said. “It’s to protect you from other people. So when someone who’s infected is wearing a mask, they’re much less likely to transmit infection.”

Gottlieb said that data regarding the flu, suggests that masks can reduce one’s ability to infect others by 50 percent when wearing a mask. He also suggested that the CDC put out designs for cloth masks for the public.

CDC’s current guidelines regarding masks are as follows: “If you are sick: You should wear a face mask, if available when you are around other people (including before you enter a health care provider’s office). If you are caring for others: If the person who is sick is not able to wear a face mask (for example, because it causes trouble breathing), then as their caregiver, you should wear a face mask when in the same room with them. Visitors, other than caregivers, are not recommended. Note: During a public health emergency, face masks may be reserved for health care workers. You may need to improvise a face mask using a scarf or bandana.”