‘Potential gains’ from wearing a face mask

THE public should be encouraged to wear face masks to protect against Covid-19 because there is little to lose and potential gains, experts have said.

A team, including researchers from the University of Oxford and the London School of Economics, said masks may help slow transmission of the virus while having a small impact on daily life.

It comes after the UK Government said there were no plans to change the current guidance on masks, adding they were not necessary for use by the general public when out and about.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) also does not recommend them for widespread use and has raised concerns there could be a shortage of masks for medical workers if they are bought up by the general public.

Earlier this week, a team from the University of East Anglia (UEA) concluded there was no strong evidence to recommend them.

But in the new study, published by the British Medical Journal (BMJ), a separate team said an absence of evidence to support their use “is not evidence of absence.”

They also said people in a deadly pandemic such as Covid-19 could be highly motivated to use them correctly if taught, quashing arguments that people fail to use them in the right way.

Furthermore, the argument that people should not wear masks because it may deplete stocks, is an argument for making more masks and “not for denying them to populations that might benefit from them”.

The experts pointed to “substantial indirect evidence” that the public could benefit from wearing masks, including the fact Covid-19 stays in the air for several hours and people can be asymptomatic for days before showing signs of illness.

“Masks are simple, cheap and potentially effective,” they added.

Earlier this week, the UEA team said there was no strong evidence to support the public wearing face masks, although they may offer some protection for the vulnerable or those living with somebody who is ill.

The study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, found that widespread use of face masks was not needed.

But experts did find that if both an ill person and those who are well – and who live in the same household – wear masks, the risk of transmission is cut by 19%.

There was also enough evidence to support vulnerable people deciding to use masks for short periods, such as when they are on public transport, visiting shops or using the GP surgery.