Masks are an important tool in the fight against the corona pandemic.
However, new findings show that there is more to be observed beyond the basic hygiene rules.
Masks help
to protect
against
corona infection
*.
However, when choosing the copy, key points must be taken into account
Because not every mask meets the requirements.
Munich -
masks
are not exactly the favorite accessory for some Germans.
Many even state in surveys that mouth and nose protection is the first thing they
want to
get rid of
after the pandemic
.
Most of them still wear the important piece of fabric consistently - and for good reason.
Because even if doubters and conspiracy ideologues propagate something else, there are now a large number of scientific studies that prove: masks are an
indispensable tool
in the fight against the
coronavirus
*.
Scientists around the world have studied the topic at universities and research institutes (including the renowned University of Cambridge).
Everyone concludes:
masks are important
.
Do masks really help?
The Swiss cheese model shows its great effect
Of course, just covering your mouth and nose is not enough.
Other measures are just as important.
Only by
working together
can they provide effective protection against
infection with the coronavirus
.
There are things that everyone can do: keep your distance, avoid crowds, wash your hands, sneeze in the crook of your arm and cough.
On the other hand, there are also things for which we are jointly responsible: Ventilating rooms, quarantine and isolation, as well as
fast and safe testing
* and
vaccines
*.
This is shown particularly clearly in the
Swiss cheese model
that the virologist Ian M. Mackay developed.
A new version with color & division inspiration from @uq_news and strict mouse design oversight by @kat_arden (ver3.0).
It reorganises slices into personal & shared responsibilities (think of this in terms of all the slices rather than any single layer being most important) pic.twitter.com/nNwLWZTWOL
- ɪᴀɴ ᴍ.
ᴍᴀᴄᴋᴀʏ, ᴘʜᴅ 🦠🤧🧬🥼🦟🧻 (@MackayIM) October 24, 2020
The holes in the cheese symbolize the loopholes that each individual measure offers the virus.
But all measures together form a
solid wall of cheese
, as the holes are always in different places.
The everyday masks are a
central component
in this parable
, the protective cheese wall.
Corona concern: which mask is now the right one?
Cloth masks
made of cotton, for example, are
also
worn a lot in
Germany
.
But are they as effective as their counterparts in the medical field?
Basically, the following applies first: The mask should
lie
close to the face
, enclose the chin and nose and reach as far as possible to the ears.
Of course, you should still
get a
good
breath
.
These recommendations and rules for dealing with the mask of the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) should be well known by now.
But if you take a closer look, there seem to be
differences between the individual mask types
.
Because at the
beginning of the pandemic
, a particularly large number of people - also due to a lack of alternatives - resorted to fabric masks and stuck with them.
But their effectiveness is now being debated.
Above all
, they are supposed to provide poor protection
against the small particles, the
aerosols
.
“If I wear a cloth mask, it doesn't protect me from the aerosols that other people have breathed out;
with my cloth mask do I protect my opponent especially in front of the coarse particles, which I myself aushuste or -niese "says Franz Daschner, Emeritus Professor of Environmental Health Sciences,
zeit.de
.
"If you really want to protect yourself, you should use the
surgical masks,
they filter much better than the cloth masks," the expert continues.
Simple test for protective effect: These two criteria must be met
The mask consists of at least two layers
You can't blow out a candle while wearing it.
“You should
n't talk badly
about the fabric masks,
” says the Braunschweig professor for virology Melanie Brinkmann the portal.
With
two- or three-layer masks
there is a certain protective effect.
It is confirmed by a US study that also measured the emission of droplets by various types of masks, published in the journal
Sciences Advances.
The researchers showed that well-made fabric masks also have a protective effect.
However, they still
lag behind the medical models
.
In addition to the two layers of fabric, according to the report, a small test provides information about the minimal effectiveness of a mask: You shouldn't be able to blow out a candle through the textile.
Corona in Germany: Many hygiene concepts are not up to date with research
Once you have found the right mask, you have to wear it.
If you look at the results of various studies that have been carried out in the past few months, it becomes clear: Despite our indifference, we
tend to
wear the masks
too little rather
than too much.
The results of the studies suggest that you should
always wear a mask
indoors
when someone from
another household is
also there.
Distance and ventilation should also be added.
But that doesn't just
mean
the
supermarket
or
public transport
meant, but above all bars and restaurants.
There, according to the applicable
hygiene
concepts, you can smell
the mask. Take off
your
mask as soon as you sit at the table.
It would be better to keep them around all the time except for eating.
A study from the USA, which was published in the journal
Nature
, examined where people in US metropolises were often infected.
Conclusion: bars, churches, coffee shops, supermarkets, fitness studios and,
above all, restaurants.
(
mam
)
* Merkur.de is part of the Ippen-Digital network.
List of rubric lists: © Oliver Berg / dpa
