To mask or not to mask: that is the new question

Ever since the pandemic began infecting Americans in late March, the main debate for people has been to wear a mask or not. That debate has reached the boiling point since Oklahoma’s southern neighbor Texas now has a statewide mask mandate. The corporation Walmart has even climbed on board the mask mandate train; as of July 20, all Walmart stores will require customers to wear masks. This is nationwide. 

The mask debate seems silly, but it is an important one because even though COVID-19 cases are increasing, some businesses are remaining open. Quite a few people are adamant about the mask issue; whether it is for wearing one or against. Some people have fluctuated on their stance because there is so much information available at a person’s fingertips, and it is not all the same information. 

Even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have wavered on their stance on masks. In the beginning, they suggested to only wear N95 masks, and warned of the dangers of fabric masks. That alone began a nationwide panic because there was a gross shortage of the N95 masks and other Personal Protective Equipment. 

Currently, the CDC and WHO has shifted their stance on fabric masks. They said research has proven that wearing any type of mask drastically reduces the chance of contracting the virus. The online health journal Health Affairs conducted a study and found that mask mandates seemed to slow down the COVID-19 daily growth rate in the District of Columbia. The study showed a slowdown of the daily growth rate by nine-tenths of a percent after the first five days of the mask mandate. At the three–week mark, the rate had slowed by two percentage-points. 

One part of the mask confusion was who does it benefit? Some people said they wear the mask to protect their elderly grandparent, or their parent with an autoimmune disorder. Peter Chin-Hong, MD, a professor at the University of California, San Fransisco School of Medicine said wearing a mask also benefits the wearer. 

“I think there’s enough evidence to say that the best benefit is for people who have COVID-19 to protect them from giving COVID-19 to other people, but you’re still going to get a benefit from wearing a mask if you don’t have COVID-19,” said Chin-Hong. 

Chin-Hong said there is a possibility that masks are more effective as a “source control” since they have the potential of preventing larger expelled droplets from evaporating into smaller droplets. The smaller droplets tend to travel farther, making them more dangerous. 

Chin-Hong agreed that the type of mask is not relevant; the main thing is to just wear one. 

“The concept is risk reduction rather than absolute prevention,” said Chin-Hong. “You don’t throw up your hands if you think a mask is not 100 percent effective. That’s silly. Nobody’s taking a cholesterol medicine because they’re going to prevent a heart attack 100 percent of the time, but you’re reducing your risk substantially.” 

If wearing a mask has the potential to drastically reduce people contracting the virus, then why are people so hesitant to wear one? Is eventually having everything back to normal really worth bucking the system?  

In a recent study by the CDC, at least forty percent of Americans do not wear a mask. Some of those questioned claimed they sometimes wore their masks, but a larger portion admitted to not wearing one. Interestingly enough, the study found that women are more likely to wear a mask. A majority of the men believed they were less likely to get infected with the virus, and they felt wearing a mask was “a sign of weakness.” 

Steve Lopez, a columnist for the Los Angeles Times wanted to get an inside look on mask wearers, so he walked through Glendora, Calif. at lunchtime on June 16. He wanted to be in the proverbial trenches and ask people their thoughts on masks. 

Lopez noted that during his walk, only one-third of the people were masked up. Lopez approached a 77-year-old man who was maskless, and found out the gentleman believed the people wearing masks were “probably driven by political scare tactics.” The man also noted that he did not know anybody who had contracted the virus.  

Some people feel a sense of panic while wearing a mask. This panic leads to shortness of breath which makes the wearer take the mask off in an attempt to take deeper breaths. Mendy Landers, a single mom from the Texoma area has an autoimmune disorder, so wearing a mask is crucial for her health. However, Landers has issues wearing a mask because it causes her to panic. She said even though she knows she needs it for safety, the mask makes her feel like she cannot breathe. She opts to just stay home as much as possible.  

However, research shows that masks do not limit a person’s intake of oxygen. Dr. Daniel Pahua Díaz, an academic from the Department of Public Health at the National Autonomous University of Mexico medical school spoke about this issue in an interview with Animal Politico. "This misinformation may arise from the feeling of lack of air due to mechanical obstruction depending on the type of mouthpiece we are using. But the feeling of obstruction is because we are not used to using the mouth mask. But as such it will not cause us any kind of hypoxia," Díaz said. 

Julia Marcus with The Atlantic suggest that a major reason for people protesting masks could be strictly social.  

“Let’s be real. Americans are beat-down and run-down after months of loss and social isolation,” Marcus said. “Masks do keep people from seeing facial expressions and hearing voices clearly, both vital elements of social connection." 

She did acknowledge the breathing issues, but stated it is not enough to negate wearing a mask. “Masks don’t deprive people of oxygen, but they do make it harder to breathe freely. They fog up people’s glasses. They make noses itch and faces sweat,” she said. 

Marcus also cited the mask being a major nuisance for people.  

“Many masks feel decidedly uncool,” Marcus noted. “They are yet another thing to remember when walking out the front door. And, most of all, masks are a constant reminder of what Americans so desperately want to forget: that despite all of our sacrifices, the pandemic hasn’t gone anywhere.” 

One can hope that the naysayers will look past the inconvenience of wearing a mask, and see the potential to flatten the curve.