Do I still need to wear my mask?

While masks alone are not a 100% safeguard against diseases and transmission, masking-up continues to remain a wise decision, say experts.

World-wide mask wearing became a part of our public life three years ago with the COVID-19 pandemic but late last week the World Health Organisation declared that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global health emergency. | Photo Credit: G. Ramakrishna

World-wide mask wearing became a part of our public life three years ago with the COVID-19 pandemic but late last week the World Health Organisation declared that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global health emergency.

So while the announcement symbolically marked the end of the acute phase of the Coronavirus pandemic, is it time to discard the commonly used defence against the virus? Do I still need to mask up?

In answer to this question it’s vital that we look at the facts first.

Despite the reading down of the status of COVID, WHO issued a warning that COVID vaccine distribution and coverage, coupled with virus mutation and people’s risk perception of the virus waning – COVID continues to be a public health threat. In the light of this, masking should continue to remain part of the comprehensive strategic measure to suppress transmission and save lives.

While masks alone are not a 100% safeguard against diseases and transmission, masking-up continues to remain a wise decision, say experts.

“Washing hands, avoiding crowds, using a mask - all these continue to offer protection against COVID which is still around and also other respiratory diseases including seasonal flu. It often can be a life-saver for those in the high-risk category and those that are not vaccinated,’” said Delhi Medical Association member Anil Bansal.

Rajeev Jayadevan,vice-president, Indian Medical Association, Cochin, Kerala, added: “Masking is of great value, particularly during a time of local surge in cases. The chief advantage is that they are equally effective against all variants. For COVID since a large number of cases are asymptomatic, universal mask wearing will help reduce spread, especially in high risk settings like hospitals.’’

As per a 2022 study — “Need for more robust research on the effectiveness of masks in preventing COVID-19 transmission” – [Published in the National Library of Medicine (National Centre for Biotechnology Information)], a preliminary comparison analysis showed that non-mask wearing countries (Spain, Italy, UK, Germany, France) had a significantly higher increase in COVID-19 cases than the mask-wearing countries (Japan, Thailand, China) in 2020.

“The advent of COVID has really taught us that wearing masks can go a long way in the prevention of many infections and transmissible diseases,” said Puneet Khanna, head-of-department, consultant — Respiratory Medicine, HCMCT Manipal Hospitals, Dwarka. He added that masks equally help in preventing many respiratory diseases, even those caused by pollution and dust. “In elderly and children, masks go a long way in preventing allergies, respiratory infections and other respiratory illnesses. So, yes, wearing masks especially in crowded places is important. In a country like India, it is a good practice to wear masks in crowded or polluted places. It is also important to wear the masks in the right way,” he explained.

Experts indicate that people should wear a face mask when coming within 6-feet of a sick person.

“Position the strings to keep the mask firmly in place over the nose, mouth, and chin and try not to touch the mask again until you remove it, when you’re done wearing a surgical face mask or respirator, throw it away and wash your hands. Never reuse it. Additionally wash your cloth face mask after each use,” advised Dr. Khanna.