"Do you find it useful to wear a mask to avoid contagion from Coronavirus?" was the question asked by PXR Italy to Italians in the latest survey on 3 June. The result is that almost 6 out of 10 people (57%) think that masks are useful: the use of these medical devices is one of the most controversial issues of recent months and has seen doctors, scientists and opinion leaders clashing vigorously. It should be borne in mind that Italian law requires masks to be worn in various situations and contexts (source: Presidency of the Council of Ministers): despite this, many social media users complain about the lack of use, while many newspapers explain 'which' masks are useless and which are useful. Let's clarify a little and ask ourselves: 1. does the mask really protect me from the Coronavirus? 2. Are there any masks that are more useful than others?
Does the mask protect me from the Coronavirus?
Yes: in a recent research conducted in Los Angeles, scientists state that 'Most of the evidence available in the literature indicates that the use of a mask limits the transmission of the virus via infected droplets both in the laboratory and in clinical settings' (source: Preprints). This is also confirmed by Professor Giovanni Rezza, director of the Infectious Diseases Department of the Istituto Superiore della Sanità and the WHO (World Health Organisation); on the other hand, several scientific sources suggest staying away from household masks which, although they have a certain protective power, do not sufficiently safeguard the population.
Are there any masks that are more useful than others?
Yes, there are two types of mask in particular, and both should be used with the 'disposable' philosophy: surgical and filtering. Surgical masks are simpler, less expensive and work like a locked door from the outside, not allowing the Coronavirus to leave the infected organism. Filtering masks are more expensive, elaborate and difficult to use (types: ffp2 has a 94% degree of filtration; ffp3 has a 99% degree of filtration): the latter have a two-way protective power; to put it simply, they work like a closed door that cannot be opened from either the outside or the inside. So it protects the wearer from infected people as well as protecting others from the wearer (source: Istituto Auxologico Italiano).
Conclusions
It should be specified that the scientific community and official Italian Government sources (source: Presidency of the Council of Ministers) unanimously state that the correct use of masks should be combined with rules of personal hygiene and social distancing. In conclusion, in light of these facts, it can be seen that 6 out of 10 Italians think that the mask is useful for avoiding contagion from the Coronavirus; therefore 4 out of 10 people think the opposite. Why is such a high percentage of Italians convinced that wearing a mask is useless? What consequences could this phenomenon have on the trend of infections in the coming months? PXR Italy conducts valid and reliable independent research and provides reliable sources to its readers in order to answer questions like these.
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