You could still spread the virus around, and it’s nice to be nice to others, simply put.
You’ve had the virus and fought it off. Like the vast majority of people who contract COVID-19, you survived. This is great news. You feel a lot more relaxed now going into public spaces, and really consider yourself to be somewhat outside the pandemic panic. What’s there to worry about? You had the coronavirus and survived, and now you are truly protected by your army of antibodies.
But while you may feel that much better, health experts are warning those who have had the virus to be wary of feeling, well, too safe. There are a few reasons for this. First of all, no one really knows exactly how long your immunity lasts after you are infected with COVID-19. And, while it is rare, some people do actually become reinfected. But the reasons for wearing a mask after infection actually go beyond this.
Helping Others
As stated above, Oone of the most important points surrounding the use of masks after having COVID-19 is the fact that you can become reinfected, and carry the virus to others. It’s rare, but it has happened. If it does, you could be asymptomatic but still be carrying around a high viral load. Your body may not fall sick a second time around as your own antibodies to the novel coronavirus are now protecting you. You can still drag the virus around town and cause others to fall sick, however. In this way, wearing a mask after having COVID-19 is an act of true benevolence towards others.
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But masks don’t really do much, you say. It’s true, masks don’t completely stop the spread of the virus. And you’ve heard the story many times. Many people say they wore a mask at work and still caught COVID-19 when their co-worker, who also wore a mask, fell sick. This does happen. So, masks don’t work, right?
It’s also a fact that we are wearing masks now more than ever, but cases of the coronavirus in the US and beyond are currently skyrocketing further than we ever imagined. So, what’s up with that?
You Survived
There are a few things to point out, here. First, masks are not foolproof as stated above. There is no scientific evidence stating they stop the spread of viruses 100%. You would need an airtight seal to do that. Anyone who wears glasses knows that face masks rarely provide you with this. Some stuff still gets out.
So, let’s look at an office setting. If you are sitting next to a person infected with COVID-19 for 8 hours a day, it is possible you could catch their sickness, even when wearing a mask. Eventually, some of those germs could filter into your workspace. If you are not wearing goggles, those coronavirus aerosols can get in via your eyes.
It is also difficult to disinfect commonly touched surfaces all day long. So, catching the virus through contact with one of these at work is also a possibility.
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The reality is, masks do work to a certain extent, however. It is possible that if both you and your co-worker wore masks and you still got sick, that you contracted a less severe form of COVID-19 than you would have without wearing a mask. Your viral load could have been lower. Your mask could have caused you to inhale a smaller amount of infected droplets. Did you get over your sickness and live to tell the tale? Your mask could very well have helped this happen.
The upshot is, there is a good body of research done by smart people indicating that masks can reduce the spread of germs considerably. Masks aren’t perfect. But if one act can potentially do some good, why not give it a go? Wearing a mask is easier than dying from COVID-19, for sure. And we like you better alive than… not alive.
“But Masks Haven’t Been Reducing Our Numbers”
Sadly, coronavirus cases really are rising faster than before in many countries around the world. Here is some food for thought, however. The number of deaths are not rising in tandem. This is due to many factors, and likely mostly attributable to the fact that doctors now know more about COVID-19 and have more effective tools on hand to treat it. But with more people now wearing masks, it could also be that we are spreading less of the virus.
Keep in mind, the number of cases of COVID-19 could be much worse. The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 killed 50 million people worldwide and about 675,000 individuals in the US alone. While COVID-19 numbers are high, we are still a long way away from these in comparison, (thankfully). At the time of this writing, about 1.4 million people have died from COVID-19 worldwide, and 262,000 people in the US.
The flu and COVID-19 are two different illnesses but it could be that sanitizing our hands, practicing social distancing, and wearing a mask, in many parts of the country, has helped to keep these case numbers and deaths from being as high as they could be. Remember, the population of America at the time of the Spanish flu was less than one third of what it is now.
Wearing a mask, whether you have had COVID-19 already or not, is very likely a good thing to do. We are nearing the end of the pandemic tunnel and we should continue to attempt, at the very least, to keep each other safe.
photo credits: nito/Shutterstock.com
