Three days before President Donald Trump tested positive for coronavirus, he suggested at the presidential debate that experts are divided on whether masks are effective at preventing spread of the disease.
That was true last winter. It’s not true now.
Today, one would be hard-pressed to find a mainstream medical or scientific organization that doesn’t support masking to control coronavirus. At this point, there is widespread consensus among doctors and scientists that mask usage is one of the best strategies to limit the spread of coronavirus.
That consensus includes the White House medical advisors.
“If you cannot physically distance, all the docs, all the public health experts, all of us are really unanimous that it’s important to wear a mask when you can not physically distance, avoid the indoor crowded space, wash your hands, combined with smart testing,” Dr. Brett Giroir, the White House coronavirus testing czar, said in a Sept. 20 CNN interview.
Michigan experts echo that sentiment.
“Within the scientific and medical community there is agreement, for sure, that masks are effective," said Dr. Kristopher Brenner, a Grand Rapids family physician with Spectrum Health.
“In fact, if you were to tell your citizens to do one thing only, that one thing would be to wear a mask,” he said. “It’s very, very, very, very important. If everyone did just that one thing, it would really help.”
Dr. Dennis Cunningham, a Flint infectious disease specialist with McLaren Health Care, said he believes that high rates of mask use combined with social distancing could make coronavirus “almost nonexistent."
“Masks certainly are one of the important tools we have in prevention and mitigating the spread of COVID-19," agreed Jimena Loveluck, head of the Washtenaw County Health Department.
To be sure, health experts caution that masks are not foolproof and should be combined with other prevention strategies such as social distancing and handwashing to maximize their effectiveness. But masks do make a significant difference, they say.
That enthusiastic promoting of masks is a significant shift compared to February, when the effectiveness of masks was questioned and even discouraged by health experts.
One reason for that was a nationwide shortage of disposal masks, and a desire to steer the limited supply to health-care workers.
Another factor were erroneous assumptions at the time about coronavirus transmission. Initially, scientists and doctors thought the virus was primarily contracted when someone touched a contaminated surface and then touched their face. But it quickly became apparent the primary mode of transmission is breathing contaminated air, and someone can catch the virus just by being in close proximity to an infected person.
Also a game-changer in the debate over masks: The realization that people with coronavirus are highly contagious before they exhibit symptoms.
U.S. doctors and scientists were further persuaded by real-world evidence of masks' effectiveness -- specifically the low number of cases in densely populated Asian counties such as South Korea and Japan, where mask use was ubiquitous from the very start of the pandemic.
In recent months, studies support the theory that masks are an effective way to reduce coronavirus transmission. In its public-service announcements, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says masks can reduce coronavirus infection rates by up to 70%.
That is why it’s so frustrating to doctors and public health officials when Trump shrugs off or even mocks mask usage.
That has real-world consequences in places like the western Upper Peninsula, which is grappling with a current surge of coronavirus. An obstacle in trying to bring the numbers under control is continued resistance to wearing masks, said Michael Snyder, head of the public health departments for Delta and Menominee counties.
No question, a big factor driving that resistance is Trump’s skepticism about masks.
“People do look to their leaders to help them make their own personal decisions," Snyder said. "When our leader at the presidential level is saying that masks aren’t important or is at least giving that impression by not wearing masks out in public, then yeah, that’s definitely impacting the folks locally.”
COVID-19 PREVENTION TIPS:
In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus.
Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible.
Use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and carry hand sanitizer with you when you go into places like stores.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has also issued executive orders requiring people to wear face coverings over their mouth and nosewhile in public indoor and crowded outdoor spaces. See an explanation of what that means here.
Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.
For more data on COVID-19 in Michigan, visit https://www.mlive.com/coronavirus/data/.
Read more on MLive:
High school football, but no in-person classes? Parents wonder what gives at some schools
Michigan Tech stops in-person classes for 2 weeks due to rise in local coronavirus cases
Coronavirus outbreaks reported at 46 Michigan K-12 schools and 22 colleges in Sept. 28 report
AG investigating Unlock Michigan petition group accused of improper signature collection
Increase in University of Michigan coronavirus cases largely due to outside testing, dashboard shows
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