As we enter the flu and winter season, sickness is sure to spread, especially COVID-19, which affects the respiratory system.
A sneeze or even a laugh from an infected person is enough to cause sickness in someone else.
But, luckily, masks have been proven to be an effective way to help prevent those droplets from entering the respiratory system.
Even now, one year later, masks are important because the coronavirus has mutated into a variety of strains.
As more people get vaccinated, many businesses and organizations are dropping their mask mandates.
But until everyone is vaccinated, experts stress that masks are still a vital tool in the fight against COVID-19.
“What we’ve seen with masks is that it is a barrier,” says Dr. Shanu Agarwal, an infectious disease physician with Summa Health System.
“Since COVID is spread through the air, the mask protects both you and everyone else by blocking the transmission through the air.”
Unvaccinated people can continue to fall ill and vaccinated people can still become physical carriers, so it’s important to mask up no matter your vaccination status.
Although the best defense is to get vaccinated, it’s important to think about wearing masks whenever the option presents itself, especially in open, public spaces where you don’t know the vaccination status of those around you such as bars and grocery stores.
“Until everyone is vaccinated, masks are our best defense,” says Agarwal.
