Wearing face masks is associated with reduced face-touching behaviors

[Bruce Stephens]

Mask Wearing and Face-Touching Behaviors Before vs During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This cross-sectional study examines mask wearing and face-touching behaviors before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in China, Japan, South Korea, Western Europe, and the US.

jamanetwork.com

 

[Amity Island]

Mask Wearing and Face-Touching Behaviors Before vs During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This cross-sectional study examines mask wearing and face-touching behaviors before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in China, Japan, South Korea, Western Europe, and the US.

jamanetwork.com

Hi Bruce,

I thought the opening statement was very interesting.

"There is insufficient evidence on the efficacy of masks in the general population for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in public areas".

Similar to the statement made in a Lancet article.

"Universal face mask use in the community has also been discouraged with the argument that face masks provide no effective protection against coronavirus infection".

So in summary, masks are working not by stopping the airborne spread of the virus, but by changing our behaviour and stopping us from touching our face.

 

[Amity Island]

This is incredible really, it's well established that masks don't prevent you catching (airborne transmission) the virus from others, and now it's been shown that they don't stop you spreading (airborne transmission) it either. Obviously those coughing, sneezing, hiccupping or any other covid symptoms should be at home isolating.

The only thing masks do is stop you from touching your face.

So perhaps we should just go back to washing hands?

 

[Bruce Stephens]

So perhaps we should just go back to washing hands?

Washing hands and physical distancing are still very much recommended (whether or not you also wear a mask).

Evidence for various properties of non-medical face coverings isn't that good, but the expectation was always that It might reduce spread a bit from someone that's infected (but presumably doesn't know it yet).

I'm not sure how we'd get particularly good evidence on that kind of effect (positive or negative). It seems plausible to me, and it seems plausible that it would also help reduce spread of other respiratory infections so I'm inclined to assume it's true or at least give it a pass.

Early on I think there was a significant risk that encouraging people to wear face coverings would take PPE from people who really do need them (and who can use them correctly), and that was confused with some ideas of how wearing face coverings might actually be risky for the general public. I suspect those extra things were largely made up to support the real reason (lack of PPE).

Regardless, it's interesting and reassuring that some of these things are being tested and not found to be true. (Though that's admittedly a bit weak; I wouldn't claim these things have been found to be false, exactly, but they don't seem well supported.)

 

[Amity Island]

Washing hands and physical distancing are still very much recommended (whether or not you also wear a mask).

Evidence for various properties of non-medical face coverings isn't that good, but the expectation was always that It might reduce spread a bit from someone that's infected (but presumably doesn't know it yet).

I'm not sure how we'd get particularly good evidence on that kind of effect (positive or negative). It seems plausible to me, and it seems plausible that it would also help reduce spread of other respiratory infections so I'm inclined to assume it's true or at least give it a pass.

Early on I think there was a significant risk that encouraging people to wear face coverings would take PPE from people who really do need them (and who can use them correctly), and that was confused with some ideas of how wearing face coverings might actually be risky for the general public. I suspect those extra things were largely made up to support the real reason (lack of PPE).

Regardless, it's interesting and reassuring that some of these things are being tested and not found to be true. (Though that's admittedly a bit weak; I wouldn't claim these things have been found to be false, exactly, but they don't seem well supported.)

Bruce,

It certainly paints a very different picture to the one the vast majority of the population are likely to have been (and still are) thinking about mask wearing.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

My understanding is that masks are about reducing spread from the wearer, not reducing inbound infection. I think there is significantly more robust evidence for reduction in transmission, than there is for protection of the person wearing the mask.

I certainly don’t feel I get protection when I wear mine in shops etc, but I can see that it stops droplets from speaking etc travelling from me and landing on any surfaces.

I am glad the ongoing need for regular handwashing is still regularly stressed in the media too.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

My understanding is that masks are about reducing spread from the wearer, not reducing inbound infection. I think there is significantly more robust evidence for reduction in transmission, than there is for protection of the person wearing the mask.

Yes, that was my intended meaning. It was the case that when asked a month or two ago ministers liked to answer with just the second part (that there wasn't good evidence that masks protected the wearer) even when they were specifically asked the more general question of whether it would help if everyone wore a mask.

(At the time I worried a bit about whether that might cause problems should they want to change the advice, but fortunately it doesn't seem to be causing an issue. I suspect because nobody trusts what the government is saying any more.)

 

[trophywench]

I'm 100% with your second paragraph, Bruce.

Personally I don't mind if the truth is dire - as long as it is the truth. Sh!t happens, that's life, end of message. Why the HELL can't the Government tell it like it is for a flippin change? As husband has always said, you can tell when they're lying, cos their mouth is moving and they are speaking.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

Why the HELL can't the Government tell it like it is for a flippin change?

What, listen to what their advisors in SPI-B have been telling them for months now? Who knows. Presumably they're getting behavioural advice from somewhere else. (It all started for me when they did that obvious U-turn back in March after they'd been told their policy risked 250K deaths. They could have 'fessed up, said that their model had (it turned out) some incorrect parameters and changed course, but no, we were still following the same Plan. Stupid. People expect humans to make mistakes; you get much more credibility by admitting them and showing you can change for the better.)

 

[trophywench]

'To err is human; to forgive, Divine' - I'm most happy to reiterate on numerous occasions throughout my life, that I absolutely am human. Meself, like.