This is something I’ve heard a lot, and assuming it’s true, what’s the science behind it? Surely holes in masks are the same size no matter whether the germs are heading in or out, but I’m guessing it’s not about the holes and I’m missing something.
Obligatory disclaimer: I’m not an anti-masker, I’m still wearing it in shops for example. This is just me wanting to understand.
In: Biology
They absolutely do help with preventing you from catching it. ~~I don’t know where you’re hearing that it doesn’t help with that.~~ [Edit: Okay, I do recall that was said at some point, but we’ve learned masks do help the wearer.]
It reduces the chances. It’s not a 100% thing. Fun fact: If two people have masks, that’s even more protection. It’s filtered when you breathe out, it’s filtered when you breathe in. So two people wearing masks have two layers of protection between them, if only one of them wears a mask it’s only one layer of protection. It adds up.
Not putting it into the air helps a great many people. Wearing the mask if you’re infected (and/or staying home!) helps tremendously. Wearing it if you’re not infected is really only protecting you for that moment, if you were somehow 100% certain you weren’t infected. But if you catch it, you will almost certainly spread it to at least one other person. So protecting yourself _is_ protecting others. And here’s the huge catch: Most people with active CoViD-19 are not aware they have it. They are asymptomatic. It’s extremely helpful when most people wear them, whether they think they have it or not, because that blanket level of protection makes the virus have a hard time spreading.
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