CDC now says masks protect wearers, too
Took long enough.
The Centers for Disease Control said Tuesday that wearing a mask can help protect the person wearing it from coronavirus.
Multiple studies had already suggested such a relationship. The CDC, however, waited months to note it in official guidelines. Instead, it has focused on how masks prevent people from spreading the virus to others.
This remains the case, but the new guidance also notes that masks provide filtration for personal protection. The thicker and more tightly woven the mask, the less likely a person is to catch coronavirus, the CDC said. These heavier masks are also better for protecting others.
“It’s a two-way street,” Dr. Anthony Fauci told MSNBC. “You protect others. Their masks protect you. And your mask also protects you.”
Along with saving thousands of lives, the CDC cited a Goldman Sachs study that said universal mask usage could save the national economy $1 trillion by preventing additional lockdowns.
More than 235,000 people in the U.S. have died from COVID-19. That’s the largest death toll in the world for a single country. More than 1.2 million people have died in the pandemic globally.
