As New York State prepares to gradually re-open, State Sen. Jamaal T. Bailey, Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez, and Councilman Andrew Cohen distributed free face masks, gloves and hand sanitizers to residents on May 20, 2020 outside Lexa Bar & Grill on East 204th Street.

 

Norwood News previously reported that although a number of free mask distribution events were held in the local area throughout May, mask supplies tended to run out in a very short space of time. So, why are masks so important?

 

A new study from the University of Hong Kong shows that wearing a mask does indeed reduce the spread of the coronavirus, though the study is yet to be peer reviewed.

 

Since transmission of COVID-19 is through human contact via respiratory droplets, the CDC initially focused the public’s attention on the importance of hand-washing and social distancing to curb the spread of the virus, when the pandemic first hit.

 

Since there were insufficient tests available, insufficient PPE for front line workers, insufficient ventilators, and because people could transmit the virus unknowingly, the idea was to isolate people, slow the spread within the community, and ease the burden on hospitals.

 

These measures, though not respected by all New Yorkers, gradually helped to “flatten the curve” and curb the number of daily positive COVID-19 cases across the State, giving hospitals some measure of hope, after the peak plateau in hospitalizations in mid-April.

 

However, it should be recalled that, in early March, every hospital in the State was asked by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to double its capacity in order to meet the surge. That meant that most New York State hospitals began operating beyond their usual capacity, essentially in crisis mode from that point onwards, and are potentially still doing so.

 

Such a set-up is not sustainable however, and the mental impact alone on health care workers has already resulted in one New York based doctor taking her own life. Her sister warned that other health care workers are also on the brink of either exhaustion or mental breakdown but are hesitant to complain due to the oath they took on entering the profession.

 

This does not bode well for a potential second wave of coronavirus infection, which CDC officials say is likely to occur in the fall. Though the country and the State should, theoretically, be better prepared for a second wave, its potential impact should not be underestimated. A second rise in cases is already suspected in China.

 

Moreover, World Health Organization (WHO) officials have said that there is currently no evidence of immunity from a second infection among those who have recovered from COVID-19. Experts say that while the detection of antibodies in a person may show that that person has had the virus, it doesn’t ensure they are immune from reinfection.

 

Meanwhile, calls to re-open the economy are growing louder, despite the fact that there is still a large number of the population who are immunocompromised, and therefore at a higher risk of contracting the virus. This is not just limited to the elderly but anyone who is, for example, obese or who has asthma.

 

The risk remains, therefore, that community transmission could spike again once people start to interact with more frequency. The following two and half minute video from the CDC illustrates how quickly the virus spreads, especially among people who are asymptomatic.

 

 

Officials agree that the only way to re-open the economy safely is to test people, trace those who may have been exposed, and then isolate those impacted in order to curb further spread.

 

As of May 21, of the 1,555,055 New Yorkers who have been tested for the coronavirus, 356,458 tested positive, and 23,083 of these have died. The long-term effects of the virus on healthcare workers, due to over-exposure, as well as on those who have survived the virus are still unknown. Some people who have lost their senses of taste and smell have yet to recover them, while the effects of the virus on the lungs and other organs is still being studied.

 

Meanwhile, a new worrisome condition potentially linked to the coronavirus has come to light in recent weeks, called pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome. Currently, 157 children and young adults are being treated for the condition in New York State.

 

This accounts for about half the number of cases nationwide. In New York State alone, three have died already from this syndrome. Doctors say that although numbers are low relative to the population, most of those who have fallen ill with the syndrome did not have any underlying health problems.

 

Of course, prevention is better than cure. Though there has been some positive news about initial vaccine trial results reported in the media, the risk of using a vaccine that has not been thoroughly vetted is clear. Experts have said repeatedly that testing a vaccine takes time, usually years, though in an interview with NPR on May 22, Dr. Anthony Fauci, an expert on the Trump Administration’s coronavirus task force, said it was, “conceivable” that the U.S. could begin to roll out a coronavirus vaccine by December.

 

In the meantime, efforts are also ongoing to come up with a potential treatment for the virus. Fauci was cautiously optimistic about the initial results of an international clinical drug trial involving the drug, remdesivir, which is being trialled at the Moses campus of Montefiore Health System, in conjunction with Einstein college.

 

However, the drug is not FDA approved for general use as a potential treatment for the virus, and is only being used in such clinical settings.

 

Taking into account human nature, and people’s inability to maintain an adequate social distance at all times, especially when in close proximity to one another, the CDC, therefore, recommends using either a face mask, or a simple cloth face covering as an additional public health measure. This is a way to prevent people who may, unknowingly, be infected with the virus from transmitting it to others.

 

“We now know from recent studies that a significant portion of individuals with coronavirus, lack symptoms (“asymptomatic”) and that even those who eventually develop symptoms (“pre-symptomatic”), can transmit the virus to others before showing symptoms,” a CDC statement reads.

 

“This means that the virus can spread between people interacting in close proximity—for example, speaking, coughing, or sneezing—even if those people are not exhibiting symptoms. In light of this new evidence, CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain e.g. in grocery stores and pharmacies, especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.”

 

The masks distributed by officials on May 20 are 3-ply disposable, blue, medical face masks. After use, the masks should always be disposed of carefully in order to prevent the inadvertent spread of the virus by either known, or asymptomatic carriers.

 

By contrast, the N95 mask (not distributed at the May 20 event) is a specific type of mask usually reserved for use by specialized workers like those in construction who sometimes work in toxic environments, or healthcare workers who are exposed to all manner of infections in their workplaces.

 

At the beginning of the pandemic, CDC representatives said that N95 masks were in short supply, and were reserved for front line health care workers. It was clear that such workers were being exposed to the virus directly, as they were treating patients who had tested positive. As of today, May 22, according to the CDC website, this guidance is still valid.

 

Back in March, when NYPD Chief of Department, Terence Monahan, asked Dr. Oxiris Barbot, the New York City Health Commissioner for a supply of N-95 masks for police officers, the two got into a heated discussion due to the short supply of these types of masks at the time.

 

Barbot wanted to preserve the low stocks of the masks for front line health care workers. She was forced to apologize earlier this week in relation to some remarks she made to Monahan during the March discussion. She had been publicly name-called on social media in response to the incident. As of May 21, forty-two NYPD members have died due to coronavirus-related illness.

 

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has been criticized for not adhering to mask-wearing guidelines, despite the CDC’s recommendations. Though White House officials now wear masks on a daily basis, and some staff members have already tested positive for the virus, Trump did not wear a mask when he visited a Honeywell mask-making plant in Arizona in early May.

 

This week, he did not wear a mask in front of television cameras when he visited a Ford factory in Michigan, despite calls from the state’s Attorney General to do so, and despite company executives encouraging him to wear one upon arrival at the plant.

 

Of his decision to not wear a mask, the president said, “I wore one in this back area, but I didn’t want to give the press the pleasure of seeing it”. He added that he had been tested that morning.

 

However, the idea behind mask-wearing is not only to protect the wearer from infection by others, but also to prevent the wearer from transmitting it to others. Every other person around the president was wearing a mask when he appeared on television.

 

In contrast, all three New York elected officials wore masks while distributing supplies to residents at the free giveaway event in Norwood on May 20.

In the meantime, the CDC has also issued additional instructions on the use of washable, cloth face coverings, as follows:

 

DO

Do wear a face covering to protect others in case you’re infected but don’t have symptoms.

Do wash your hands before putting on your face covering.

Do put it over your nose and mouth and secure it under your chin.

Do try to fit it snugly against the sides of your face.

Do make sure you can breathe through the face covering.

Do wear the face covering whenever going out in public.

Do keep the covering on your face the entire time you’re in public.

Do take off your cloth face covering carefully when you get home.

Do untie the strings behind your head or stretch the ear loops when removing the face covering,

Do handle the face covering only by the ear loops or ties.

Do fold the face covering from the outside corners together.

Do place the face covering in the washing machine.

Do wash your hands with soap and water afterwards.

 

 

DON’T

Don’t use the face covering on children under two years of age.

Don’t use surgical masks or other personal protective equipment (PPE) intended for health care workers.

Don’t use face coverings on anyone who has trouble breathing, or who is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the cover without assistance.

Don’t put the face covering around your neck or up on your forehead.

Don’t touch the face covering, and, if you do, clean your hands.

 

In summary, in the absence of a vaccine or treatment for the virus, and in order to prevent a further spike in hospitalizations, wearing a mask in public, social distancing, washing your hands, and using hand sanitizer are all effective ways to stop the spread of the coronavirus, according to health officials worldwide.

 

Never spray hand sanitizer on your face.

 

More information on mask-wearing can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover-faq.html