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Both @CDCgov & @WHO are revising guidelines for wearing #facemasks. The US is well behind many countries, esp in Asia in rec& #39;ing pop-based mask use. I agree w/ #Fauci that US should not mandate it, but there& #39;s much we can do to encourage mask use. What do we know? See thread. 1x
2x We know #facemasks were rec& #39;d widely by govts, incl HK, S. Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, ECDC. Why was @CDCgov & @WHO so slow to act, esp when they had access to same sci info avail to other govts? What was the sci evi? Have there been new findings influencing @WhiteHouse?
3x What do we know about evi for #facemasks? Scant evi that masks protect healthy indivs from contracting #SARSCoV2. But reasonably good evi masks reduce risk of transmitting infection among indivs w/ #COVID19. Thus, if adopted as a pop-based strategy, it could reduce spread.
4x We& #39;ve known #facemasks reduce #SARSCoV2 droplet dispersal w/ reduced transmission for some time. We also knew #COVID spread by asymptomatic indivs for some time. What we didn& #39;t know is the number of asymptomatic carriers, which we now believe could be up to 20% of infected pop
5x If sci says #Masks reduce spread, why didn& #39;t @CDCgov & @WHO say so clearly? Reasons not due to science, but to culture, economics & politics. Unlike Asia, US culture does not have a tradition of #facemasks, which is quite foreign to US pop. We& #39;re also ruggedly individualistic.
6x Perhaps most imp reason @cdc didn& #39;t rec #facemasks is b/c of potential hoarding & shortages in critical healthcare settings. We& #39;ve sadly seen hoarding of foods, paper supplies & meds. It would be deeply concerning if mask use contributed to scarcity in hospitals.
7x Why is @CDCgov & @WHO now about to rec pop-based mask use? They have caught up w/ the evi, seen the need for more aggressive measures as #covid spreads exponentially.
8x What should @CDC/ @WHO rec now? #facemasks4all when out in public (shopping, hosp visits...). Beyond preventing #SARSCoV2 spread, #Masks are a potent symbol that #COVID19 is serious, stresses value of #PhysicalDistancing.
9x How can we encourage pop-based #facemasks in US? Starts from top down. PH agencies shd run ubiquitous pub service ads rec& #39;ing #PhysicalDistancing & #facemasks4all. @POTUS & Cabinet should model good bhvr by wearing #Masks in public, also urging Americans to do the right thing.
10/10 We are all in this together. Let& #39;s appeal to our sense of civic responsibility: shelter in place, use #facemasks in public, don& #39;t go out while sick. We may be socially separated but we are not alone. We owe an ethical duty to each other to keep everyone safe. Be safe!
