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Chinese corona virus: is it really useful to wear a mask to protect yourself?

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Chinese corona virus: is it 9really useful to wear a mask to protect yourself?

Faced with the risk of importing a case of the Chinese coronary virus into France, is it really useful to wear a mask to protect yourself?

While the toll of the virus that appeared in late December in China has increased again in recent hours (26 dead and 830 confirmed cases), the Chinese authorities decided Thursday, January 23, to quarantine the city of Wuhan, epicenter of the epidemic, as well as two other cities with several million inhabitants, Huanggan and Ezhou, both located 70 km east of Wuhan.

And while concern is growing in France with the potential arrival on French soil of a contaminated Chinese woman, a question comes up again and again: is it really useful to wear a mask to protect yourself from the virus?

Is the mask a useful protection?

Questioned by HuffPost, CNRS researcher Sandrine Belouzard believes that the protective mask "plays an obvious barrier role" in airborne transmission. "But it can't be 100% effective," she tempers, however.

"The Chinese coronavirus, much like the flu, can be transmitted mainly in two ways: by postilions, coughing and sneezing (...) but also by the hands", explains for his part Professor Jean-Christophe Lucet , in charge of infection prevention at the Parisian hospital Bichât, at LCI.

"Hence the interest of this mask", he continues, before specifying: "As long as it is not a simple anti-splash mask, like the one used by our surgeons and nursing staff ". Indeed, the latter do not have a filtering property, and therefore cannot prevent contamination.

"If it is worn correctly and accompanied by hand washing, it is very reliable", concludes Professor Lucet, adding that it is essential to "breathe through the filter and not on the sides to keep germs and viruses out. "

Effectiveness difficult to prove

However, the effectiveness of this device is not guaranteed, and the various studies carried out on this subject have not produced convincing results. "Surgical masks for the public are not an effective protection against viruses and bacteria in the air, because they are too loose, do not have an air filter and leave the eyes exposed," said David Carrington, of the University of London, to BBC News.

Same observation for doctor Jake Dunning: "there is little evidence showing the benefit of the mask worn elsewhere than in a hospital."

Shortages to be expected?

And beyond efficiency, there is the question of availability. In an article published by Reuters on January 23, Cao Jun, managing director of mask maker Lanhine, which has a factory in eastern China, casts doubt:

"From what I've heard, the shortage of masks is much, much more serious than the public knows (...) Almost all hospital workers across the country face a huge shortage of masks, not only in Wuhan. It's really terrible. "

Sign of the concern, special measures have been taken by the company: "At present, we have more than 20 people in the factory, working 24 hours a day. We have quadrupled their daily wages".

Taiwan blocks exports

Faced with this situation, the Chinese Ministry of Industry launched on Wednesday an "emergency coordination effort". As a result, local authorities will have to work together with factories "to overcome labor shortages during the Spring Festival, speed up production and do everything possible to increase supply to the market".

A decision all the more important as the Taiwan News informs us this Friday, January 24 that the Taiwanese government announced a stop of the exports of these protective masks towards China, for a duration of three months.