Reports widely shared on social media claim that there is no scientific basis behind the use of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is false.
The claim was shared on January 9 and consists of a quote from ‘Dr David Martin’ which claims: ‘There is not a SINGLE paper – not one – that actually documented that the pathogen detected in one patient is, transmitted through the air of another. patient … which means that every mask mandate is based on a FAITH, not on science. ‘(here)
The distribution of COVID-19
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its advice on the new coronavirus on 5 October 2020, saying: ‘The most important way people become infected with SARS-CoV-2 is through exposure to respiratory droplets. carrying the infectious virus. ”(Here)
This means that people can become infected if they inhale small droplets that fly out when someone is breathing, sneezing, coughing, singing or talking (here).
Droplet transmission differs from the transmission in the air. The former occurs when someone is close to the infectious person, usually within about six feet, while the latter includes smaller droplets that remain in the air for long distances, according to the CDC (here).
Leaders of the CDC and the World Health Organization say that most COVID-19 infections spread through the transmission of narrow droplets (here).
“The air transmission of SARS-CoV-2 may take place under special circumstances,” reads the CDC guidance. The conditions include closed spaces, insufficient ventilation and prolonged exposure to particles.
It contains a long list of references, containing papers with titles such as “Evidence for probable aerosol transfer of SARS-CoV-2 in a restaurant with poor ventilation” (here), “Outbreak associated with air conditioning in Restaurant, Guangzhou , China, 2020 ”(here) and“ Aerosol transfer of SARS-CoV-2? Evidence, prevention and control ”(here).
A team of global health scientists and infection preventers at the Meedan Digital Health Lab has compiled a summary of what is known about coronavirus transmission using scientific studies (here)
The WHO also provides a list of references to papers documenting the spread of coronavirus via respiratory particles.
Face masks
Many governments have recommended face masks to reduce COVID-19 transmission, for example here and here.
According to the Meedan Digital Health Lab, “mask is a fundamental element of the pandemic response to respiratory diseases, because masks act as a physical barrier to releasing infectious respiratory droplets that can come out of your mouth or nose when you speak, sing, sneeze. or cough. ”(Here)
This information is repeated by the CDC (here), WHO (here) and others.
This guidance is not based on a belief, as the report falsely claims, but scientific evidence that masks reduce the spread of droplets containing the virus. The British government advice reads: ‘The best available scientific evidence is that, if used correctly, a face mask can reduce the spread of coronavirus drops in certain circumstances and help protect others.’
Dr David Martin
The social media post attributed the quote to a Dr David Martin. No further information is given in the post about the individual’s identity, but a man named David Martin participated in a movie in August 2020 called “Plandemic: Indoctornation” that promotes conspiracy theories surrounding the pandemic (here, here and here).
VERDICT
Untrue. Scientific articles have presented evidence to suggest that the SARS-CoV-2 virus, a pathogen, was transmitted to other people by an infected individual through large and small droplets. Facial coatings serve as a physical barrier to reduce the spread of the drops. Mask mandates in response to the pandemic are based on available evidence, not on faith.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here.