Will Wearing a Face Mask Make Me Sick? Here Are 5 Face Mask Myths, Debunked

Since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention came out with a recommendation to wear face masks in public places to alleviate the spread of COVID-19, there has been a much-heated argument about these face coverings.

The first debate is on the comparison among cloth masks, N95 masks, and surgical masks in terms of their wearer, function, and benefits to the people wearing them. Here, medical experts set the record straight on 5 of the most common misconceptions about wearing--or not wearing--face masks, especially during the pandemic.

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Myth #1: Wearing a Mask Won't Actually Protect One from COVID-19

A University of Washington study indicates that the latest estimate says, over 175,000 Americans will die because of the virus by October 1. However, part of the study suggests that universal wearing of masks can help save over 30,000 lives by the said date.

According to Dr. Chris Murray, from the university's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, for almost all states in the U.S., they've looked at if all people wear masks, not only lives will be saved. Murray added that she thinks of it as the possibility of saving the economy as businesses can keep operating.

Meanwhile, separate research that came out in the Journal of Health Affairs presents, wearing a face mask when in public, prevented more than 400,000 new COVID-19 cases.

A study approximates that from 230,000 to 450,000 COVID-19 cases were avoided in the states that have enforced mandate for mask-wearing from early-April until mid-May.

The more extended directives were enacted, the study indicates, the bigger chances there is to reduce cases of COVID-19.

Myth #2: We Don't Need to Cover Both the Nose and the Mouth, One is Enough

Health experts have reminded everyone continuously that if the nose is not covered, then the mask is worn the wrong way.

They said that the virus is attaching to receptors in a person's nose, which functions as a doorway to the human body. According to scientists, they have found that specific cells in the nose have high protein levels that the virus is using to enter a human's cells.

Therefore, to protect others from contagion, health experts say that he must guarantee that the mask he is wearing is covering both his mouth and nose.

Studies have that wearing face-covering in public can prevent an individual from getting ill while protecting others from contagion.

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Myth #3: Mandatory Mask-Wearing is a Violation of One's Rights

According to the American Bar Association, the 10th Amendment allows states to have the authority to take public health emergency actions.

Such actions would include setting restrictions for quarantines and business operations. Businesses that do not allow their customers to enter their premises without wearing a face mask, the experts say, is perfectly fine, as it is comparable with the "no shoes, no shirt, no service" policy.

Myth #4: Wearing Face Mask Means No More Social Distancing or Need to Stay Home

A face mask is a piece of a tactic to prevent COVID-19 from spreading and infecting many people. Unfortunately, it does not prevent one from sneezing or coughing on others, and they don't guarantee prevention as well, from getting ill.

Therefore, it is essential to follow all steps recommended by health experts for protection from the virus, including the practice of proper social distances when around in public or around other people, not gathering in huge groups and frequent hand-washing.

Myth #5: Wearing a Face Mask Will Make One Even More Ill

A lot of people assume, especially on social media, that putting on a face mask can cause an individual to rebreathe the carbon dioxide he exhales, and this results in illness. 

Health experts claim that while inhaling high CO2 levels is dangerous, and this is more unlikely to occur when one wears a face mask, especially when it is worn for only short periods.

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