Did physical measures stop the spread of COVID? Study says this
In the fourth year of the pandemic, when we are yet to return back to pre-pandemic life as the fear of new COVID variants looms high, a new study has posed a big question on the behavioral part of COVID management.
A review published in Cochrane Review, a systematic review of research in health care and health policy, has found that physical measures like wearing a mask had no significant contribution in controlling the spread of COVID.
"We are uncertain whether wearing masks or N95/P2 respirators helps to slow the spread of respiratory viruses based on the studies we assessed. Hand hygiene programmes may help to slow the spread of respiratory viruses," the study found.
The study wanted to find out whether physical measures stop the spread of respiratory viruses
The objective of the study was to find out whether the respiratory viruses which mostly infect the nose, throat and lungs can be stopped through physical interventions like washing hands, not touching eyes or nose or mouth, sneezing or coughing into the elbows and not openly, wiping surfaces with disinfectant, avoiding contact with infected people, physical distance of at least 1 feet and wearing masks or gloves or protective gowns.
Respiratory viruses cause flu, SARS and COVID.
How was the study done?
In order to find out whether these physical measures were actually effective in controlling the spread of the disease, randomized controlled studies on these physical measures were studied.
"We were interested in how many people in the studies caught a respiratory virus infection, and whether the physical measures had any unwanted effects," the researchers said.
78 studies were analyzed
78 studies done in "n low-, middle-, and high-income countries worldwide: in hospitals, schools, homes, offices, childcare centres, and communities during non-epidemic influenza periods, the global H1N1 influenza pandemic in 2009, epidemic influenza seasons up to 2016, and during the COVID-19 pandemic," were analyzed for the review study.
The effects of medical masks, surgical masks, N95 respirators, P2 respirators and hand hygiene were assessed.
On masks and respirators, the study found...
In ten studies that took place in the community, the researchers found that compared to wearing no mask, "wearing a mask may make little to no difference in how many people caught a flu-like illness/COVID-like illness."
It also found that wearing a mask "probably makes little or no difference in how many people have flu/COVID confirmed by a laboratory test"
"Compared with wearing medical or surgical masks, wearing N95/P2 respirators probably makes little to no difference in how many people have confirmed flu; and may make little to no difference in how many people catch a flu-like illness, or respiratory illness," the study found.
What are the limitations?
The study poses a big question on one of the most common practices that was religiously followed and strictly imposed in order to curb the spread of COVID.
As per a Bloomberg report: But the research conclusions aren’t totally cut and dried. Some studies included in the review were done before Covid, when transmission and circulation of the viruses weren’t as intense. Many people didn’t wear their masks faithfully. Other research shows masks can significantly reduce Covid transmission rates, especially in tight indoor environments, making them a critical tool.
Health experts are still urging people to continue wearing masks as COVID cases are still being reported, though the number of reported cases is less.
Wearing a mask reduces the spread of respiratory illnesses within the community: WHO
"Wearing a mask reduces the spread of respiratory illnesses within the community by reducing the number of infectious particles that may be inhaled or exhaled. These particles may be spread when an infected individual talks, sings, shouts, coughs, or sneezes (even if not symptomatic)," the WHO says.
Apart from this, the WHO guidelines to stop COVID spread also included avoiding crowded spaces, even when staying indoors keep the space well ventilated, keeping physical distance from others, keep hand hygiene on priority, covering mouth or nose with elbow in order to stop the spread of the disease.
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