SPEAKER: Since the COVID-19
pandemic began,
there's been lots of buzz
about covering your face.
Here's the truth about face
masks.
I'm not sick.
Should I have to wear a face
mask?
Yes.
COVID-19 can be spread by people
with no symptoms, who don't even
know they're sick.
And as many as 35%
of COVID-19 cases
are asymptomatic.
Wearing a mask goes a long way
to protect people around you.
Doesn't wearing a mask cause
carbon dioxide poisoning?
No.
Wearing a mask
won't cause carbon dioxide
poisoning.
Although an airtight mask might
make it a little harder
to breathe, that doesn't include
cloth masks or N95 respirators.
Do masks actually help protect
the person who wears them?
Yes.
Masks can help block
infectious particles in the air
and reduce the amount you
breathe in.
One study found that wearing
a mask
can reduce the risk of infection
by 79%.
Does wearing a mask cause a drop
in blood oxygen levels?
No.
Doctors wear masks for very long
periods of time, even all day,
in lots of cases.
Masks are designed to be
breathable, and there's
no evidence that suggest wearing
masks will cause
a drop in oxygen levels.
Will wearing a mask weaken
your immune system?
No.
There's zero evidence that
wearing a face mask will lower
or weaken your immune system.
Do you still need
to social distance with a mask
on?
Yes.
You still need to practice
social distancing when you're
wearing a mask.
Every step you take,
like distancing
and good handwashing,
lowers your risk further.
The CDC recommends wearing
a face mask and staying at least
six feet apart from others
to best stop the spread
of COVID-19.
The bottom line?
Face masks are most
likely to reduce the spread
of COVID
when you wear them in public.
Researchers have predicted
that if 80% of us wear masks,
we could do more to suppress
the spread of coronavirus
than a strict lockdown.
So do your part and mask up.