Editorial: Masks, flu and listening to the doctor
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There was a lot of pushback against masks during the coronavirus pandemic.
While some people embraced even the simplest homemade fabric coverings for whatever layer of protection they might afford, others rejected them. They sometimes claimed the cloth was useless, stopping nothing and just acting as a prop in a performative bit of safety theater. They sometimes claimed the cloth was so restrictive that it was suffocating, more dangerous than the disease itself.
People bristled. They argued. They protested. And now, with Gov. Tom Wolf promising a lift of all mask mandates by June 28 at the latest and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revising its recommendations for those who have been fully vaccinated, there is time to wonder what kind of difference they actually made.
When it comes to covid-19, it may be hard to be definitive. The pandemic is not over, and there is no data from prior outbreaks to consider since it is a brand new disease.
But the overall effectiveness of masks can be seen in the context of another disease with more than 100 years of hard data: the flu.
When the coronavirus restrictions were first proposed, there were protests about overreaction. “It’s just like the flu,” came the cry — despite the fact that from its earliest days, it was proven both more contagious and with a higher death toll.
The flu is a good analogue for covid-19, though — a highly communicable disease known for its effect on the respiratory system and spread easily by droplets from coughs or sneezing. Most of the prevention recommendations for the pandemic were the same things doctors preach every year come flu season. Wash your hands. Keep your distance. Cover your mouth. Get the flu shot.
The numbers for the 2020-21 flu season illustrate the success of a year where following that advice was the default.
There were 3,664 confirmed cases of the flu — a 95% drop from the previous year. Only 45 people were hospitalized, and just 21 died. In 2019-20, the number of cases hit 129,912 and the aggressive season claimed 102 lives despite being cut short by coronavirus precautions. In 2018-19, there were 99,308 total cases and deaths hit 161.
The drop in cases points to a successful intervention with people finally listening to the recommendations that are all too frequently shrugged off.
Clearly it wasn’t just the masks. It was the totality of the precautions taken together, including the higher rate flu shots given. Some of those actions were supercharged by the global pandemic: we won’t be able to shut down the world every year and suspend mass gatherings. But maybe the masks acted as a visible trigger, a reminder to stay back and stay careful.
But when flu season returns in the fall, doctors will do what they do every year. They will tell us to keep distant, to wash our hands and to cover our mouths.
If the pandemic has taught people anything, maybe it will be that this simple, perennial advice helps.