Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Advocates Recommend Face Masks As Way To Also Protect Wearers, Including Children
Los Angeles Times: Masks Offer Much More Protection Against Coronavirus Than Many Think
There’s a common refrain that masks don’t protect you; they protect other people from your own germs, which is especially important to keep unknowingly infected people from spreading the coronavirus. But now, there’s mounting evidence that masks also protect you. If you’re unlucky enough to encounter an infectious person, wearing any kind of face covering will reduce the amount of virus that your body will take in. (Lin II and Dolan, 7/14)
Boston Globe: Boston Hospital Worker Study Shows Masks Are Effective In Preventing Spread Of Coronavirus
As COVID-19 infections soared in Massachusetts during the height of the outbreak, the infection rate among employees at Mass General Brigham hospitals dropped significantly once all workers were required to wear masks, suggesting face coverings do work in preventing the spread of the deadly contagion, according to a new study. The study, led by investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, which is part of the Mass General Brigham network, was published online Tuesday in the medical journal JAMA. (Andersen, 7/15)
The Hill: Missouri Study Finds Masks Likely Prevented Stylists From Passing On Coronavirus To 139 Clients
A mask policy at a Missouri salon likely helped prevent a pair of stylists who contracted the novel coronavirus from spreading it to any of the nearly 140 clients they came into contact with, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The agency on Tuesday touted the findings as evidence for why policies recommending facial coverings can be so important to slow the spread of the coronavirus, which has infected more than 3 million people in the U.S. and accounted for about 136,000 deaths. (Wise, 7/15)
Houston Chronicle: Texas Lab Testing COVID Masks For Frontline Workers, Health Care Providers
A laboratory in San Antonio is testing masks for frontline workers and health care providers to ensure they properly filter small particles that could carry the new coronavirus. (Leinfelder, 7/15)
The Hill: Inventor Of N95 Mask Comes Out Of Retirement To Fight Pandemic
Peter Tsai, who invented the filter material used in N95 masks, has emerged from retirement, saying he felt a “responsibility to help” amid a flurry of questions about how to use the technology. Since coming out of retirement in March, Tsai has been at the forefront of developing new ways to sterilize the masks’ disposable respirators and increase production. (Budryk, 7/15)
Also —
Politico: Former Trump Physician Ronny Jackson: ‘Wearing A Mask Is A Personal Choice’
Ronny Jackson, a Republican congressional candidate in Texas and the former physician to the president, said Wednesday that Americans should not be required to wear masks to slow the spread of the coronavirus. “I think that wearing a mask is a personal choice, and I don’t particularly want my government telling me that I have to wear a mask. And so I think that’s a choice that I can make,” Jackson told “Fox & Friends.” (Forgey, 7/15)
