Perhaps the virus loves the mask. As the great mask debate heats up like the temperatures outside during our summer months, perhaps the debate misses the obvious in terms of general population protection.
The COVID-19 virus seems to like the respiratory track and spreads via “droplets,” which has been consistently cited since this all began some months ago. The respiratory track enjoys an environment which is dark, moist and a constant temperature where the virus can replicate and create conditions to move from that host to a new one.
During the summer months’ temperatures remain fairly constant and breathing releases about a pint of water over an eight-hour period of time, or the length of a normal shift of work.
Add a mask, and what is being replicated is the respiratory track where a young person who has slight symptoms moves the virus from inside the body to a topical location.
Currently the age group of under 40 and over 19 is experiencing a spike in COVID-19 spread; this is also the group most likely to wear a mask for multiple days for multiple hours per day. Perhaps the question is why is this, and what is the catalyst for this spike?
Perhaps requiring mask usage is creating a greater health problem by increasing infection rates by some factor or multiplier by creating a topical space (face) where the virus can be spread by sweat, touch or physical contact.
Perhaps lost in the great mask debate is common sense.
