Wang Chenyu
Wearing a mask in East Asian countries is not an eternal habit.I remember when I was studying in Guangzhou, I was a little strange to see many Hong Kong classmates wearing masks on the road.The fact is that after the raging Saus in 2003, Hong Kong and some densely populated metropolises, the public retained the habit of wearing a mask.This is a hygienic habit that protects yourself and protect others.
In Japan and other places, because of the allergies of pollen, many people also have the habit of wearing masks.China is because of some problems such as air pollution. Since 2014, wearing masks will go out, and even some people wear anti -virus masks, it seems to have become commonplace.As a result, when the coronary virus comes by this year, the people in East Asia naturally accept the proposal of preventing the epidemic prevention of wearing masks.This self -protection tool has a lot of life in Western society.
Since the outbreak of the epidemic, wearing a mask has caused many controversy in Western society.First of all, Western society has not worn the tradition of a mask for a long time. At the beginning of the outbreak, the western government did not make guidance in time according to the situation of the epidemic.The unhelpful negative information of the mask objectively promotes the arrogance and hostility of society on the mask people.
When some people are afraid of the epidemic, they have derived Asians who wear masks and adopt racist tendencies such as discrimination and attacks.It has not measured the identifier of the mask in the society -racist moves.Many countries have not reserved strategic protective supplies such as masks in the first time.
When the epidemic spread, it was found that the situation was extremely passive. In the absence of effective therapeutic drugs and vaccines, it was forced to choose a radical prevention method for social and economic stopping.At the moment, many countries have begun to consider unblocking and restoring the economy, and some governments are trying to slow the spread of virus by restricting social distances and stamping plastic partitions for staff. Wearing masks is not the most recommended way.But at this time, some people did not follow the government's promotion, and people wearing masks in the society increased significantly.
By wearing a mask, covering the mouth nose, and blocking the microorganisms suspended in the air, why is it difficult to be accepted by the public?In addition to existing culture and government factors, the negative guidance of some scientific staff is not related.Earlier, some scholars believed that wearing non -medical masks had little impact on the spread of the virus; more than, the public's wearing medical masks would increase the tension of resource supply and affect clinical medical staff to obtain medical supplies in a timely manner.
However, a study of Cambridge University recently showed that the use of artificial intelligence models analyzed the spread of epidemic. The results showed that if we can wear masks as soon as possible, even if it is a non -medical mask, it can also play a positive role in reducing virus transmission.When at least 80%of the crowd wear a mask, it will have a significant impact on the transmission of coronary virus; and when only 50%or less people choose to wear a mask, they can play a small effect on inhibiting virus transmission.
During the virus outbreak, if all members of the public wear masks, the number of viruses infected will decrease sharply; if 90%of people wear masks, the inhibitory effect of the virus spread will begin on the 50th day; if the wearing rate of the mask is less than 50%The degree of virus transmission will not be reduced until the 75 -day isolation measures.Since late April, some Western countries have finally realized it, and they have successively stated that the public is recommended to wear facial coverage.
Western society's opposite mask has been forced to accept from arrogance and bias, and maybe it is difficult to disappear for a short time of the epidemic, and the economic stop of the economy can not afford it for a long time. Perhaps wearing a mask and reducing contact is a seemingly feasible compromise.Method.In any case, this epidemic has brought unpredictable changes to everyone's lives.
The author is a doctor of medicine and a master's degree in law
Oxford University Visit researcher
