Masks & Gloves
Are they effective against COVID-19?

Understanding the Risks and Benefits of Using Masks & Gloves to Protect Against COVID-19

Since it seems that many people have questions about the use of masks and gloves as protection from COVID-19 exposure, we wanted to help answer some questions that people may have.

1. What’s the benefit?
2. Are there any dangers to using these items?
3. Are these items necessary outside of a healthcare setting?

Quick Facts about the Transmission of COVID-19:

To understand how we protect ourselves from any contaminant getting in our body, we must understand the route(s) of entry. The World Health Organization has stated that COVID-19 spreads from person to person through droplets that are introduced to the environment by a person who is carrying the virus, either by sneezing, coughing, or touching surfaces.

The virus can then enter the body of an uninfected person, through the mucous membranes (wet parts) of your face – your eyes, nose and mouth following direct exposure to these droplets or after touching contaminated surfaces.

So what about PPE?

Lets start with the masks…

Masks can work in both directions: correctly wearing the right mask can protect the wearer from being exposed through their nose and mouth. Also, when worn correctly by an infected person, a mask can contain infectious particles within the mask and prevent them from being passed to surfaces and other persons.

The key thing to remember here is “correctly wearing the appropriate mask”. If not worn and handled correctly, or wearing a mask that is not effective because it’s not designed for the contaminant, could give the wearer a false sense of protection. This feeling of comfort while wearing a mask can then lead to the wearer putting themselves in higher risk situations where they may in fact be exposed with little to no protection.

When to use a mask according to the WHO

• If you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with suspected COVID-19 infection.
• Wear a mask if you are coughing or sneezing.
• Masks are effective only when used in combination with frequent hand-cleaning with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
• If you wear a mask, then you must know how to use it and dispose of it properly.

The WHO has published the following advice for the public for when and how to use masks

>>> WHO – When & How to Use Masks <<<

What about gloves?

First of all, the WHO has communicated that COVID-19 cannot enter the body and infect us through our hands or skin surfaces. As mentioned above, this virus infects us through our mucous membranes like our nose, mouth and eyes.

So why wear gloves anyway?

Worn correctly, the right glove will provide an added layer of physical protection to keep the virus off our hands but if our gloves do come in contact with the virus, we can still pass it on to other surfaces and eventually contaminate our mucous membranes. Gloves are only beneficial, if they are removed before they transmit the virus to other surfaces we may be exposed to and/or removing them before our hands come into contact with our eyes, nose or mouth.

Outside of a health care setting, this same principle can be applied by just simply washing our hands.

Like masks, gloves can also provide a false sense of comfort to the wearer. The feeling of wearing the glove alone can provide a psychological level of protection but the fact is, transmission can still occur, even when wearing glove, and because of this false sense of security, we’re more likely to not be conscious of what we have touched, and could put ourselves at a higher risk of contamination to our face or other surfaces such as cell phones, car keys, clothing, etc.

The best way to ensure we reduce our risk of transmission, is to treat all surfaces we touch as “infected” until proven otherwise (i.e. either the surface itself is cleaned and disinfected, or our hands have been cleaned and disinfected after touching the surface). It’s the same way we as Emergency Response Technicians treat a confined space. Unless we can prove that the atmosphere or hazards have been controlled, the space would otherwise be considered hazardous.

Additional Facts & Resources

• Air flow will take the path of least resistance. Gaps in the seal of a mask around the face may allow contaminants to enter rather than having it filtered out. Maintain 2 meters of physical distance.
• Donning or doffing (putting on or taking off) a mask, brings the hands close to the mucous membranes. If contaminated, hands could lead to transmission of the virus to the hands, eyes, nose. Frequent and thorough hand washing is still recommended.
• If you are going to wear a mask, it should be correctly selected, worn, fitted, and removed properly to prevent transmission. Qualitative fit testing is recommended for N95 masks.
• The WHO suggests that you only need to wear a mask when caring for or otherwise in close contact (less than 2 meters) with a person suspected to be infected with COVID-19.
• Gloves can still contaminate the hands while being removed. Thoroughly wash and disinfect hands after removing gloves.
• Both gloves and masks should be immediately disposed of in a closed container to prevent further possibility of transmission.

The current recommendations of the WHO for minimizing the spread of transmission include

• Regular and thorough hand washing
• Maintaining physical distance
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth
• Follow good respiratory hygiene (Cough or sneeze into your bent elbow or tissue)
• Stay home if you feel unwell

The WHO has also established a Q&A section of their website as it relates to COVID-19 with an abundance of information as it relates to the disease, personal protection best practices, and much more.

>>> WHO – Coronavirus Q&A <<<

Be sure to also check out this excellent resource from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how you can protect yourself from the transmission of the virus

>>> CDC – COVID-19 Prevention <<<