As it stands now, 1.4 million people tested positive for having COVID-19 in the U.S. At the point of this writing 84,575 Americans have died from the coronavirus causing COVID-19. Most of the cases of COVID-19 happened in New York, with more than 27,000 confirmed deaths. There have been over 4.4 million confirmed cases of the virus worldwide, with almost 300k deaths.

Do Masks Really Help Keep You Safe?

In order to stop the spread of the deadly coronavirus, the CDC has recommended that even healthy people wear masks or some kind of face covering. Wearing a mask or a covering that covers your nose and mouth is recommended every time people of all ages leave their homes. With this in mind, people are rightfully wondering - do face coverings really help to reduce the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus? There is much debate about this question, especially when it comes to the homemade face coverings recommended by the CDC.

Studies Conducted on Masks

In one study conducted, researchers concluded that wearing masks will help prevent how much the virus is spread - but specifically when it comes to those infected. There is little evidence to support that wearing a mask will prevent a person from getting the virus, just that it will help stop the spread to others by those infected. The information we have at this point indicates that masks - homemade cloth ones, surgical or otherwise - do not prevent you from getting the virus. However, wearing a mask is effective for not spreading the virus in those infected. There is certainly no harm in wearing masks, and it’s always better to be safe than sorry. However, relying on masks to stop the spread of COVID-19 is not an effective strategy. We need more tests and people need to keep up the locking in place - this will be more effective than wearing masks.

Here’s What’s More Important Protection

Masks are not the most important measure of protection when it comes to staying safe from coronavirus. The most important thing you can do in order to prevent yourself or your loved ones from getting the virus is to sanitize everything and wash your hands thoroughly. Check out our handy guide on all things cleaning and disinfecting in order to stay safe at home. When you’re out and about perhaps staying socially distanced at a distance of at least 6 feet is probably more effective than wearing masks. However, this doesn’t mean that wearing a mask is unimportant - there could be more research conducted that could show us that masks are more effective than we think.

Stay Prepared and Stay Safe

Even with parts of the country opening up, there is still a lot of uncertainty about when we will beat COVID-19 for good. It’s always important to stay prepared for the upcoming months by keeping enough food and other supplies to make sure you and your family are protected and safe.