The controversy continues, some people for masks and some people against masks. Those who are forced to wear one rebel, as they feel it is not necessary - the hysteria over COVID19 is just that - HYSTERIA, not rooted in facts. Is this so? What do we believe? Personally as a medical person, a mother, a wife, living with my family, I have various responsibilities, social and personal. Let me encourage you to reflect similarly. 1. As a doctor, I need to be cautions about meeting a patient who unknowingly has Covid19, picking up the virus, and transmitting it to other patients.
2. If I do transmit the virus to another patient, a lot will depend on that persons' state of immunity.
- If that person is immune compromised, elderly or on dependent on long term allopathic medication (pill popping I call it!), he are highly susceptible to respond to the virus in a life threatening manner.
- If the person is healthy, he may remain asymptomatic or have a mild infection and recover. But if he goes home to a family where there are immune compromised persons, he could transmit the infection to them, and we have the same scenario as above.
So here we have immuno-compromised people with co morbidities, plus healthy people living together in a family. In Indian CITIES, that would be a MAJORITY. Add to this very small homes, since real estate is so expensive - 1 BHK, Chawls, etc with 10 people living under 1 roof! Can a healthy person truly claim in these scenarios, that its fine for them to go out without a mask and taking other necessary precautions?
A CARRIER of the virus, may be positive, with NO symptoms, and interacting closely with others due to travel or work - how would anyone know? WASHING HANDS and WEARING a MASK, becomes not only self protective, but social responsibility to towards others.
As a doctor, I could be a carrier of the virus, I need to take all precautions to protect my own family! What ever the precautions, I choose to follow them... and this choice extends for my patients as well, when I have to meet them.
NOW ABOUT THE MASK:
We need to breathe - which means we need mask material that breathe.
COTTON is the only natural material that breathes.
This is especially for those who have medical issues with breathing, or are allergic to various other materials.
Also, we need to WEAR THE MASK PROPERLY, covering mouth and nose adequately.
Do not exchange masks with other family members. wash your mask frequently with soap and water - or iron them with a hot iron before use.
