28-09-2020

Could the mask already seen by many scientists as the most effective shield against COVID-19 � have yet another benefit? Some researchers now believe that they expose wearers to smaller, less harmful doses of the disease which spark an immune response.

This as yet unproven theory suggests that masks could help inoculate people while we wait for a vaccine.

Non-medical fabric or disposable masks have been recommended across the world, mainly as a way to help stop infected people from spreading the new coronavirus.�We think that masks reduce that dose of virus that you inhale and, thereby, drive up rates of asymptomatic infection.�

Gandhi, director of the UCSF-Gladstone Center for AIDS Research, said that asymptomatic infection was linked to a strong immune response from Tlymphocytes � a type of white blood cell � that may act against COVID-19.

�We think masks can act as a sort of �bridge� to a vaccine by giving us some immunity,� she said, adding that researchers were launching several studies to try and test the theory.

These would include looking at whether the requirement of a mask in certain cities had reduced the severity of the disease there.They are also looking at antibody studies in Taiwan, where masks are ubiquitous but there are very few restrictions.�Of course, it�s still a theory, but there are many arguments in its favor,� Bruno Hoen, director of medical research at the Institut Pasteur in Paris, told reporters.