Trust but verify: can you catch coronavirus while wearing a mask and gloves?

“Since you must have been following the news about the coronavirus around the world, you know that no government, no health authority can take assurances in this regard. This is a risk that we all take,” International Olympic Committee chief operating officer Lana Haddad said in an official statement. This is reported by Kyodo news agency.

So why is there still a risk of infection even if all safety precautions are followed? Let’s find out together with the therapist of the European Medical Center, candidate of medical sciences Peter Glazunov.

How does the virus work?

COVID-19 is known to be airborne. It resides and multiplies in the body of the sick person, mainly in the upper respiratory tract. However, there is now more and more information that the virus can affect almost any organ and system, the doctor notes.

When talking, coughing, sneezing and laughing, the coronavirus enters the external environment with droplets of saliva and sputum and spreads through the air. This is how it can reach the mucous membranes of another person’s upper respiratory tract, where it continues to multiply and spread within the other organism.

COVID-19 is able to “live” on various objects in dried form for up to three days, and in liquids – up to seven. It is sensitive to heat: it dies after 45 minutes at 56°C, and within five minutes at 70°C. In addition, the coronavirus can be destroyed by ultraviolet irradiation and disinfectants.

How do the means of protection work?

Hand washing, the use of antiseptics and ultraviolet radiation help to kill the virus, stop its further spread and, as a result, protect yourself and others from infection.

Gloves and masks are mechanical barriers that prevent COVID-19 from reaching the surface of the skin and mucous membranes of the respiratory tract. And thanks to the observance of a distance of 1.5 meters, the virus “does not have time” to fly from the carrier to a healthy person.

Why can you get infected, even if you observe all the precautions?

Masks are a single-layer filter. They significantly limit the entry of viruses into the respiratory tract, but do not guarantee 100% protection. Moreover, they lose effectiveness after 2-3 hours – after viruses and bacteria begin to accumulate on its surface. Thus, the mask not only ceases to protect you, but also creates conditions for the spread of the virus. It is therefore important to change it at least every three hours.

Coronavirus can also survive for a long time on gloves. Therefore, latex gloves should be treated with antiseptic, and fabric gloves should be washed after each use.

Even if you follow all safety precautions, there is still a risk of infection, for example by removing the mask incorrectly or forgetting to change gloves in time. But this does not mean that you should neglect your protective equipment and social distance. The more people take precautions, the less likely each of us is to get sick.