This post isn't intended to join the interminable debate about whether masks are effective or not. So far I'm concerned, that argument has been made, demonstrated, proved and doesn't need to be covered any more. It joins the following list as one more thing we can do to to slow the spread of this virus. So, wash your hands, keep your distance from other people, wear a mask when you can't keep your distance and remember that being outside is safer than being inside, especially when there are other people around.
No, this post is about a possible benefit that masks might provide to the wearer. Up to this point, the general principle has been that masks reduce the spread of your water droplets (which could carry viral hitchhikers) as you talk, breathe and cough.
This study suggests that a mask could provide some direct benefit to the mask wearer by reducing the number of viruses the wearer might pick up. The study calls this "reducing the inoculum" and suggests that this might result in more mild of asymptomatic cases of the disease.
Masks Do More Than Protect Others During COVID-19: Reducing the Inoculum of SARS-CoV-2 to Protect the Wearer
It remains to be seen whether this study is replicated and its findings supported, but it is interesting and worth knowing about.
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