- While the government is reviewing its position on the use of the mask by the general public, Sibeth Ndiaye reiterated on Monday that there was, for the time being, no "scientific consensus" on the usefulness of this equipment to roll back the coronavirus.
- If there is indeed no scientific proof of the usefulness of wearing the "general public" mask, the scientific community agrees that this measure is not without interest to fight against the epidemic.
- While the government is working on developing a deconfinement plan, 20 Minutes takes stock of the debate surrounding the wearing of so-called “alternative” masks.
While the French are waiting for the end of confinement like a child with gifts at the foot of the tree, the government is gradually changing its rifle over the issue of the widespread use of masks for the entire population. The latter, who explained since the beginning of the crisis that the wearing of the mask by the general public was useless to fight against the spread of the coronavirus, now seems to evolve his doctrine on the subject as the date of deconfinement approaches.
Questioned on Monday on the airwaves of France Info, Sibeth Ndiaye, the spokesperson of the government however reiterated that there was "no scientific consensus on the utility of the use of masks for all the French", once again attracting the wrath of social networks and arousing a certain misunderstanding of part of the scientific community.
"The Minister of Health said on Sunday that there was no scientific consensus at this stage of the usefulness of the mask for all French people," said Sibeth Ndiaye, government spokesperson
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Contacted by 20 Minutes , Professor Djelali Annane disputes this new exit from the government spokesperson. "If the question is whether the mask is useful as a barrier to the spread of the virus, the answer is clearly yes, there is no doubt about it, from a medical and scientific point of view", comments the chief of the Raymond-Poincaré hospital in Garches. "To say" there is no scientific consensus on the wearing of the mask "is a very absolute statement, it is without nuance, it means that the mask itself is a controversial object, regrets for her part Anne-Marie Moulin, researcher at CNRS. Rather, it should have said "there is no consensus on the modalities and effectiveness of the use of the mask in various contexts". You can't talk about the mask with a big M. ”
Therein lies the ambiguity of Sibeth Ndiaye's speech. For Michèle Legeas, teacher at the Graduate School of Public Health (EHESP), “the debate is complicated because it depends on the type of mask we are talking about. The answer is not going to be the same if we are talking about surgical masks or FFP2 masks. "
This specialist in the analysis and management of health risk situations wants to take stock of the issue. “You really have to distinguish between being contaminated and being contaminating, which are two different things that will give rise to different strategies. Surgical masks are meant to avoid being contaminating, she explains. Therefore, providing people who might be likely to carry the virus without knowing it during their movement in the event of a reduction in containment is not necessarily useless. On the other hand, if you do not want to be contaminated, here we are talking about FFP2 masks. "
Problem, in a context now well known shortage, France has chosen to reserve this type of mask for healthcare professionals, on the front line in the fight against Covid-19. Therefore, when the government, through the voice of the Prime Minister, Edouard Philippe, the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran and the spokesperson, Sibeth Ndiaye, evokes the possibility of generalizing the wearing of the mask to the whole population , it refers more to so-called “non-sanitary”, “alternative” or “general public” fabric masks. And there, on the other hand, the question of "scientific consensus" can arise.
Towards the obligation to wear a mask after May 11?
In an official press release published on March 20, the French Society of Sterilization Sciences (SF2S) and the French Society of Hospital Hygiene (SF2H) say that "there is no scientific proof of the effectiveness of masks Fabric. Does this mean that these masks are absolutely useless? Probably not. If scientific studies on the subject are rare, Dutch researchers revealed for example in 2008that all types of masks reduced exposure to aerosols, but that "homemade" were necessarily the least effective. In a study published in 2010, American researchers for their part concluded that a tea towel or a T-shirt had a "marginal" effectiveness against viral particles.
🔺 # Covid19 #Masques The Academy of Medicine recommends that the wearing of #MASQUES #GrandPublic "alternative" be #MANDATORY #POURTOUS during and at the exit of #confinement
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This did not prevent the Academy of Medicine from recommending to the government in early April that it be compulsory to "wear a" general public "mask for necessary outings" during and after confinement. For a time skeptical about this question, it would seem that the WHO, on which France has long relied to justify its doctrine, is also in the process of reviewing its initial position.
“The idea of using masks covering the respiratory tract or the mouth to prevent coughing or sniffling from spreading the disease into the environment and towards others (…) is not a bad idea in itself. There may be circumstances in which the use of masks, whether homemade or made of fabric, on a community scale, can participate in the global and complete response to this disease, ”explained Dr. Mike Ryan, WHO emergency expert, at a press conference in early April.
In conclusion, while it is true to say that there is no scientific evidence concerning the effectiveness of the wearing of the “general public” mask to fight against the spread of the coronavirus, most specialists agree to say that this solution, accompanied of course by strict compliance with barrier gestures, is not without interest. As such, Edouard Philippe and Olivier Véran also announced this Sunday the production of 17 million “general public” masks per week (in addition to imports already in progress) in order to allow all French people to be equipped with them. as of May 11, the theoretical date of deconfinement. It could also become compulsory, at least in public transport.
Nantes
Coronavirus in Nantes: “If you wear a mask, do it well! ", The nice and useful video of the CHU
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Coronavirus: Did a scientific committee recommend wearing the mask two months before confinement?
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- Olivier Véran
- Sibeth Ndiaye