The face mask: How a real protection becomes a psychological symbol during Covid-19?

Yihui Goh; Benjamin Y Q Tan; Chandra Bhartendu; Jonathan J Y Ong; Vijay K Sharma

doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2020.05.060

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The face mask: How a real protection becomes a psychological symbol during Covid-19?

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

The face mask: How a real protection becomes a psychological symbol during Covid-19?

Yihui Goh, Benjamin Y Q Tan, Chandra Bhartendu, Jonathan J Y Ong and Vijay K Sharma

Brain, behavior, and immunity, Vol.88, pp.1-5

08/2020

DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.05.060

PMCID: PMC7833005

PMID: 32526447

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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2020.05.060View

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Abstract

'The Mask' has become a byword and a precious possession universally. Except for its use by the medical fraternity, answers to the common questions-whether it provides enough protection, which type is optimal for the general public and who really needs to don it, remain poorly understood. For a frontline healthcare worker, wearing mask is a necessity as an important person protection equipment, it is perhaps the most-powerful psychological symbol for the general public. Surprisingly, it even undermines all other recommended practices of infection control and breaking the transmission chain of Covid-19, like hand washing, personal hygiene and social distancing. 'The mask' has evolved with time and yet there is a need to further improve the design for safety, tolerability and comfort. In this review we present the journey of face mask, originating from the first masks aimed at stopping the bad smell to its industrial use to its all-important place in the medical field. Various types of face masks, their filtration efficiency, reusability and current recommendations for their use are presented.

Textiles

Betacoronavirus

Coronavirus Infections - prevention & control

Coronavirus Infections - transmission

COVID-19

Equipment Reuse

Guidelines as Topic

Humans

Infection Control

Masks

Pandemics - prevention & control

Pneumonia, Viral - prevention & control

Pneumonia, Viral - transmission

Respiratory Protective Devices

SARS-CoV-2

Symbolism

Details

Title: Subtitle: The face mask: How a real protection becomes a psychological symbol during Covid-19?
Creators: Yihui Goh - National University Health System
Benjamin Y Q Tan - National University Health System
Chandra Bhartendu - National University Health System
Jonathan J Y Ong - Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, National University Health System, Singapore
Vijay K Sharma
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Brain, behavior, and immunity, Vol.88, pp.1-5
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.05.060
PMID: 32526447
PMCID: PMC7833005
NLM abbreviation: Brain Behav Immun
ISSN: 0889-1591
eISSN: 1090-2139
Language: English
Date published: 08/2020
Academic Unit: Stead Family Department of Pediatrics; Medical Genetics and Genomics
Record Identifier: 9984353934102771

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