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Articles on Face masks

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Public health measures such as vaccine and mask mandates, lockdowns and school closures have been widely discussed in scientific and popular media. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg

Public health errors: Why it’s crucial to understand what they are before assessing COVID-19 responses

As the COVID-19 pandemic fades, we may debate whether public health responses could have been better. But first we need to understand what public health errors are — and are not.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Health Minister Sylvia Jones in conversation at Queen’s Park, the day after Ontario’s chief medical officer of health ‘strongly recommended’ mask wearing. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

With COVID, flu and RSV circulating, it’s time to follow the evidence: Return to mask mandates

In 2020, with adult ICUs at risk of being overwhelmed, we wore masks and accepted restrictions. Now pediatric intensive care is at risk. Will leaders follow the evidence and tell us to mask up?
Who is determining children’s capacity to decide whether or not to wear a mask and what’s at stake in their decision? THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Why children’s ‘choice’ about COVID-19 masking at school needs far more discussion

Children deserve agency in decisions that affect them, but adults are ultimately responsible for making decisions in children’s best interests.
Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Kieran Moore arrives to speak at a press conference at Queen’s Park on April 11, 2022. Ontario lifted most COVID-19 restrictions in March. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

‘Living with COVID-19’ must be more than an empty phrase: Individuals need tools to manage BA.2 and future waves

Instead of minimizing current or future waves of COVID-19, we need strategies to deal with new variants efficiently. Only then can we live with the virus in a healthy way.
Fit, fabric and design affect mask effectiveness. (Windsor Essex Sewing Force)

What’s next with face masks? Keep wearing them in public, wear the best mask available and pay attention to fit

We tested well-fitting cloth masks made from 16 kinds of cotton, on human participants, to see how many provided filtration comparable with a certified medical mask. Most of them did.
A woman wears a face mask as she walks by the sculpture ‘The Illuminated Crowd’ on a street in Montréal. Vulnerable people may benefit from measures like face masks even after the COVID-19 pandemic. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Should public health measures like masking continue beyond the pandemic? Data on viral infections shows their benefits

Decreases in respiratory infections during the pandemic suggest there may be a continued role for the selective, non-mandated use of measures like masks and social distancing even post-COVID-19.
Political cartoons and memes have made it clear that if there’s something to agree about on all sides of the political spectrum, its that fat people are an easy target. (Shutterstock)

Mask or no mask: Stop using fat people in political cartoons

Fat people need to be empowered to critique the very groups so willing to instrumentalize their bodies for political gain.
Eye doctors report that patients are more frequently saying during routine exams that their eyes are irritated, burn and sting. (Shutterstock)

Face masks, digital screens and winter weather are a triple threat for dry eyes

Increased digital screen use, face masks and winter weather combine to form a triple threat to eye health: The dry eye triad. Here’s how to combat the resulting eye fatigue, irritation and discomfort.

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