Celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Hudson are wearing masks to protect against the coronavirus, but they're promoting a dangerous myth
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Since the first case of the novel coronavirus was reported in December, the virus has spread to 47 countries, infected 81,000 people, and killed 2,760.
Celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Hudson, Selena Gomez, and Bella Hadid have posted pictures on social media of themselves taking precaution against the virus by sporting face masks.
But no health organization has recommended that healthy people wear surgical masks and N95 respirator masks.
Healthy people buying masks could worsen the shortage of them.
It would be more effective if celebrities promoted handwashing.
With global anxiety on the rise concerning the spread of the coronavirus — which has infected 81,000 people and killed 2,760 worldwide, with most cases and deaths in China — healthy people are flocking to Amazon to buy surgical masks and N95 respirator masks.
They include celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Hudson, who have shared photos of themselves wearing face masks and expressed concern about the fast-spreading virus.
But experts say the general public should not follow their lead because masks are pointless for healthy people and buying them will merely fuel a shortage of masks, which will affect the people who do need them: medical professionals.
Paltrow, the founder of the controversial alternative-wellness company Goop, posted a selfie on Instagram of herself wearing a black face mask on a flight to France with a caption that referenced her appearance in the 2011 movie "Contagion" — the story of a fictional epidemic that took over the world.
"I've already been in this movie," the 47-year-old actress wrote.
Hudson also posted an airplane selfie on Instagram of herself wearing a surgical mask and expressed her concern about traveling.
Other celebrities like Bella Hadid, Selena Gomez, and Brody Jenner have also posted their own photos with face masks and paired them with captions about the coronavirus.
But experts warn Paltrow, Hudson, Hadid, Gomez, Jenner, and other celebrities are buying into a common myth about coronavirus prevention.
It is pointless to wear a face mask if you do not have the virus and are not a medical professional coming into contact with it
Wearing a face mask won't negatively affect you, but it's likely pointless and may cause problems for people who really need it.
"There's little harm in it," Eric Toner, a scientist at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, previously told Business Insider. "But it's not likely to be very effective in preventing it."
A surgical mask helps stop the droplets a person spits from their mouth onto a surface or their hands that spread the virus. It should be worn only if a patient presents strong flu-like symptoms.
N95 respirators are useful for medical professionals in close contact with a lot of patients with the virus because they filter out 95% of small particles, but for the average person, they won't do much because coronavirus particles are heavy and, while they may spread through the air to an extent, mostly spread through surfaces.
Don't wear a mask; wash your hands
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the best ways to prevent the spread of the virus and keep yourself healthy are the same ways that stop the spread of common germs: Wash your hands, don't touch your face, and avoid contact with sick people.
Common household cleaners like bleach and products like Lysol can help clean surfaces of the virus, though they have not been proven to be 100% effective against the current strain of the virus.
And if you don't have access to a sink, hand sanitizer can be effective in preventing the spread of common germs from person to person.
US officials say the country will need 300 million face masks for healthcare workers — but there is a global shortage
As US healthcare professionals are gearing up for an influx of patients with the coronavirus, one growing concern is the shortage of face masks worldwide.
US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said during a press conference on Tuesday that the US would need an estimated 300 million N95 respirators for healthcare workers as the prevalence of the virus increases in the country.
But the US has only 30 million masks.
As panic about the virus drives healthy people to stock up on N95 respirators and surgical masks, health officials are reiterating to the public that there is no reason for healthy people to purchase these kinds of face masks unless they will be in direct contact with the virus.
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