During the coronavirus pandemic, the public
has been asked to wear face coverings when out and about, in shops and on
transport.
Many people have complied with
this in order to help reduce the spread of the virus, but there are some people
who still refuse to wear a face mask.
One doctor recently heard a number of people claim they weren't
wearing face coverings because they found it difficult to breathe with one on.
So Megan Hall decided to do a
little experiment, with a few different types of masks, to see whether or not
they really did have a big impact on the body.
Hall, who lives in South Carolina
in the US, shared her findings on Facebook
in a post which has since gone viral.
The physician tested four
different scenarios, one with no mask, one with a surgical mask, one with an
N95 mask (a type of respirator) and an N95 plus surgical mask, which she says
is what most healthcare providers in the US are wearing right now.
She spent five minutes with each
mask on and measured her oxygen saturation and heart rate at the end of the
time period.
Immediately prior to the
experiment, she had been wearing the surgical mask for five hours at work.
The results were very telling,
showing little change between the four scenarios.
With no mask on, her oxygen saturation
was at 98 percent, with her heart rate at 64 beats per minute.
When wearing the surgical mask,
her oxygen level remained the same, but heart rate went up to 68.
While both the N95 masks gave an
oxygen saturation reading of 99 percent and heart rate at 69 beats per minute.
Speaking about the experiment,
Megan said: "There is no significant change in my oxygen saturation (or
HR) in any scenario. Though maybe inconvenient for some, you can still breathe.
"As a physician, I urge you
and ask you to please wear a mask to protect yourself and those who cannot
safely wear a mask (many of my patients because they are under two years old).
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"Unless you are face down with a knee on your neck, I’m confident you can still breathe."