[robbiep]

Masks don’t help for catching the virus (materially) - better to wash hands. Masks do help with curbing transmission from infected, and are also needed for healthcare workers.

Please don’t waste masks when you could get significantly better benefit by regularly washing your hands and not putting your fingers in your mouth

[kjaftaedi]

The person you are replying to is saying 'if sufficient masks can be supplied in the future'.

Given the distance the virus can travel, the length of time it can live outside the body, how long it can stay in the air after being aerosolized (transmitted via cough). It makes sense to get masks on as many people as possible.. because it's the healthy people who think they are fine, coughing in public places that are the most likely to spread it.

Again, this is assuming supply ramps up and is sufficient to make this a reality, obviously all healthcare worker needs should be met first, but going further to protect the general public should be something to strive for.

[fma]

If masks curb transmissions. And everyone wore masks. Wouldn't there be a benefit as a whole?

[csomar]

PMs told that (masks are useless) to people so that doctors can have the masks. In reality masks are insanely effective if everyone wear them.

[fma]

What does PMs mean?

Also it doesn't make sense to me that "we should leave masks for doctors", as experts and media are saying. The masks sold in the grocery stores and pharmacies are surgical masks.

Surgical masks prevent the wearer from spreading the virus...

Doctors and nurses should have N95 masks, which prevent the wearer from obtaining the virus...

I agree something is better than nothing, but if doctors and nurses are treating infected patients, surgical masks do nothing for them!

In an ideal world, IMHO - we common folks wear surgical masks to contain the spread. Hospital staff wear N95 to prevent them from getting sick.

The sooner we realize this fact - the sooner we can massively produce masks and get people to wear them when going out.