‘Coronavirus panic in Britain means face masks are selling out and online profiteers are ramping up the cost by up to £120 per pack – but experts are still split over whether they work at all.
More than 81,000 cases of coronavirus have been recorded across the world – and with the global death toll topping 2,800 and increasing every day in Europe more people in the UK are now choosing to cover their mouth and nose in public.
In Britain, there have been 15 confirmed coronavirus cases and the prices of masks are now rocketing as shops sell out. One pack of five ‘anti-coronavirus’ masks is on sale online for £150 today – when the cost of the same pack was less than £30 just five days ago.
However, one medical expert told MailOnline that masks ‘cannot’ protect against the virus and that wearing them may even make it worse. Meanwhile Public Health England has warned that there is ‘very little evidence’ that masks are effective ‘outside of clinical settings’ such as hospitals.
Yet recent testing by the Health and Safety Executive has found that any kind of protection is better than nothing.
The way you wear a mask is crucially importantly, academics say, because unless it is tight to the nose and mouth contaminated sneezes and coughs will get through – or linger on the surface.’
