Researchers: Masks May Yield 'Goldilocks Dose Of Coronavirus' When Around COVID
BOSTON (CBS) - Even if your face mask doesn't completely protect you from COVID-19, it may expose you to just the right amount of virus to help you.
This is called the "Goldilocks Dose of Coronavirus".
Not too hot, not too cold. Just right.
We know that how sick someone gets from the coronavirus may be related to how much virus they were exposed to. The higher the dose, the sicker that patient. And face masks filter out some particles, reducing the amount of virus that gets in.
Now in a recent essay in the New England Journal of Medicine, two researchers at the University of California San Francisco suggest that if you're wearing a mask and get exposed to the virus, the mask may allow just enough virus in to build an immune response but not enough to cause serious illness.
In essence, a form of inoculation, similar to a vaccine. Obviously, a real vaccine would be even better, but until one is available, this is another good reason to keep wearing your mask when you're in the company of others.
