Facemasks – is it worth it?
And what about in pregnancy or after abortion?
Dr Mark Houghton, MB BS (London), MRCGP, Dip Gynaecology Royal College of O/G, Dip Child Health
13-12-21
Why I changed
I wonder if your personal Covid prevention habits slipped a bit, like mine had? Many of us are weary of facemasks, hand washing, distancing and sitting in freezing rooms with the windows open. Was there any point?
Here in Britain we just had our first death from the omicron variant. The NHS website has crashed from overload and vaccine booster centres have long queues trying to give a million shots a day. Worldwide, the US first, then Germany, UK, France and Russia have the most new cases [The Times, 11 Dec 2021].
What can you and I do to slow the spread and protect my family? Answers, appeared in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) on 22nd November. So I share them with you:
It is good news – and disappointment. Yes, thankfully it was worth it. Almost certainly you did ‘love your neighbour’ by wearing a face mask on the bus, keeping 2 m (6 feet) apart and washing your hands for 20 seconds, many times a day. This is the science as far as it goes.
Disappointingly, despite the greatest global threat since well before the randomised controlled trial (RCT) was invented — there is only one RCT on what sort of personal measures help. The BMJ’s systematic review concluded:
Hand washing.
Physical distancing 2 m.
Mask wearing.
So I have changed my habits and re-started those simple measures.
What about you? Send me an email info@choicescommunity.org.uk
What about pregnant women or post-abortion women?
“Pregnant individuals are more likely to develop severe COVID-19 and a number of pregnancy complications have been observed in COVID-19 patients” reports a January 2021 review. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006291X20322415
So pregnant women are strongly advised to use those 3 measures above.
What about after abortion? Abortion, whether by early pill abortion or surgical method, is a traumatic physical and mental event. It always involves loss and grieving – even when the abortion is "much wanted”. Tons of research before Covid would suggest that a woman will be more vulnerable to Covid after abortion. She faces stresses and complications of abortion anyway, even without Covid. More on all this at https://www.choicescommunity.co.uk/ Or dig into our cheap and easy reading Pregnancy and Abortion Guide
What about the unborn child? Experts believe “COVID-19 infection during pregnancy: fetus as a patient deserves more attention.” Doctors will get valuable insights from this May 2020 paper in the Journal of Perinatal Medicine. https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/jpm-2020-0181/html
Finally remember – even if omicron turns out to be a milder disease; too many cases can overwhelm any health service. But these steps will help you and yours –
Hand washing.
Physical distancing 2 m.
Mask wearing.
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