By Stephen James Guion
But they do wear masks! As a native Waitsfield resident, I’ve been pleasantly relieved by the collectivistic culture our Valley has demonstrated in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Let’s keep up the great work and take our awareness and public health interventions a step further to protect our neighbors, family and friends through the power of informed action.
The media cycle and opinion dynamics are interesting social phenomena: A singular study may be published and misconstrued by secondary- and third-party interpreters with a claim it did not intentionally mean to make. This is the burden, the rub and the tantalizing responsibility of science communicators and policy advocates. Take this anecdotal non sequitur as an example: As an undergraduate learning research methodology, I was assigned to locate a pop-media article, which references a claim from a peer-reviewed empirical publication. I chose a November, 2010, article from Cosmopolitan Magazine, which referenced a recent study from the journal of Evolutionary Psychology. Long story short, one could say, the meaning was lost in translation. Does this unmask vindictive intentions of secondary media outlets? Absolutely not! Does it highlight and demonstrate the complexity of information translation and dissemination? Most definitely.
RECENT EVENTS
I would like to bring to The Valley’s attention recent events in the academic, scientific and public realms of personal protection equipment (PPE). In other words: What’s going on with those masks? With the overwhelming amount of social media platforms, humans are blindsided by grandiose claims, exaggerated statements and misconstrued information: this has been precedently defined as an infodemic. Infodemiology is a subdiscipline of epidemiology, which was coined as an approach by EHealth informatics researcher Gunther Eysenbach, MD, now editor-in-chief of the Journal of Medical Internet Research. The term, infodemic, however, was introduced to the reader’s lexicon in a 2003 Washington Post column by David Rothkopf, a professor of International Relations, political scientist and journalist, concerning severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) media coverage.
As a certified volunteer with the United Nation’s Verified Information initiative, I receive daily reviews of U.N. providing approved pandemic news, a signal among the noise; however, this does not disqualify the noise from public opinion –– no, far from it. In the words of science historian and author James Gleick in his 2011 novel “The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood”: “We know about streaming information, parsing it, sorting it, matching it and filtering it. Our furniture includes iPods and plasma displays, our skills include texting and Googling, we are endowed, we are expert, so we see information in the foreground. But it has always been there.”
NECK FLEECE
Okay, Mr. Scientist, great: What does that have to do with masks, PPE and public health? Walking around the Mad River Valley, I observe a broad selection of facial coverings ranging from N95 equipment all the way to covering one’s nose and mouth with the loose neckline of one’s shirt. It calms me to see, since the August Vermontwide mask usage mandate, the signs informing a facial covering requirement, thereby protecting the health of staff and patrons. As a community of physically active residents with a love for the outdoors, neck gaiters have been the select choice of many, as they provide a sporty, stylist and multipurpose mask substitute. As many of you may have noticed from a spike in media coverage, a recent study from Duke University by Emma Fischer and colleagues published in Science Advances on August 7, 2020, provided an inexpensive and simple technique with which to test material efficacy in protecting against harmful nanoparticles (i.e.; COVID-19+ droplets). Although the article meant to introduce their procedure as a potential manner with which to test novel PPE materials, secondary and tertiary (i.e.; word of mouth) media outlets honed in on one of the findings: neck gaiters, which the authors label “neck fleece,” may be worse than wearing no mask at all.
This claim was quickly absorbed and disseminated by media outlets and wiggled its way into public opinion dynamics. However, a recent New York Times article “Save the Gaiters!” published August 17, sought to dismantle the spread of this disinformation. The article referenced a study performed by Virginia Tech’s environmental engineering professor Linsey Marr, an expert in the airborne transmission of infectious disease, and her graduate students. They have been testing the efficacy of alternative mask materials in filtering out particles since the onset of the PPE shortage with the Applied Interdisciplinary Research in Air (AIR2) Laboratory. Marr’s results demonstrate that although cloth masks, as recommended by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), are statistically more efficient at stopping the spread of airborne particles, it is more a function of layers than material.
With this in mind, it remains critical to practice media literacy and data skepticism; however, also to trust science and research, but acknowledge the dynamic and ever-evolving nature of good health practices. Further mask-related considerations and concerns also include in the CDC article “About Masks” posted in August, the CDC makes a statement that masks with one-way exhalation valves and vents are not recommended for public use. I personally have noticed some of these mask types, and although they look and may feel more functional than a standard two-ply cloth mask, they defeat the purpose of droplet and particle retention from the mask user.
Thank you to all Valley residents who have spent time, money and cognitive power toward collectivistic initiatives of keeping our community safe. Staying informed, and note that approaching others who have not adopted the best public health practices with patience, instead of chastisement, is the best form of harnessing social innovation to ignite societal impact. In the words of Governor Phil Scott, “Attacking, shaming and judging isn’t going to help; but understanding, educating, leading by example, meeting people where they are, and maybe a little kindness and understanding will.” Best possible advice: Be smart and use protection. While improper sexual contraception may lead to an accidental birth, improper COVID-19 protection can lead to an accidental death; however, culpability, in both situations, remain the same.
Guion holds a Master of Science in systems neuroscience He lives in Waitsfield and enjoys discussion, especially when there is no right answer. Reach him at
