Do You Need to Wear That Mask?
2020-03-09
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1As concerns over the new coronavirus spread around the world, people have to make basic health decisions.
2They are wondering how worried they should be about getting infected and what they should do about it.
3Some decision can have unexpected results however.
4For example, because of fears over getting infected, large numbers of people have bought masks to cover their faces.
5This led United States Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams to write this message on Twitter: "Seriously people - STOP BUYING MASKS"
6He noted that masks are not effective in protecting the general public.
7The masks should be kept available for those who really need them.
8He added that "if healthcare providers can't get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!"
9It is hard to know just how concerned people should be.
10Someone who lives near an area with many reported cases of coronavirus may be right to be more concerned than someone who does not.
11But experts note that people do not only make decisions based on calculations.
12There are also emotional and psychological influences that play a part.
13David Ropeik is an expert on risk who retired from Harvard University in Massachusetts.
14He said, "Emotions are the filters through which we see facts."
15Paul Slovic is a psychology professor at the University of Oregon.
16He said people's perception of risk can increase so that it becomes different from the advice of medical officials.
17For example, less is known about the new coronavirus than the seasonal flu, which is blamed for far more deaths each year.
18But the new coronavirus is not fully understood and seems to be difficult to control.
19Slovic said that because "there is no vaccine that can prevent it" and it spreads easily, news of the disease hurts our personal sense of control.
20He said our sense of risk increases when we do not feel like we know what to do to protect ourselves.
21At the same time, the information that people are getting from the news and social media does not ease their concerns, Slovic said.
22He noted that reports place attention on people getting sick and dying and not on less serious cases.
23To make matters worse, "everybody is telling everybody about it," Ropeik said.
24This increases the perceived risk.
25Vincent Covello is director of the Center for Risk Communication, a business advisory group.
26He has a list of 17 psychological influences that people consider when they think about risk.
27For example, he said people worry more when they do not trust the officials or agencies in charge.
28People also get more concerned about involuntary things, like exposure to an infected person than voluntary ones, like smoking or spending too much time in the sun.
29Ropeik said people can reduce their risk of overreacting by not spreading news of every little development.
30"Don't just share the scary parts," he advised.
31Finally, Ropeik said it is good idea to take a break from the 24-hour news.
32"Log off, put your phone down, pick up a book," he said.
33I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
1As concerns over the new coronavirus spread around the world, people have to make basic health decisions. They are wondering how worried they should be about getting infected and what they should do about it. 2Some decision can have unexpected results however. For example, because of fears over getting infected, large numbers of people have bought masks to cover their faces. This led United States Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams to write this message on Twitter: "Seriously people - STOP BUYING MASKS" 3He noted that masks are not effective in protecting the general public. The masks should be kept available for those who really need them. He added that "if healthcare providers can't get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!" 4Different levels of concern not unusual 5It is hard to know just how concerned people should be. Someone who lives near an area with many reported cases of coronavirus may be right to be more concerned than someone who does not. 6But experts note that people do not only make decisions based on calculations.There are also emotional and psychological influences that play a part. 7David Ropeik is an expert on risk who retired from Harvard University in Massachusetts. He said, "Emotions are the filters through which we see facts." 8Paul Slovic is a psychology professor at the University of Oregon. He said people's perception of risk can increase so that it becomes different from the advice of medical officials. 9For example, less is known about the new coronavirus than the seasonal flu, which is blamed for far more deaths each year. But the new coronavirus is not fully understood and seems to be difficult to control. 10Slovic said that because "there is no vaccine that can prevent it" and it spreads easily, news of the disease hurts our personal sense of control. He said our sense of risk increases when we do not feel like we know what to do to protect ourselves. 11At the same time, the information that people are getting from the news and social media does not ease their concerns, Slovic said. He noted that reports place attention on people getting sick and dying and not on less serious cases. 12To make matters worse, "everybody is telling everybody about it," Ropeik said. This increases the perceived risk. 13Vincent Covello is director of the Center for Risk Communication, a business advisory group. He has a list of 17 psychological influences that people consider when they think about risk. For example, he said people worry more when they do not trust the officials or agencies in charge. 14People also get more concerned about involuntary things, like exposure to an infected person than voluntary ones, like smoking or spending too much time in the sun. 15Ropeik said people can reduce their risk of overreacting by not spreading news of every little development. "Don't just share the scary parts," he advised. 16Finally, Ropeik said it is good idea to take a break from the 24-hour news. "Log off, put your phone down, pick up a book," he said. 17I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 18Malcolm Ritter reported this story for the Associated Press. Mario Ritter Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 19________________________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21mask -n. something that covers part or all of the face 22calculation -n. careful thought or planning through a process 23filter -n. a device or process that removes something unwanted 24perception -n. the way a person thinks about or understands something 25involuntary -adj. not done by choice 26scary -adj. causing fear 27log off -n. to suspend a connection with a computer network