| They came out in force in a 2003 outbreak of respiratory disease, and now they look to spread even more widely. Masks, that is. They became a staple in many Asian nations 17 years ago as residents tried to ward off the SARS virus. Officials in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan have recommended wearing masks in crowded places such as buses or subway cars, and some eastern European countries are now requiring their use.  Office workers and pedestrians embraced protective masks in Hong Kong, while many Western nations have yet to do so. Photographer: Paul Yeung/Bloomberg Neither the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention nor the World Health Organization have embraced the use of masks by the uninfected public. Surgical masks, the flat, paper variety, don't block out virus inhalation, while many people don't know how to properly use a more face-fitting version, called a respirator. Solid proof is lacking about whether wearing a mask in public even helps, and hospital workers who do know how to use them should get first priority. If health-care workers don't have masks for protection, more of them will become infected, depleting their ranks and in turn the quality of care available to all of us. The best use of them by non-medical personnel, these organizations say, is in patients who may be coughing or sneezing; a mask may block the flight of infectious droplets from their nose and mouth.
That view may be about to change. George Gao, director of China's CDC, has said that the failure to use masks in the U.S. and Europe is a "big mistake.'' In light of the possibility that people without coronavirus symptoms are spreading the disease, the U.S. CDC is reviewing its guidance on masks. The WHO is also reconsidering its stance.
If the U.S. recommends masks for the public, it will be a vital challenge to ensure their supplies for doctors, nurses and other workers caring for desperately ill coronavirus patients – along with others who interact daily with those caregivers. Thousands of hospital workers have already fallen ill with potentially lethal Covid-19, and if it continues, there may not be enough professionals to care for the patients. | 
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