For the first time ever, we are entering flu season with a great number of Americans wearing a mask in public.
The masks are obviously one of the ways to slow the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, but it could also protect you from other illnesses.
In a video posted to Covenant Health's Facebook page on Friday, Dr. Mark Browne said that masks do show some effectiveness in preventing the spread of any disease that's spread by respiratory droplets.
It's too soon to know how big of an impact the masks will have because we'll have to wait for flu season to run its course and compare the numbers.
“This is going to be an experiment for the country to see what happens when you have a large portion of your community that’s wearing masks and it’s effect on flu," Dr. Browne said.
Right now, the flu is having a very minor impact across the country, according to the CDC's influenza map. Tennessee and most other states are showing minimal spread of influenza, which is very comparable to recent years. You can compare that for yourself by clicking the dates in the bottom left corner of the map to look at previous years.
While wearing a mask and practicing the other five core actions (washing your hands, social distancing, frequent sanitizng, and staying home if you are sick) could reduce your risk of getting the flu, don't forget the most important preventative measure!
"Just because you wear a mask doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get your flu shot," said Dr. Browne.