Do face masks act as a crude coronavirus proto-vaccine? Some researchers think it's possible.


Even if a coronavirus vaccine is approved on an emergency use basis this year, it wouldn't be available for the general public until mid-2021, two industry vaccine experts tell The Washington Post. And that's if everything goes right. But a group of researchers suggested in a New England Journal of Medicine commentary Tuesday that face masks might stand in as a crude substitute until a vaccine is available.
The unproven theory "is inspired by the age-old concept of variolation, the deliberate exposure to a pathogen to generate a protective immune response," The New York Times reports. Before the smallpox vaccine, for example, some doctors would rub smallpox scabs or pus on healthy people to stimulate a more mild case and an immune response to protect against re-infection. With COVID-19, the speculation is that a mask cuts down on the number of viruses that enter a person's airway, and if a small number slip through or around the mask, it may prompt strong and enduring immunity.
There is some research on hamsters and observational studies of humans that lend credence to the ideas that masks block out just enough virus to encourage mild or asymptomatic infections, and that such low-grade infections spark a protective immune response. But trying to prove the theory of masks as proto-vaccine through clinical trials would be unethical, the Times reports.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Some infectious disease experts told the Times they are skeptical masks would even work in that way, and all of the researchers warned against trying to intentionally infect yourself with small amounts of the coronavirus. "People definitely got smallpox and died from variolation," notes Columbia University virologist Angela Rasmussen. But Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease doctor at U.C. San Francisco and coauthor of the NEJM commentary, said people should wear masks anyway, so "why not drive up the possibility of not getting sick and having some immunity while we're waiting for the vaccine?"
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
'A symbol of the faceless corporate desire'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Say farewell to summer at these underrated US lakes
The Week Recommends Have one last blast
-
Truck drivers are questioning the Trump administration's English mandate
Talking Points Some have praised the rules, others are concerned they could lead to profiling
-
New York court tosses Trump's $500M fraud fine
Speed Read A divided appeals court threw out a hefty penalty against President Trump for fraudulently inflating his wealth
-
Trump said to seek government stake in Intel
Speed Read The president and Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan reportedly discussed the proposal at a recent meeting
-
US to take 15% cut of AI chip sales to China
Speed Read Nvidia and AMD will pay the Trump administration 15% of their revenue from selling artificial intelligence chips to China
-
NFL gets ESPN stake in deal with Disney
Speed Read The deal gives the NFL a 10% stake in Disney's ESPN sports empire and gives ESPN ownership of NFL Network
-
Samsung to make Tesla chips in $16.5B deal
Speed Read Tesla has signed a deal to get its next-generation chips from Samsung
-
FCC greenlights $8B Paramount-Skydance merger
Speed Read The Federal Communications Commission will allow Paramount to merge with the Hollywood studio Skydance
-
Tesla reports plummeting profits
Speed Read The company may soon face more problems with the expiration of federal electric vehicle tax credits
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new high
Speed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year