COVID-19: should we start wearing masks again? Premium

BA.2.86 (nicknamed pirola) has aroused concern from some doctors and scientists because of the high number of mutations in its spike protein, but there is no good data to be certain about this. The risk of a new wave of infections has revived discussion around the need to reintroduce measures that control viral spread.

One thing that can be guaranteed about COVID-19 is that evolution will provide us with a more or less constant stream of new coronavirus variants, some of which will be more successful at infecting people. Talk of mutations sounds scary and it can lead to serious problems, but it would be a mistake to think that it’s always the case.

BA.2.86 (nicknamed pirola) is one such new variant that has aroused concern from some doctors and scientists because of the high number of mutations in its spike protein, the molecule on the virus surface that acts like a key for it to unlock and enter our cells. It’s also the target for the vaccines, so changes in the spike might mean changes in the way the virus behaves, perhaps significantly.

But as things stand, we don’t have good data to be certain about this. It’s this worry that there may be a new wave of infections that has got some people talking about the need to reintroduce measures that control viral spread.

At the start of the pandemic, one of the most persistent questions asked was whether people should protect themselves and others by wearing some form of face covering. Initially, the prevailing opinion was that public use would not be effective.

Government medical advisers in London and Edinburgh repeatedly assured the daily press conferences of this, only for politicians to lead the way in changing that advice while their advisers looked on. Now that the threat of COVID has largely receded, whenever infection numbers start to climb there are loud calls to instruct people to wear face coverings again.

The issue of masks, which in reality should be taken as shorthand for face coverings of all sorts, is one that too often creates more heat than light. There have been overstated claims of their effect and unwarranted claims of proof of ineffectiveness.

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