Does Wearing a Face Mask Cause Hypoxia? Pulmonologist Answers
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4 September 2020 10:11 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A pulmonologist from the Persahabatan Hospital, Andika Chandra Putra, asserts that the use of face masks to prevent the spreading of the coronavirus will not cause hypoxia, the low oxygen contained in human blood. Hypoxia has recently grabbed the public’s interest after it was found to be one of the unique symptoms of COVID-19.
“Oxygen levels will surely be reduced but at tolerated levels,” said Dr. Andika in an interview with Antara on Thursday, September 3.
Despite the fears, he assures that even N95 face masks - which have notably denser weaves - do not reportedly reduce the lung’s function.
He encourages people to avert from wearing masks during demanding physical activities, especially strenuous exercises. However, he highly suggests people conduct exercises in green zones that are far from crowds to safely exercise without masks.
Exercising among crowds - if must be done - can be done with lower intensity to prevent falling out of breath since it is still mandatory to wear face mask in this situation.
“We exercise not to pursue certain achievements but to obtain an optimum physical condition. The most important is to prevent spreading the infectious disease,” said Andika.
Read: Doctor Fears People Underestimate COVID-19 Protocols as Cases Soar
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