'No good reason not to': Why some young people are still masking up

For most people, catching the common cold or another respiratory illness means a week or so of feeling sick.

For Phoebe, 19, who was diagnosed with long COVID in 2022 after contracting the virus twice, face masks are one of the only things preventing a potentially debilitating infection that could set her back months in her recovery.

"I try to wear it as much as possible when I'm on trains in the morning, when everyone is coughing and everyone's in close proximity," she says, mentioning her "hard hitting" pneumonia infection recently.

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"Some days I think I've recovered [from long COVID] really well," she adds. "But a lot of the time, I'm not really moving. I don't really go out. As a 19-year-old it's really so difficult, especially when you're first starting uni."

Long COVID, which affects one in five Australians, describes several medical symptoms that linger or appear after a COVID infection, including tiredness and fatigue, "brain fog", sleep problems, coughing, and shortness of breath.

A recent report by the Medical Journal of Australia projected that the 30-39-year-old age group followed by 20-29-year-olds would constitute the majority of long COVID cases among the Australian population by October this year.

Clodagh, 30, who is also recovering from long COVID, says that there is "no good reason to not wear a mask" in contexts like public transport, concerts, parties, and eateries, where the possibility of contracting COVID, or giving it to someone with long COVID, is high.

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"It's like, do you want to gamble a year of your life away to not have something on your face for two hours?" she said. 

Research shows that COVID reinfection overwhelmingly worsens symptoms for those with preexisting long COVID, and often relapses those in recovery. One's risk of developing the condition also increases with each COVID infection, according to multiple studies.

After contracting the virus in October of 2023, Clodagh suffered from persistent nausea, fatigue, heart palpitations, and extreme mood swings, and ceased working and exercising until March this year. 

What's more, a recent international review of mask-wearing's efficacy found that masks, when correctly worn, are effective in reducing the transmission of respiratory disease. It also found mask mandates are overall effective in reducing community transmission.

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Led by experts including Professor Raina McIntyre from Sydney's UNSW, the review countered a controversial 2023 review that argued there is no conclusive evidence to suggest face masks reduce the spread of respiratory disease.

"Any mask is better than no mask in high transmission settings," McIntyre told 9news.com.au, with regards to how effective masks are when the majority of the population isn't wearing them.

However, both Phoebe and Clodagh reported adverse responses from the general public to face masks, reflecting the review's finding that masks are also "important socio-cultural symbols".

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"People give me nasty looks," said Phoebe. "A lady she coughed on the train the other day right when I was putting my mask on. She said loudly, 'Oh, it's just asthma'."

For Clodagh, masks have provoked everything from general rudeness to sexual harassment.

"I was at a folk festival a while ago ... I was playing music and I was wearing a mask when I wasn't playing flute, and this old guy was like, 'Oh, why are you wearing a mask? Don't you want to kiss me?'"

According to both women, greater acceptance of wearing face masks post mandates is absolutely necessary, as well as more education around long COVID – for which there is still no reliable diagnosis. 

"In general, I'm just over it," says Phoebe. "I can't be bothered to explain to people any more why I'm wearing a mask."

Clodagh adds: "I think the literacy around Long COVID has really improved as a result of a public awareness campaign run at a grassroots level by people who have long COVID."

According to McIntyre, there is still a long way to go in providing better health services for those suffering from the condition. 

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"What we need are guidelines and decision support for doctors to know how to test, triage and refer people with long covid," she says. "A lot of patients are in limbo because GPs have not been provided diagnostic or referral protocols." 

In the meantime, wearing a mask in public when you're sick, and respecting those who choose to do so, is key to protecting those most vulnerable.