Wear a mask: Let’s care for each other to decrease the spread of COVID-19

The average hospitalization time for someone who requires mechanical ventilation due to COVID-19 is 27 days.

Public health is dedicated to protecting the largest population possible; this is why the Cape Girardeau County Health Department ordered a mask mandate.

Although people from all age groups are suffering from COVID-19, the disease is most dangerous for those who are age 60 and older. The older a patient is, the more likely they are to die from COVID-19.

It generally takes 48 to 72 hours from the time a person is infected with COVID-19 for them to become contagious, while they may not show symptoms for an average of five days. This means there is a two- to three-day period in which someone who is COVID-19-positive is contagious without knowing they are carrying the disease, making it easy to infect whomever they are around. An Aug. 7 Cape Girardeau County study found 94% of individuals who had detectable COVID-19 antibodies in a Phase 1 study still had detectable levels eight weeks later.

Wearing a face covering reduces the spray of airborne droplets from the individual wearing the mask to the people around them. It's one simple way to decrease the spread of COVID-19.

You don't wear a mask to protect yourself. You wear a mask to keep the people around you safe. You wear a mask to protect people who are older from dying from COVID-19.

Why not exercise your freedom to choose by wearing your mask, sacrificing for another for the common good?