Masks serve many purposes. How sad that they’ve become politicized.

Masks serve many purposes. How sad that they’ve become politicized.

I’ve seen the original meme on my social media feed.

I’ve fixed it.

The purpose of the first three masks differs from the purpose of the fourth mask.

The first three masks are designed to protect the wearer from breathing in harmful things in the environment.

The mask Dr. Fauci wears is designed not to protect Dr. Fauci from the virus, but to protect people around Dr. Fauci from droplets of moisture he may cough, sneeze, or breathe out. The virus itself tiny but it travels through the air on those droplets, which even a simple cloth mask does a good job of catching.

Hospital workers who are protecting themselves from the virus do wear equipment that resembles the first three images.

Here is what the CDC says about cloth masks.