There has been a paradigm shift in the thinking behind mask use, to the current emphasis on protecting oneself as opposed to the initial consideration of keeping others safe from what we might be exhaling, said Colin Furness, an infection control epidemiologist at the University of Toronto.

“The game has changed,” he said. “We’re not masking to protect others from our own droplets now, we’re masking to protect ourselves from people who are being lackadaisical and reckless.”

Added family physician and epidemiologist Dr. Jeff Kwong: “We’re all so fixated on the vaccines, and definitely don’t get me wrong, they’re very effective. But I think the masks are just as important as the vaccine.” —Toronto Star