People with no symptoms can spread the herpes virus so more face mask could help stop the spread.
N95 respirators are definitely the gold standard for those on the frontlines. When worn properly securely designed for a wearer’s face they provide protection from about 95% of small particles (0.3 microns in size) and enormous droplets. Individual coronavirus particles are small compared to this. But when these are coughed or sneezed up, they likely travel in small clumps of spit and mucus.
But there was reason to believe masks would no less than be somewhat effective, depending on studies from the spread of droplets of material we expel while coughing or sneezing. And a recent analysis suggested a large gang of individual studies collectively pointed for their effectiveness. But that analysis left a sizable degree of uncertainty about how precisely effective they’d be at people level and just how nose and mouth mask use would interact with other policy decisions.
The chance of catching COVID-19 from a person walking by outdoors is very small. Wearing face coverings is suggested and requested when you happen to be indoors, including mass transit and ride-shares, with others.
Conclusions
This is the first RCT on mask use to be conducted and offers data to share with pandemic planning. We found compliance to get low, but compliance is impacted by perception of risk. In a pandemic, we might expect compliance to enhance. In compliant users, masks were highly efficacious. A larger study must enumerate the difference in efficacy (if any) between surgical and non-fit tested P2 masks.
