Cotton Masks don't work so well
2020-04-12 00:03:53.292084+02 by
Dan Lyke
2 comments
Annals of Internal Medicine Letters: Effectiveness of Surgical and Cotton Masks in Blocking SARS–CoV-2: A Controlled Comparison in 4 Patients
This experiment did not include N95 masks and does not reflect the actual transmission of infection from patients with COVID-19 wearing different types of masks. We do not know whether masks shorten the travel distance of droplets during coughing. Further study is needed to recommend whether face masks decrease transmission of virus from asymptomatic individuals or those with suspected COVID-19 who are not coughing.
In conclusion, both surgical and cotton masks seem to be ineffective in preventing the dissemination of SARS–CoV-2 from the coughs of patients with COVID-19 to the environment and external mask surface.
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comments in descending chronological order (reverse):
#Comment Re: Cotton Masks don't work so well made: 2020-04-14 23:28:58.107316+02 by:
Dan Lyke
I got all excited, then I started trying to track the source of that visualization, and it's not at all clear how accurate it is: https://www.reddit.com/r/educa...eathing_with_and_without_a_mask/
#Comment Re: Cotton Masks don't work so well made: 2020-04-12 15:28:13.771159+02 by:
Ben W
My understanding is that the hope is that masks reduce the velocity and therefore range of droplets rather than stopping them completely, a la. Whether that actually reduces transmissions...