Scientists Call Masks Very Effective In Preventing COVID-19

Scientists call masks very effective in preventing COVID-19

The authors of the new study believe that the underestimation of the importance of the airborne transmission of coronavirus has prevented the effective containment of the virus in several countries.

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Wearing masks is the most effective way to prevent COVID-19, according to a group of American scientists. The new research has been published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The conclusion about the high effectiveness of masks was made on the basis of an analysis of the incidence in New York and Italy: there, at the peak of the spread of infection, the mandatory wearing of masks was introduced. Scientists analyzed how the introduction of this measure influenced the spread of infection. They argue that thanks to her, the incidence curves have crept down and stabilized.

It is estimated that wearing masks prevented more than 78,000 cases of COVID-19 in Italy from April 6 to May 9, and more than 66,000 in New York from April 17 to May 9.

The authors emphasize that the main route of transmission of coronavirus infection is airborne, and wearing masks effectively counteracts it. Other necessary, effective and inexpensive measures they called social distancing, quarantine and contact tracing of sick people.

"Our research shows very clearly that wearing masks is not only effective in preventing people from transmitting droplets with viruses when they cough, but are also extremely important in protecting uninfected people from aerosols that occur during conversation, which can remain in the air for tens of minutes." - said Mario Molina, professor at the University of California at San Diego, 1995 Nobel laureate in chemistry, co-author of the study.

University of Texas professor Renyi Zhang expressed the opinion that difficulties in containing the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus have arisen in countries that have underestimated the importance of airborne transmission.