In the ongoing debate over the effectiveness of the facial mask for coronavirus, a new study published this week suggests that widespread use of facial masks may help prevent major outbreaks of COVID-19.
The study, published on Tuesday in The Lancet Digital Health, interviewed more than 300,000 Americans 13 years of age or older about their masking habits. Participants were asked about the likelihood of wearing a face mask in public places, such as when shopping or visiting family and friends who do not live in their home.
Of those who responded, about 85% said they were “very likely” to wear a mask when shopping, and about 40% said the same about visiting family and friends. Overall, those 65 and older were more likely to report mask use, as were black and Hispanic Americans and those who reported living in a large urban area.
In the end, a logistical model “controlling physical distance, population demographics and other variables found that a 10% increase in self-reported mask use was associated with an increase in the chances of controlling transmission,” the researchers from Boston Children’s Hospital, I wrote.
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In other words, the researchers found that only a 10% increase in the use of a face mask by those within a given postal code tripled the chances that the community could maintain control of the virus transmission, or tripled the chances of the community of keep the coronavirus reproduction number (R0) below one.
An R0 is a mathematical term related to the degree of infectiousness of a disease or the average number of people who will contract the disease from a single infected person. An R0 below one indicates that a disease “will subside and eventually die,” according to Healthline.
Although the study authors identified certain limitations – they did not take contact screening and testing into account, for example, and participants were asked to report their mask wearing habits – they finally concluded that “communities with a high number of uses masking the distance had the highest expected probability of transmission control. “
“The widely reported use of facial masks combined with physical distance increases the chances of controlling the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Self-reported mask use has increased separately from government mask mandates, suggesting that additional public health interventions are needed to maximize adoption and help stem the ongoing epidemic. ”
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“The evidence is clear: the masks work,” said Dr. Hannah Clapham, of the National University of Singapore, in an article accompanying the study.
However, she noted, “its use is an undirected control measure, in which the entire population is involved, rather than just known or suspected cases.”
Or, in other words, “the adhesion of society as a whole is, therefore, necessary for the success of the intervention”, she wrote.