A number of studies published in the last couple of months, since there has been a worldwide proliferation of the novel coronavirus pandemic, that have indicated that wearing a face mask can dramatically reduce the chances of an individual getting infected by the virus that causes the disease called Covid-19. It is also useful for being safe from any other form of influenza. The studies have focused on the difference a face mask can make in reducing human-to-human infections by the the novel coronavirus.
Data from 172 observational studies was examined by a World Health Organisation-funded journal, published in Lancet, recently which concluded that the risks of contacting Covid-19 infection is reduced by wearing face masks particular yin public places.
This method adds on to the chances of protection from the virus that is achieved by frequent washing of hands with soap and social distancing. Apart from preventing direct exposure to the virus, face masks also constantly remind people of not touching their faces or eyes which can transfer the virus from the hands of an individual into the body.
“Our findings suggest, in multiple ways, that the use of masks is highly protective in health-care and community settings,” said the author of the review, Holger Schünemann, an epidemiologist and physician at McMaster University in Ontario.
The chances of Covid-19 infection and how the virus is easily passed from person to person were examined by another research that was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study was based on the trends and mitigation procedures used in China, Italy and New York City and a close examination revealed that individuals using a face mask helped to reduced the number of infections by more than 78,000 in Italy between April 6 and May 9 and by over 66,000 in New York City between April 17 and May 9.
"Our results clearly show that airborne transmission via respiratory aerosols represents the dominant route for the spread of Covid-19," said study researcher Renyi Zhang from Texas A&M University in the US.
While use of face masks can help in preventing coughing droplets from infected individuals from reaching those who are uninfected, it can also help to prevent those who are uninfected from breathing the minute atmospheric particles that are called aerosols which carry the novel coronavirus.
A study by the University of Cambridge has claimed that is all people in the United States start using face masks all the time, it would likely be possible to avoid being hit by a second wave of Covid-19 from hitting the country which is expected to resurface in the US within the next 18 months. The study also claimed that the current infection curve in the country can be flattened if only 50 per cent of all people in the country start wearing face masks in public places.
“We have little to lose from the widespread adoption of face masks, but the gains could be significant,” Renata Retkute, a doctor and coauthor and Cambridge team member.
(Source:www.businessinsider.com)
Data from 172 observational studies was examined by a World Health Organisation-funded journal, published in Lancet, recently which concluded that the risks of contacting Covid-19 infection is reduced by wearing face masks particular yin public places.
This method adds on to the chances of protection from the virus that is achieved by frequent washing of hands with soap and social distancing. Apart from preventing direct exposure to the virus, face masks also constantly remind people of not touching their faces or eyes which can transfer the virus from the hands of an individual into the body.
“Our findings suggest, in multiple ways, that the use of masks is highly protective in health-care and community settings,” said the author of the review, Holger Schünemann, an epidemiologist and physician at McMaster University in Ontario.
The chances of Covid-19 infection and how the virus is easily passed from person to person were examined by another research that was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study was based on the trends and mitigation procedures used in China, Italy and New York City and a close examination revealed that individuals using a face mask helped to reduced the number of infections by more than 78,000 in Italy between April 6 and May 9 and by over 66,000 in New York City between April 17 and May 9.
"Our results clearly show that airborne transmission via respiratory aerosols represents the dominant route for the spread of Covid-19," said study researcher Renyi Zhang from Texas A&M University in the US.
While use of face masks can help in preventing coughing droplets from infected individuals from reaching those who are uninfected, it can also help to prevent those who are uninfected from breathing the minute atmospheric particles that are called aerosols which carry the novel coronavirus.
A study by the University of Cambridge has claimed that is all people in the United States start using face masks all the time, it would likely be possible to avoid being hit by a second wave of Covid-19 from hitting the country which is expected to resurface in the US within the next 18 months. The study also claimed that the current infection curve in the country can be flattened if only 50 per cent of all people in the country start wearing face masks in public places.
“We have little to lose from the widespread adoption of face masks, but the gains could be significant,” Renata Retkute, a doctor and coauthor and Cambridge team member.
(Source:www.businessinsider.com)
