Wearing a mask is one of the simplest and most essential steps you can take to protect yourself and help stop the spread of COVID. However, a recent study concluded that wearing a mask alone – that is, without adhering to other important precautions – may not really protect you. The study, published in Physics of Fluids on Dec. 22, found that wearing a mask without social distancing is probably not enough to keep COVID from spreading. To see why a mask alone isn’t enough, read on, and to learn more about the future of wearing a mask, Dr. Fauci that now is when you can throw away your face mask.
The study aimed to decipher whether face masks can protect against airborne sneezing and cough drops when people are close together in face-to-face interactions. Researchers used a machine to simulate coughing and sneezing against five different types of masks, including an N95 mask, a surgical mask, a two-layer cloth mask, a plain cloth, and a wet two-layer cloth mask. They found that face masks are not always effective at protecting people from COVID if they are not at least two meters apart.
“If the relevant social distance guidelines are compromised, the study shows that strange sneezing and coughing droplets in the air can pass through all of the masks tested (except the N-95 mask), even when they are believed to fit 100 percent correctly, the study reads. While the masks drastically reduced the number of droplets scattered, enough droplets penetrated the material to potentially cause illness when the distance was less than six feet.
“A mask certainly helps, but if people are very close together, there is still a chance of spreading or contracting the virus,” study author Krishna City, PhD, said in a statement. ‘It’s not just masks that help. They are both the masks and the distance. ‘
Of course, there are some masks that protect you from coronavirus better than others. Keep reading for four face covers to avoid, and as a precaution, we can omit this, Dr. Fauci against this one COVID security measure.
We’ve all been guilty of reusing our masks a few too often, but a recent study has found that this action can be dangerous. The study, published Dec. 15 in the Physics of Fluids, concluded that wearing a used or worn out mask can in some cases be worse than not wearing a mask.
According to the research, a new three-layer surgical mask is 65 percent efficient at filtering out particles. However, when the mask wears out, that drops to just 25 percent. In addition, researchers found that worn-out masks caused wearers to inhale more particles than those without an inhaled mask. And for more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter.
Face shields may seem like a great alternative to face masks, but the World Health Organization (WHO) warns against using them. In a December 1 update, WHO pointed out that wearing a face shield without a mask would not block the wearer’s droplets from infecting others, or to prevent other people’s droplets from infecting them. And for the latest news about the coronavirus: Dr. Fauci has just issued a warning about the new COVID strain in the US.
While valve face masks can provide a more comfortable experience, they are virtually useless. A study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on Nov. 10 found that face masks with vent valves do not stop the spread of COVID. According to the study, droplets could move through a mask with a valve almost as far and as fast as they were without a face covering. And to learn more about the current state of the coronavirus spread, here’s how bad the COVID outbreak is in your country.
The latest evidence states that a mask must have three separate layers to protect you from coronavirus. A November study from Virginia Tech testing 11 different face masks confirmed that three-layer masks provided the most protection against COVID. And to avoid a different kind of face covering, the FDA has just issued a warning against this type of face mask.