- A new study demonstrates that the transmission of the virus can be slowed significantly by using masks.
- The research shows that the wearer's breath is filtered by the mask, preventing spread.
- The scientists used a machine to measure the exhalations of infected people.
New research supports wearing face masks to stem the spread of the deadly coronavirus. The study, carried out by researchers from the University of Maryland and the University of Hong Kong showed that the masks significantly lowered the amounts of different airborne viruses that were coming from the mouths of infected people.
The study does not necessarily claim that the wearer of the mask is protected from infection, but establishes a clear reduction in the spread of viral infection to others. This is especially important in light of the fact that up to 25% of coronavirus carriers may be asymptomatic and won't necessarily know if they are ill.
The scientists carried out the experiments using a Gesundheit II machine, which can capture breaths.
The machine is the creation of Dr. Don Milton, who runs the University of Maryland's Public Health Aerobiology, Virology, and Exhaled Biomarker Laboratory. He is also the senior author of the paper.
The experiments involving 246 people showed that the transmission of the coronavirus and other respiratory infections studied, which also included influenza and rhinovirus, can be slowed by the masks. In the study, the researchers detected coronavirus in 30% of the respiratory droplets and 40% of the aerosols in the exhalation samples without face masks, but no virus in the droplets or aerosols collected from participants wearing face masks.
The study doesn't say the masks give full protection against the virus, especially as small aerosolized droplets have been shown to diffuse through the air and travel as far as 26 feet. But it bolsters the idea that wearing masks can stem the tide in the fight against the pandemic.
Of course, for this strategy to work best, it would make sense for most members of the society to adopt such an approach like it has been done in the Czech Republic, which made wearing masks mandatory. While the CDC has made a non-mandatory recommendation for wearing cloth masks in public, President Trump pointed out that he won't do it. It's hard to expect a wide spread of the practice in the U.S. until its cultural approach changes.
Doctor Milton acknowledged that wearing masks is not "the first line of defense" but in the current situation "They are our last desperate thing that we do."
Gesundheit II in action
Check out the Gesundheit II in action during a 2018 study that by Dr. Milton that showed how flu may be spread by breathing.
Read the new study "Respiratory virus shedding in exhaled breath and efficacy of face masks" in the journal Nature Medicine.
Here's a helpful video from the CDC on how to make a face mask in 45 seconds while using items from around your house:
How to Make Your own Face Covering
Surgeon General, Dr. Jerome Adams, shares ways to create your own face covering in a few easy steps.
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