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Face masks effectively limit the probability of SARS-CoV-2 transmission.
Cheng, Yafang; Ma, Nan; Witt, Christian; Rapp, Steffen; Wild, Philipp S; Andreae, Meinrat O; Pöschl, Ulrich; Su, Hang.
  • Cheng Y; Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128 Mainz, Germany. h.su@mpic.de yafang.cheng@mpic.de.
  • Ma N; Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China.
  • Witt C; Department of Outpatient Pneumology and Institute of Physiology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Charité Mitte, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
  • Rapp S; University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany.
  • Wild PS; University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany.
  • Andreae MO; Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
  • Pöschl U; Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
  • Su H; Department of Geology and Geophysics, King Saud University, 11451 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Science ; 2021 May 20.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1388438
ABSTRACT
Airborne transmission by droplets and aerosols is important for the spread of viruses. Face masks are a well-established preventive measure, but their effectiveness for mitigating SARS-CoV-2 transmission is still under debate. We show that variations in mask efficacy can be explained by different regimes of virus abundance and related to population-average infection probability and reproduction number. For SARS-CoV-2, the viral load of infectious individuals can vary by orders of magnitude. We find that most environments and contacts are under conditions of low virus abundance (virus-limited) where surgical masks are effective at preventing virus spread. More advanced masks and other protective equipment are required in potentially virus-rich indoor environments including medical centers and hospitals. Masks are particularly effective in combination with other preventive measures like ventilation and distancing.

Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Type of study: Experimental Studies Language: English Year: 2021 Document Type: Article

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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Type of study: Experimental Studies Language: English Year: 2021 Document Type: Article