https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/07/17/cloth-face-masks-comfort-blankets-do-little-curb-covid-spread/
Another non-shocker but nice to have it confirmed. The average persons mask is next to useless in terms of covid19 prevention.
If they really wanted us safe we would have been issued with N95 masks. I used to call masks teddy bears for adults but i see in this article they are using the term 'comfort blankets' which is probably more apt.
N95’s are top of the class in lab settings for filter penetration but these results don’t translate to real life.
“Results of the increased efficiency of N95-rated masks such as that tested in our study suggest that such masks should be used, rather than surgical masks, for this purpose. The relatively greater filtration efficiency of N95-rated face masks relative to surgical masks
demonstrated in laboratory studies has not, however, translated into significant differences in protection of healthcare workers in controlled studies which could be due to lack of fitting information provided in these studies.â€
Because in order to get the benefits replicated in a lab you have to be compliant. Which would require a large amount of masks and essentially require us to be robots (plus factors such as leakage etc)
“Any increased benefits of N95 facepiece respirators such as the test mask over surgical masks are likely dependent upon the ergonomic fit of the mask to the wearer’s face. This is because in the absence of a tight fit, inward leakage would be expected to dominate over filter penetration as the predominant mode of entry of particulates/aerosols containing infectious agents into the mask, regardless of the type of mask. A controlled clinical study failed, however, to reveal a significant difference in protection of healthcare workers using fit-tested vs. non-fit-tested N95 masksâ€
https://jtd.amegroups.com/article/view/20136/15564“In this pragmatic, cluster randomized trial that involved multiple outpatient sites at 7 health care delivery systems across a wide geographic area over 4 seasons of peak viral respiratory illness,
there was no significant difference between the effectiveness of N95 respirators and medical masks in preventing laboratory-confirmed influenza among participants routinely exposed to respiratory illnesses in the workplaceâ€
“This supports the finding that
neither N95 respirators nor medical masks were more effective in preventing laboratory-confirmed influenza or other viral respiratory infection or illness among participants when worn in a fashion consistent with current US clinical practice.â€
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2749214“Our study found a low N95 VMF pass rate of 12.6%. The observation that reading pictorial instructions was not associated with increased VMF pass rates may suggest an
inherent complexity to N95 mask wearingâ€
“These findings support ongoing recommendations
against the use of N95 masks by the general public during the COVID-19 pandemic. N95 mask use by the general public
may not translate into effective protection but instead provide false reassurance.â€
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2766070“The earliest retrospective studies failed to demonstrate any statistically significant improvement in surgical site infection rates following the use of masks. Indeed, the latest National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines on the matter
do not require operating staff to wear a mask in theatreâ€
“Based upon the findings of this review, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines state that there is ‘
limited evidence concerning the use of non-sterile theatre wear’ such as surgical masks when trying to
minimise the risk of surgical site infection, although there was an overall ‘consensus that wearing non-sterile theatre wear is
important in maintaining theatre discipline’
“Despite clear evidence that facemasks act to protect the theatre staff from macroscopic facial contamination, there are studies to suggest that they
fail to protect surgeons from potentially hazardous sub-micrometre contaminants. This corresponds roughly to the size range of infectious bacteria
while viruses are even smaller. Therefore, the protection that masks confer in the form of macroscopic facial contamination may not necessarily
extend towards any microscopic infectious agents present within that contamination.â€
“Given that there is no evidence that they cause any harm either, proponents would rather err on the side of caution and encourage their continued use, stressing that there is no room for complacency when it comes to ensuring patient safety. This opinion is similarly echoed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines which assert that mask usage
contributes towards ‘maintaining theatre discipline’.â€
“It is possible, if not probable, that if surgical facemasks were to be introduced today, without the historical impetus currently associated with their use, the experimental evidence would not be
sufficiently compelling to incorporate facemasks into surgical practice.“
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4480558/#__ffn_sectitlePersonally I think the mask recommendations were more to make it look like the government(s) were being proactive and doing something visible in order to give “confidence†to people to go out.
“Mr Hancock expanded saying "face coverings increase confidence in people to shop".â€
https://www.parliament.uk/business/news/2020/july/coronavirus-statement-14-july/
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