Face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic

US Ambassador to Indonesia Sung Kim accompanied by local officials at the Presidential Palace wearing face masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, face masks or coverings, including N95, FFP2, surgical, and cloth masks, have been employed as public and personal health control measures against the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

In community and healthcare settings, the use of face masks is intended as source control to limit transmission of the virus and for personal protection to prevent infection.[1] Properly worn masks both limit the respiratory droplets and aerosols spread by infected individuals and help protect healthy individuals from infection.[2][3]

Reviews of various kinds of scientific studies have concluded that masking is effective in protecting the individual against COVID-19.[2][4][5] Various case-control and population-based studies have also shown that increased levels of masking in a community reduces the spread of SARS-CoV-2,[4][5] though there is a paucity of evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs).[6][7] Masks vary in how well they work. Fitted N95s outperform surgical masks,[8][9] while cloth masks provide marginal protection.[10][11] During the public health emergency, governments widely recommended and mandated mask-wearing, and prominent national and intergovernmental health agencies and their leaders recommended the use of masks to reduce transmission, including the WHO, American, European, and Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference AR2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Matuschek C, Moll F, Fangerau H, Fischer JC, Zänker K, van Griensven M, et al. (August 2020). "Face masks: benefits and risks during the COVID-19 crisis". European Journal of Medical Research. 25 (1): 32. doi:10.1186/s40001-020-00430-5. PMC 7422455. PMID 32787926.
  3. ^ Catching A, Capponi S, Yeh MT, Bianco S, Andino R (August 2021). "Examining the interplay between face mask usage, asymptomatic transmission, and social distancing on the spread of COVID-19". Scientific Reports. 11 (1). Nature Portfolio: 15998. Bibcode:2021NatSR..1115998C. doi:10.1038/s41598-021-94960-5. PMC 8346500. PMID 34362936. S2CID 236947786. Masks prevent the spread of droplets and aerosols generated by an infected individual, and when correctly worn surgical masks can reduce viral transmission by 95%. Uninfected individuals wearing a surgical mask are about 85% protected against infection.
  4. ^ a b Talic S, Shah S, Wild H, Gasevic D, Maharaj A, Ademi Z, et al. (November 2021). "Effectiveness of public health measures in reducing the incidence of covid-19, SARS-CoV-2 transmission, and covid-19 mortality: systematic review and meta-analysis". BMJ. 375: e068302. doi:10.1136/bmj-2021-068302. PMC 9423125. PMID 34789505. S2CID 244271780. The results of additional studies that assessed mask wearing ... indicate a reduction in covid-19 incidence, SARS-CoV-2 transmission, and covid-19 mortality. Specifically, a natural experiment across 200 countries showed 45.7% fewer covid-19 related mortality in countries where mask-wearing was mandatory. Another natural experiment study in the US reported a 29% reduction in SARS-CoV-2 transmission (measured as the time-varying reproductive number Rt) (risk ratio 0.71, 95% confidence interval 0.58 to 0.75) in states where mask-wearing was mandatory. A comparative study in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region reported a statistically significantly lower cumulative incidence of covid-19 associated with mask-wearing than in selected countries where mask-wearing was not mandatory.
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference cdc-sci was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Jefferson T, Dooley L, Ferroni E, Al-Ansary LA, van Driel ML, Bawazeer GA, et al. (January 2023). "Physical interventions to interrupt or reduce the spread of respiratory viruses". The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 1 (1): CD006207. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD006207.pub6. PMC 9885521. PMID 36715243.
  7. ^ Boulos L, Curran JA, Gallant A, Wong H, Johnson C, Delahunty-Pike A, et al. (2023). "Effectiveness of face masks for reducing transmission of SARS-CoV-2: A rapid systematic review". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences. 381 (2257). Bibcode:2023RSPTA.38130133B. doi:10.1098/rsta.2023.0133. PMC 10446908. PMID 37611625.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ju was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Zayas G, Chiang MC, Wong E, MacDonald F, Lange CF, Senthilselvan A, et al. (2013). "Effectiveness of cough etiquette maneuvers in disrupting the chain of transmission of infectious respiratory diseases". BMC Public Health. 13: 811. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-13-811. PMC 3846148. PMID 24010919.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ataei was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Koh XQ, Sng A, Chee JY, Sadovoy A, Luo P, Daniel D (February 2022). "Outward and inward protection efficiencies of different mask designs for different respiratory activities". Journal of Aerosol Science. 160. Bibcode:2022JAerS.16005905K. doi:10.1016/j.jaerosci.2021.105905.