(Kashmira Gander/ Newsweek) — Wearing face masks in public all the time could help epidemics of the COVID-19-causing coronavirus to die out and prevent future waves, according to a study.
The authors of the paper published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society A used existing data on how the coronavirus spreads, and the effectiveness of face masks and different lockdown scenarios to create computer models. A face mask was defined as a protective covering for the nose and mouth, designed to prevent the spread of germs.
The researchers considered factors including the proportion of the population that is likely to wear a face mask on any given day, and the effectiveness of different types of coverings, from clinical standard masks to those that are homemade.
The effect on the coronavirus’ reproduction number (R)—or how many people a single person will pass a bug on to when they are infectious—appeared to be greatest when the majority of people wore what they described as “effective” face masks, such as N95 respirators used by healthcare professionals. (…)