Although a lot of the studies within the Cochrane Review were on medical workers in a very hospital setting, one study followed community transmission of SARS in Beijing. It discovered that consistently wearing a face mask in public areas was of a 70% reduction within the risk of catching SARS. Additionally, the authors in the paper noted that many people inside community wore simple surgical masks, not N95 respirators.
A doubled-over tea towel could provide filtration, for instance, nevertheless it would even be difficult to breathe through.
Researchers from the Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago in the United States took many different common materials and tested them in laboratory conditions – investigating their mechanical and electrostatic filtration properties.
Do face masks prevent the coronavirus and will you wear one?
At present the UK government recommends the public wear face coverings when in crowded places where it isn’t … Read the rest