Face masks: what the data say

Abstract

When her Danish colleagues first suggested distributing protective cloth face masks to people in Guinea-Bissau to stem the spread of the coronavirus, Christine Benn wasn't so sure."I said, 'Yeah, that might be good, but there's limited data on whether face masks are actually effective,'" says Benn, a global-health researcher at the University of Southern Denmark in Copenhagen, who for decades has co-led public-health campaigns in the West African country, one of the world's poorest.That was in March. But by July, Benn and her team had worked out how to possibly provide some needed data on masks, and hopefully help people in Guinea-Bissau. They distributed thousands of locally produced cloth face coverings to people as part of a randomized controlled trial that might be the world's largest test of masks' effectiveness against the spread of COVID-19.Face masks are the ubiquitous symbol of a pandemic that has sickened 35 million people and killed more than 1 million. In hospitals and other health-care facilities, the use of medical-grade masks clearly cuts down transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. But for the variety of masks in use by the public, the data are messy, disparate and often hastily assembled. Add to that a divisive political discourse that included a US president disparaging their use, just days before being diagnosed with COVID-19 himself (see page 190). "People looking at the evidence are understanding it differently," says Baruch Fischhoff, a psychologist at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who specializes in public policy. "It's legitimately confusing." WHAT THE DATA SAY ABOUT WEARING FACE MASKSThe science supports that face coverings save lives, and yet they're still endlessly debated. How much evidence is enough?

Corona children studies "Co-Ki": First results of a Germany-wide registry on mouth and nose covering (mask) in children

“…That mask-wearing in adults can, in principle, be a safe, effective, and cost-effective measure to slow the COVID-19 pandemic is unquestionable [15][16][17]. Based on our data, it can be said that the effects of compulsory masks on the quality of life and presumably also on the health of individual children should not be ignored by politics and society.…”

Effects of Early Mask Mandates and Other Policy Interventions on COVID-19 Infections

“…Policymakers worldwide are increasingly seeking evidence-based policy instruments to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. While anecdotal evidence and laboratory experiments have shown the e cacy of mask-wearing in reducing infection chances, 4,5,15,16 the strength of the mandate's short and long-term effects relative to other NPIs has not been examined in observational studies.…”

Online information on face masks in Italian and English websites: deficiencies and responsibilities of search engines

“…Face masks are widely recommended, along with hygiene and social distancing, as a measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19 1 2 . However, their social acceptance is often problematic with people refusing to use them for several reasons, from health concerns to different social, political and philosophical reasons 3-5 , and even some leaning towards conspiracy theories.…”