Face coverings during COVID-19

Contents:

• The science
• How to make/use a face mask
• Government policies

Masks and face coverings for the lay public: A narrative update

Masks and face coverings for the lay public: A narrative update. 

SocArXiv preprint. https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/wuk6a 20 October 2020

• A summary of new evidence on the benefits and harms of masks and face coverings for the lay public
• Key points:
• masks and face coverings, if widely worn, may significantly reduce spread of Covid-19
• benefits of masking appear to outweigh harms when COVID-19 is spreading in a population
• randomized trials are sparse and have yet to address the question of source control
• face shields and respirators are unsuitable for source control
• mandated masking involves a trade-off with personal freedom.

summarise new evidence on the benefits and harms of

masks and face coverings for the lay public

Modelling the impact of the mandatory use of face coverings on public transport and in retail outlets in the UK on COVID-19-related infections, hospital admissions and mortality.

Modelling the impact of the mandatory use of face coverings on public transport and in retail outlets in the UK on COVID-19-related infections, hospital admissions and mortality.
Int J Clin Pract. 2020 Oct 18:e13768. doi: 10.1111/ijcp.13768. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33070412.

• "We have illustrated that the policy on mandatory use of face coverings in retail outlets/on public transport may have been very well followed, but may be of limited value in reducing hospital admissions and deaths, at least at the time that it was introduced, unless infections begin to rise faster than currently seen. The impact appears small compared to all other sources of risk, thereby raising questions regarding the effectiveness of the policy."

Abstract