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What You Should Know About The Latest COVID-19 Face Mask Study

Since COVID-19 turned our lives upside down six months ago, scientists have been scrambling to learn as much as they can about this deadly disease.

There is still a lot of research to be done. But back in April, a team at Duke University set out to answer a question that was on everyone’s minds (and still is): How effective are face masks at reducing the transmission of respiratory droplets that carry the coronavirus?

The researchers, who released their results in early August, found that a fitted N-95 mask (without a valve) and a three-layer surgical mask are the most effective at preventing the spread of aerosol droplets that might carry COVID-19.

This study is one of the first to focus on the effect of a mask at stopping its wearer from spreading potential coronavirus aerosols (rather than protecting the wearer from those nearby).

“All the testing in the past had to do with protecting the individual wearing the masks, not considering protecting other people,” Eric Westman, one of the study’s authors, told HuffPost. “So, for example, the N-95 mask with a valve is the best [at protecting you], but the valve allows you to exhale unfiltered air, so it’s not the best mask when looking at whether it protects other people from you if you’re sick.”

The team avoided assigning a definitive ranking to the masks in the study — which has significant limitations and faced criticism when the results were published — but agreed that a fitted N-95 mask (one without a valve) is one of the most effective face coverings currently available.

Because research on the efficacy of certain types of masks is still scarce, these results are useful in that they provide us with more information on the importance of wearing masks.

How was the study conducted?

To analyze 14 different masks — which Westman said were chosen because they were “conveniently available” — the researchers came up with a relatively simple method that involved a black box,...

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