Singaporean researchers recently conducted a study regarding mask wearing as part of the fight against the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. According to their results, the pandemic could be just a bad memory if 70% of the world's population respected the wearing of masks.
Many people see the current crisis as a real fatality, given its multiple effects on our daily lives. Nevertheless, even without a vaccine, the Covid-19 pandemic could be contained thanks to multiple measures taken by governments around the world. However, the flagship measure in the context of this fight is none other than the protective mask. In a study published in the journal Physics of Fluids on November 24, 2020, researchers from the National University of Singapore believe that the mask alone could save the world.
“Face masks, such as surgical masks with an estimated effectiveness of around 70%, could lead to the eradication of the pandemic if at least 70% of people used these masks in public consistently “, explain the scientists in their publication.
In order to reach this conclusion, the researchers reviewed different studies on masks, as well as several epidemiological reports. There is no doubt that masks significantly reduce the rate of reproduction of the virus. For Sanjay Kumar, principal director of the study, even cloth masks could slow the spread of the coronavirus. Obviously less effective, these masks would still be useful when worn regularly.
Nevertheless, the researchers point out that the type of material making up the mask as well as the duration of use are important. These factors can affect the effectiveness of masks. The scientists also returned to the size of the droplets. According to them, the larger ones (5 to 10 µm) are the most common and the smaller ones (less than 5 µm) are the most dangerous.
Furthermore, they said that N95 (or FFP2) masks were the only ones really capable of filtering out aerosol-sized droplets. Remember that this type of mask is effective up to at least 95% against 0.3 µm particles . In addition, this mask is resistant to fluids and is appreciated by healthcare personnel.
A company based in the United States has managed to get rich thanks to FFP2 masks. This is Battelle, a private research organization that found how to decontaminate masks by spraying them with hydrogen peroxide, an innovation later sold to the US government.
