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How well do masks work?

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Wearing a mask is a cheap and easy way to help stop the spread of airborne infections like COVID-19. It’s also a sign that you want to help protect other people and have them protect you… that we’re all in this together. It’s Okay To Be Smart shares a slow-motion imaging experiment to demonstrate why masks work.

Additional Resources for you to Explore

World Health Organization - Q&A about masks

Stanford scientists on mask guidelines

American Society for Microbiology - COVID-19 Transmission Dynamics

Prevalence of Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Narrative Review.

Physical distancing, face masks, and eye protection to prevent person-to-person transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19: a systematic review.

Coronavirus disease 2019–COVID-19.

The airborne lifetime of small speech droplets and their potential importance in SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

The role of community-wide wearing of face mask for control of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic due to SARS-CoV-2.

To mask or not to mask: Modeling the potential for face mask use by the general public to curtail the COVID-19 pandemic.

Face masks for the public during the Covid-19 crisis.

Wearing face masks in the community during the COVID-19 pandemic: altruism and solidarity.

Testing the efficacy of homemade masks: would they protect in an influenza pandemic?

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