Study: Masks Fail to Filter Virus in Coughing COVID-19 Patients

A small study from South Korea cast doubt on the ability of surgical
or
cotton face masks to effectively prevent dissemination of COVID-19
corona virus from the coughs of infected patients.

Median viral loads did not differ significantly when comparing
coughing
samples of COVID-19 patients without a mask, with a surgical mask, and
with a cloth mask, suggesting these masks were ineffective at
filtering
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, reported Sung-Han Kim, MD,
of University of Ulsan College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea, and
colleagues.

In a letter published in Annals of Internal Medicine, they cited the
size of viral particles as a possible reason for masks' poor ability
to
filter the virus, despite their effectiveness against other
respiratory
infections. In particular, prior studies found surgical masks, as well
as N95 respirators (which were not tested in the current analysis),
help
prevent dissemination of influenza virus.

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https://www.medpagetoday.com/infecti.../covid19/85814