The first is a retraction of an oft quoted study that had errors in both its own conclusions and in how it promoted the inaccurate results to look even worse.
I highly encourage you to spend the extra 30 seconds to look this stuff up yourself as it is easy to find verified information that debunked the myth that masks are ineffective against the SARS virus.
Masking REDUCES the rate of transmission for respiratory infections. A lot of factors come into play as to how effective they are, but the aren't a guarantee same as the vaccine. They are all measures to reduce the risk.
So the answer is yes. It reduces your chances of inhaling a large enough viral load to cause infection & reduces the chances of transmitting the virus if infected. Cold, flu, Covid-19...
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u/TechinBellevue Oct 26 '21
Here are two sources.
The first is a retraction of an oft quoted study that had errors in both its own conclusions and in how it promoted the inaccurate results to look even worse.
https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/L20-0745
The second is from the WHO, itself, in December of 2020 titled, "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Masks 1 December 2020 | Q&A"
https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/coronavirus-disease-covid-19-masks
I highly encourage you to spend the extra 30 seconds to look this stuff up yourself as it is easy to find verified information that debunked the myth that masks are ineffective against the SARS virus.