‘My Facemask Protects You, Your Facemask Protects Me’

Widespread use of facemask can
keep coronavirus 'reproduction' number under 1.0 and prevent further waves of
virus when combined with lockdowns. A study by University of Cambridge showed
that even homemade masks with limited effectiveness can dramatically reduce
transmission rates if worn by enough people, regardless of whether they show
symptoms.
The researchers call for
information campaigns across wealthy and developing nations alike that appeal to
our altruistic side: 'my facemask protects you, your facemask protects me'.
“Our analyses support the
immediate and universal adoption of facemasks by the public,” said lead author
Dr Richard Stutt, part of a team that usually models the spread of crop
diseases at Cambridge’s Department of Plant Sciences.“If widespread facemask
use by the public is combined with physical distancing and some lockdown, it
may offer an acceptable way of managing the pandemic and reopening economic
activity long before there is a working vaccine.” The new coronavirus is
transmitted through airborne droplets loaded with SARS-CoV-2 particles that get
exhaled by infectious people, particularly when talking, coughing or sneezing.
For the latest study, Cambridge
researchers worked to link the dynamics of spread between individuals with
population-level models, assessing varying degrees of facemask adoption
combined with periods of lockdown.
https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/widespread-facemask-use-could-shrink-the-r-number-and-prevent-a-second-covid-19-wave-study
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