Latest Research: Masks May Prevent Seasonal Coronavirus Transmission

According to a research paper published in nature medicine Wednesday by Professor Benjamin cowling, CO director of the World Health Organization Center for infectious diseases and epidemiological control, School of public health, University of Hong Kong The relative content of virus in the exhaled air under the condition of mask or without mask. The results showed that in 111 subjects who had been confirmed to be infected with coronavirus, influenza virus or rhinovirus, masks reduced the detectability of influenza virus in respiratory droplets and seasonal coronavirus in aerosols, but did not reduce the detectability of rhinovirus.

New coronavirus (sars-cov-2) is closely related to seasonal coronavirus and may have similar particle size. Therefore, the team believes that surgical masks can reduce the seasonal coronavirus in respiratory droplets and aerosols, suggesting that wearing such masks in people with new coronavirus infection can help slow the spread of the virus.

"Nature" published the preliminary results of German medical experts' research on confirmed cases of new coronavirus infection, which showed that the replication of new coronavirus in patients' upper respiratory tract was more active. In the early stage when patients' symptoms were still light, that is, within the first week after symptoms appeared, the virus discharge ability of new coronavirus in upper respiratory tract was the strongest. Experts said the results also mean that the spread of the new crown virus is mainly controlled by droplets. Wearing a mask can play an effective role in this.

In an interview with science, academician Gao Fu, director of China CDC, also pointed out that droplets play a very important role in the spread of the new coronavirus, so they should wear masks.