Which Masks Are Most Effective Against The Coronavirus?

Reasonable people know we are in the midst of a serious pandemic -- a pandemic with a virus that has no cure and, as yet, cannot be protected by vaccination. The only tool we have right now against the virus (other than social distancing) is the wearing of a mask.

But wouldn't you like to know how effective the mask of your choice really is? Which mask is the most effective in stopping transmission of the virus?

Researchers at Duke University decided to find out. They tested 14 different kinds of masks, and you can go here to see how they conducted those tests.

Here are the results of the tests they conducted:

The study found that the most effective mask when it comes to reducing the transmission of respiratory droplets was the professionally fitted, non-valved N95. Three-layer surgical masks and cotton masks were quite effective as well. Surprisingly, a few masks were found to be quite ineffective, specifically folded bandanas and knitted masks. Valved N95 masks also “decrease protection of persons surrounding the wearer” because of “the exhalation valve, which opens for strong outwards airflow.”

Neck fleeces, also known as gaiter masks, were the least effective of all and were actually found to produce more respiratory droplets compared to not wearing a mask because they appeared to “disperse the largest droplets into a multitude of smaller droplets.” The study indicates that because they create more particles and smaller particles that are airborne longer than larger ones, these masks may actually be counterproductive. Fischer told CNN, “We were extremely surprised to find that the number of particles measured with the fleece actually exceeded the number of particles measured without wearing any mask. We want to emphasize that we really encourage people to wear masks, but we want them to wear masks that actually work.”