53% reduction in Covid-19 by using mask: Study
File photo of a man wearing a face mask. Picture: Saikat Bhadra/TBS
Mask wearing can reduce Covid-19 by 53%, says a report published on the medical trade journal BMJ.
The report titled "Effectiveness of public health measures in reducing the incidence of covid-19, SARS-CoV-2 transmission, and covid-19 mortality: systematic review and meta-analysis" was published on BMJ website on Thursday.
Researchers at Monash University and the University of Edinburgh conducted the research.
The report shows that hand washing, maintaining social distance and wearing a mask are important in preventing Covid-19.
Social distance can reduce the risk of coronavirus infection by 25%, the use of masks alone can reduce the infection by 53%.
The report was based on reviewing the results of more than 30 studies around the world.
The report said, "Six studies with a total of 2,627 people with covid-19 and 389,228 participants were included in the analysis examining the effect of mask wearing on incidence of Covid-19. Overall pooled analysis showed a 53% reduction in Covid-19 incidence."
Additional studies that looked at mask use found that there was a reduction in covid-19 incidence, transmission, and death.
In particular, a natural experiment involving 200 countries found that countries with mandated mask use had 45.7% lower Covid-19-related deaths, mentioned the report.
Another natural experiment research in the US found that wearing a mask reduced viral transmission by 29% in states where it was mandated.
The report recommends public health efforts to implement public health measures considering community health and sociocultural needs.
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