HealthDay Reports: Medical Masks May Be Sufficient During COVID-19 Routine Care
In a meta-analysis, compared with N95s, medical masks did not increase risk for viral infection for routine care use.
Medical Masks May Be Sufficient During COVID-19 Routine Care
TUESDAY, April 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Use of medical masks, such as surgical or procedural masks, does not increase the risk for viral infection or respiratory illness, and their use may serve as a protective measure in instances of N95 respirator shortages, according to the results of a meta-analysis published online April 4 in Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses.
Jessica J. Bartoszko, from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and colleagues analyzed data from four randomized controlled trials that examined differences in using medical masks versus N95 respirators to protect health care workers from communicable respiratory illnesses, including illness caused by coronaviruses.