Cloth Masks May Prevent Transmission of COVID-19: An Evidence-Based, Risk-Based Approach

Clase, Catherine M.; Fu, Edouard L; Joseph, Meera; Beale, Rupert; Dolovich, Myrna; Jardine, Meg; Mann, Johannes F.E.; Pecoits‐Filho, Roberto; Winkelmayer, Wolfgang C.; Carrero, Juan Jesús

doi:10.7326/m20-2567

Cited by 91 publications

(98 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…25,26 While there were mixed references to the promotion of 100% cotton or cotton blend fabrics, and use of various materials as lters, the minimal references to ensuring breathability is of concern. Ensuring that face masks are created from optimal materials, is critical to maximising ltration e cacy, 27 whilst maintaining a balance with comfort and breathability. The mixed references to ensuring the use of cotton or cotton-blends may have resulted from the promotion of using available household items, such as tshirts and bandanas, to create an accessible, low-cost face mask.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

YouTube as a source of information for do-it-yourself face masks: A content analysis

Lim

Chughtai

Seale

2020

Preprint

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Background Homemade cloth products are increasingly being used as a preventive measure against COVID-19, with various methods promoted through do-it-yourself (DIY) videos available on YouTube and other websites. While guidance has been provided by key organisations on how to create face masks, the extent to which this is being accurately disseminated is currently unknown. Methods A key word search of YouTube using the terms “face/cloth mask” and “diy face/cloth mask” was completed on 18 April 2020. Total and category video content scores determined using the 18-point scoring system in the author-designed checklist. Criteria grouped by: reasons and caveats for use (three criteria), manufacturing instructions (six criteria), instructions for use (five criteria), re-use (three criteria), and cleaning instructions (one criteria). Total scores of ≥ 9 were classified as useful, and those < 9 classified as not useful out of a maximum score of 18. Results Of the 400 videos screened, 261 videos were retained for analysis. 91.7% (n = 242) were categorised as non-useful, compared to 8.3% (n = 22) as useful. Overall, useful videos scored higher across all assessed content evaluation categories. Manufacturing instructions were the most common content featured in the videos, with re-use and cleaning instructions featuring the least. Conclusions Currently, there is a lack of comprehensive, best-practice information on face masks being disseminated through YouTube. The information gaps identified in these findings present an opportunity for authoritative sources to focus communication efforts on promoting best-practice guidance while advice continues to be updated on universal face mask use.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

YouTube as a source of information for do-it-yourself face masks: A content analysis

Lim

Chughtai

Seale

2020

Preprint

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“…Due to the current pandemic, there is a shortage of both surgical masks and N95 masks available to the public. However, even home-made cloth masks can stop aerosol (<5 µm) or droplets (>5 µm) containing viruses (Clase et al, 2020;Ngonghala et al, 2020). The widespread use of 222B coated masks, could put an end of the COVID 19 pandemic much sooner.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of Rhamnolipids for the Inactivation of Enveloped Viruses

Jin

Black

Sawyer

2020

Preprint

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Abstract In the face of new emerging respiratory viruses, such as SARS-CoV2, vaccines, and drug therapies are not immediately available to curb the spread of the infection. Non-pharmaceutical interventions, such as mask-wearing and social distance, can slow the transmission. However, both mask and social distance are not 100% effective at preventing the spread of respiratory viruses, such as SARS-CoV2 and influenza viruses. There is an urgent need to develop an intervention that could reduce the spread of respiratory viruses. Rhamnolipids are environmentally friendly and biologically safe surfactants that can kill enveloped viruses. Two rhamnolipid products, 222A and 222B, were investigated in this study to determine their ability to inactivate two enveloped viruses, bovine coronavirus and herpes simplex virus 1. We found that 222B at 0.005%, which has no toxicity to cells, can inactivate 105 PFU/ml enveloped viruses in 3-5 min. Moreover, 50-100µl of 222B at 0.005% on 1 cm2 mask fabrics can inactivate ~ 103 PFU /10 µl in 3-5 min. These results suggest that 222B can be coated on masks to prevent or reduce the spread of enveloped viruses.

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“…However, contact tracing is most effective when community spread is low, so multifaceted interventions are needed to control the spread of the pandemic and presently wearing a mask is the most efficacious known means of slowing the pandemic. 5,6,8,15,16 Temporal counts of the number of new cases are an imprecise measure-including the month-over-month methodology used presently-for multiple reasons. Even with perfect MM compliance, there is an up to 14-day lag time between infection and presentation of symptoms, and potentially an even longer lag between infection and presentation at a healthcare facility.…”

Section: State-wise Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Mask mandates can limit COVID spread: Quantitative assessment of month-over-month effectiveness of governmental policies in reducing the number of new COVID-19 cases in 37 US States and the District of Columbia

Mj¹,

Rhodes

2020

Preprint

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Introduction: SARS-CoV-2 is the beta-coronavirus responsible for COVID-19. Facemask use has been qualitatively associated with reduced COVID-19 cases, but no study has quantitatively assessed the impact of government mask mandates (MM) on new COVID-19 cases across multiple US States. Data and Methods: We utilized a non-parametric machine-learning algorithm to test the a priori hypothesis that MM were associated with reductions in new COVID-19 cases. Publicly available data were used to analyze new COVID-19 cases from 37 States and the District of Columbia (i.e., "38 States"). We conducted confirmatory All-States and State-Wise analyses, validity analyses [e.g., leave-one-out (LOO) and bootstrap resampling], and covariate analyses. Results: No statistically significant difference in the daily number of new COVID-19 infections was discernible in the All-States analysis. In State-Wise LOO validity analysis, 11 States exhibited reductions in new COVID-19 and the reductions in four of these States (AK, MA, MN, VA) were significant in bootstrap resampling. Only the Social Capital Index predicted MM success (training p<0.028 and LOO p<0.013). Conclusion: Results obtained when studying the impact of MM on COVID-19 cases varies as a function of the heterogeneity of the sample being considered, providing clear evidence of Simpson's Paradox and thus of confounded findings. As such, studies of MM effectiveness should be conducted on disaggregated data. Since transmissions occur at the individual rather than at the collective level, additional work is needed to identify optimal social, psychological, environmental, and educational factors which will reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and facilitate MM effectiveness across diverse settings.

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Cloth Masks May Prevent Transmission of COVID-19: An Evidence-Based, Risk-Based Approach

Cited by 91 publications

References 7 publications

YouTube as a source of information for do-it-yourself face masks: A content analysis

YouTube as a source of information for do-it-yourself face masks: A content analysis

Characterization of Rhamnolipids for the Inactivation of Enveloped Viruses

Mask mandates can limit COVID spread: Quantitative assessment of month-over-month effectiveness of governmental policies in reducing the number of new COVID-19 cases in 37 US States and the District of Columbia

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