Population-wide facemask use could push COVID-19 transmission down to controllable levels for national epidemics and could prevent further waves of the pandemic disease when combined with lockdowns, according to a UK study published Wednesday.
Olivia Chan reports.
The use of facemasks population-wide could prevent further waves of COVID-19, according to a UK study published on Wednesday (June 10).
The research, led by scientists at Cambridge and Greenwich universities, says mask-wearing could push transmission down to controllable levels for national epidemics.
It also suggests that lockdowns alone will not stop the resurgence of the new coronavirus.
Researchers assessed the effect of masks wearing to the disease's reproduction rate, or R value, which measures the number of people that one infected person will pass the disease on to.
An R value above one can lead to exponential growth.
In all scenarios the study looked at, routine facemask use by 50% or more of the population reduced R to less than one, flattening the future disease waves and allowing for less stringent lockdown measures.
Richard Stutt, who co-led the study at Cambridge says widespread mask use, combined with social distancing and some lockdown measures, could be an acceptable way of re-opening economic activity long before the development of vaccine.