A recent study of evidence gathered in nations across the world shows that mask-wearing has had little effect on stopping the transmission of the coronavirus.

The study posted at the website of Swiss Policy Research looks at mask statistics in countries including Germany, Belgium, the U.K., Italy, Spain, and the U.S.A. to see if all the masks really helped halt the spread of the virus.

However, according to the numbers the group compiled, mask-wearing did little to help keep people safe from the virus.

The basic finding includes:

There is increasing evidence that the novel coronavirus is transmitted, at least in indoor settings, not only by droplets but also by smaller aerosols. However, due to their large pore size and poor fit, most masks cannot filter out aerosols (see video analysis below): over 90% of aerosols penetrate or bypass the mask and fill a medium-sized room within minutes.

Another finding included this entry:

An analysis by the US CDC found that 85% of people infected with the new coronavirus reported wearing a mask “always” (70.6%) or “often” (14.4%). Compared to the control group of uninfected people, always wearing a mask did not reduce the risk of infection.

Further, Japan — a culture that embraced mask-wearing many years ago and has continued widespread use of them — suffered one of the worst outbreaks of influenza n the world in 2019. Clearly, all the mask-wearing the Japanese were already doing at that time did nothing to stop the virus.

The website also noted that past studies have routinely found that masks offer little by way of protection.

Studies made precious to the coronavirus pandemic routinely found that masks didn’t stop viral transmission.

In conclusion, the group says: “Face masks in the general population might be effective, at least in some circumstances, but there is currently little to no evidence supporting this proposition. If the coronavirus is indeed transmitted via indoor aerosols, face masks are unlikely to be protective. Health authorities should therefore not assume or suggest that face masks will reduce the rate or risk of infection.”

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