Covid-19: Wearing Medical Masks Reduces Chances of Death by 87%, Says Study

According to a latest study conducted by researchers at the U.S. public health agency Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), wearing medical masks have reduced the chances of death by 87% in Covid-19 Patients. Conducted for six months in the United States of America, the study found that by wearing a cloth face mask, the death rate has reduced by 82%. The cumulative Covid-19 infection has reduced by 78% if people wore medical masks and by 69% if people wore cloth masks.

As per the study, people who are still not willing to wear masks should immediately start wearing masks to save themselves from Covid-19. It must be noted that the study made significant observations on the use of double masks for protection against the UK and Wuhan variants. CDC has highlighted the usage of double masks instead of a single mask as the strains have a high reproduction number of 1.6 (one infected person infecting 6 others).

Dr. Srinivas Yadavalli, Internal Medicine Physician, Apollo Hospital, Hyderabad, reportedly stated, “Mask is important to fight the pandemic. With proper social distancing, we can definitely keep the virus away”. Moreover, he emphasized that since not every person can afford surgical masks, cloth masks can be relied upon.

According to ICMR-certified researcher Dr. Kiran Madala, masks worn by infected people doubles the chances of curbing the spread of Covid-19. She stated that since most cases in the second wave have been asymptomatic, a person should wear a mask, irrespective of whether they test positive or not.

The study also highlighted that it is a crucial factor how infected people wear the mask and use it properly.