key: cord-0738458-vmsinhcw
authors: Kraus, Chadd K.
title: Mask effectiveness against viral illnesses in health care professionals
date: 2021-10-27
journal: J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open
DOI: 10.1002/emp2.12583
sha: 3b6a5a48ec6a1bad287948f340c5d06ea7f994a7
doc_id: 738458
cord_uid: vmsinhcw

nan

randomized trial showed that mask use in rural Bangladesh reduced symptomatic COVID infections by 9%. 12 In the United States, counties with school mask requirements have lower rates of pediatric COVID-19 cases than those counties without school mask requirements. 13 A comparison of ≈1000 schools in Arizona revealed a 3.5 times higher odds of school-associated COVID-19 outbreaks in schools without a mask requirement compared to schools with a mask requirement. 14 The result that N95 respirator use is protective for medical professionals and all health care workers who encounter non-influenza viral respiratory diseases, particularly compared with surgical masks, is not necessarily novel. 15 Similar to prior studies, N95 respirators did not appear to confer greater protection than surgical masks against influenza. 16 Finally, several caveats regarding the use of N95 respirators merit discussion. First, N95 respirators require proper fitting to be effective.

For a variety of reasons, some individuals might not be able to achieve adequate seal to effectively be protected by a N95 respirator. Accommodations should be made for those individuals to provide protection against non-influenza viral respiratory infections. N95 respirators are potentially less comfortable and more irritating to the face and skin, particularly if worn for extended periods of time. Finally, from a systems perspective, N95 masks are more expensive and potentially more limited in supply compared to surgical masks. These are important considerations in building and maintaining a supply chain that meets the dynamic clinical needs of a pandemic response.

There is uncertainty with emerging infectious diseases, including respiratory viral infections. As the delta variant has emerged as the dominant strain of SARS-CoV-2 in the United States, reaffirming a multifaceted mitigation strategy that includes masks, physical distancing

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