Wearing facemask has been a must for us before leaving home every day during the COVID-19 pandemic. Undoubtedly, facemask is an essential personal protective equipment significantly reduces the risk of various respiratory tract infections. Common types of facemasks currently in use include N95 respirators, surgical masks, medical masks and non-medical masks, e.g. cloth or cotton masks. While comprehensive evaluation on the effectiveness of various facemasks in preventing respiratory viral infection is inadequate, a meta-analysis by Kim et al. (2022) indicated that N95 or equivalent masks were the most effective in providing protection against coronavirus infections. The results also confirmed that the use of facemasks provides protection against respiratory viral infections in general. However, evidence supporting the use of medical or surgical masks against influenza or coronavirus infections (SARS, MERS and COVID-19) was weak. Thus, N95 respirators or their equivalents are the best personal protection in healthcare settings.

Reference:

Kim et al. Rev Med Virol. 2022;32(5). doi:10.1002/RMV.2336