Texas A&M University — Science Daily
A study by a team of researchers led by a Texas A&M University professor has found that not wearing a face mask dramatically increases a person’s chances of being infected by the COVID-19 virus. Their work has been published in PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences).
The team examined the chances of COVID-19 infection and how the virus is easily passed from person to person. From trends and mitigation procedures in China, Italy and New York City, the researchers found that using a face mask reduced the number of infections by more than 78,000 in Italy from 6 April to 9 May, and by over 66,000 in New York City from 17 April to 9 May.
“Our results clearly show that airborne transmission via respiratory aerosols represents the dominant route for the spread of COVID-19,” said Dr. Renyi Zhang. “We conclude that wearing a face mask in public corresponds to the most effective means to prevent inter-human transmission. This inexpensive practice, in conjunction with social distancing and other procedures, is the most likely opportunity to stop the COVID-19 pandemic.”