Are facemasks effective in preventing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)?
In a recent study conducted in 2020, patients diagnosed with acute respiratory infection such as influenza, rhinovirus and SARS-CoV (not SARS-CoV-2) were asked to wear surgical masks to check their efficacy. Interestingly, the exhaled breaths and coughs had minimum trace of viral RNA. This study reveals that surgical masks reduce the transmission of respiratory virus from one person to another.