Study: masks significantly contribute to the mitigation of Corona-pandemic
In the meantime, several measures were adopted to curb the novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 were again relaxed, but the so-called mask of duty persists. And that is a good thing, because, as a new study has shown, the masks seem clearly to contain the Corona of a pandemic.
In April, it was introduced in all the länder, the so-called “mask of duty” to help, infections with the Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 curb. While there are of criticism, but the majority of the population supports the mask duty. This is useful, and the spread of the novel Virus, can reduce, shows a new study.
Number of infections increased after the Start of the mask duty is only weak
According to a recent communication from the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), the so-called mask of duty, so the General requirement to Wear a mouth-nose protection, for example when shopping or in public transport, seem clearly to contain the Corona of a pandemic.
To this result, scientists from four universities, including Prof. Dr. Klaus forests, people come host at JGU, after the development of the COVID-19-pay case in Jena, Germany with the development in similar cities were compared.
In Jena, the mask of duty was already on 6. April 2020 have been introduced much earlier than in all the other districts and district-free cities of Germany. The number of registered infections was increased in Jena, only weak.
The researchers wanted to know whether this decrease is actually due to the mask of duty, or other special features.
“To be able to this question as objectively as possible answer, we have created a kind of synthetic Jena, introduced by the mask duty later, and this with the real-world compared,” explains woods.
“A significant gap between the numbers of cases,”
As the researchers note in a recent discussion paper of the research Institute for the study of labor (IZA) describe, they were circling from the other country and district-free cities looking for those with Jena to the development of the COVID-19-case numbers to the end of March, as well as to certain structural features, the most agreed – for example, the density of population, the average age of the population and the supply of Doctors and pharmacies.
From the infection of these cities and counties to pay the professionals then calculated an average, which could correspond to the figures of the Infection, the Jena without the imposition of the Mask requirement to 6. April may have had.
“According to our calculations, a significant gap between the case numbers in Jena and the comparison group without the mask duty is doing,” explains co-author Prof. Dr. Timo Mitze, University of Southern Denmark.
Twenty days after the introduction of the mask mandatory in Jena, the total number of registered COVID-19 cases had increased only from 142 to 158, in “synthetic Jena,” however, from 143 to 205.
The increase in infections in “real” Jena corresponded to only about a quarter of the increase in the comparison group.
Mask duty has contributed to the slowdown of the COVID-19-spread
In a second step, the researchers studied the development of the COVID-19-case numbers in the cities and districts, the mask is an obligation to 22. April had introduced, with the fall of the cities and districts of numbers, which is the mask mandatory until 27. April or later introduced.
Here are significant differences also. “In summary, one can say that the introduction of the Mask requirement in the respective circles has contributed to a slowdown in the spread of Covid-19,” said woods.
As it says in the message, standing this result with the evaluation of epidemiologists and virologists in line, a mouth-nose protection hampers the flow of air when Speaking, and as a result, the Transmission of infectious particles will be reduced.
In addition, it keeps forests is possible that the masks may have a kind of signal function for the population to adhere to the contact limitations. “Our results suggest that a mask of duty is a building block for the further containment of Covid-19,” says the scientist. (ad)
Authors and source of information
This Text meets the requirements of the medical literature, medical guidelines, as well as current studies and was examined by doctors and Medical scientists.