BACKGROUND Whether and to what degree SARS-CoV-2 is spread via the airborne route
is unknown. Using data collected from health care worker interactions with hospitalized …

The official recommendation in the United States (and other Western countries) that the
public should not wear face masks was motivated by the need to save respirator masks for …

Background Social distancing mandates have been effective at reducing the health impacts
of COVID-19. The ensuing economic downturns and unemployment increases have led …

During the current pandemic and in the past, shortages of high quality respirators have
forced people to protect themselves with homemade face masks that filter poorly in …

Even though face masks are well accepted as tools useful in reducing COVID-19
transmissions, their effectiveness in reducing viral loads in the respiratory tract is unclear …

The answer to this is unambiguous. By design, a facemask with sufficiently high filtering
efficiency can act as a passive barrier to stop infected individuals from spreading pathogens …

COVID-19's high virus transmission rates have caused a pandemic that is exacerbated by
the high rates of asymptomatic and presymptomatic infections. These factors suggest that …

Importance: Masks reduce transmission of SARS-CoV2 and other respiratory pathogens.
Comparative studies of the fitted filtration efficiency of different types of masks of are few …

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, spreads ia, by respiratory droplets. The use
of masks in preventing spread is controversial; masks are considered useless by many …

Mechanistic insights into human respiratory tract (RT) infections from SARS-CoV-2 can
inform public awareness as well as guide medical prevention and treatment for COVID-19 …