ReviewMedical devices & sensors2021
How effective is a mask in preventing COVID-19 infection?
Review in Medical devices & sensors, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 42 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
42 citing papers in PubMed, 121 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Wells-Riley Model Revisited II: Parameter Uncertainty and Population Heterogeneity.Risk analysis : an official publication of the Society for Risk Analysis · 2026Article
- Modeling individual self-protective behavior during epidemics.PLoS computational biology · 2026Article
- Droplet impact dynamics on stretched textiles.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- The Effect of a KN95 Mask on High-Intensity Interval Training Performance, Physiological Response, and Perception.International journal of exercise science · 2025Article
- An agent based simulation of COVID-19 history in Catalonia using extensive real datasets.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Prevalence of and risk factors for infectious disease syndromic symptoms among pilgrimage to Arba'een mass gathering religious in 2023.New microbes and new infections · 2024Article
- Quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) tool for modelling pathogen infection risk to wastewater treatment plant workers.Water research · 2024Article
- Article
- How individuals' opinions influence society's resistance to epidemics: an agent-based model approach.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Why Do We Not Wear Masks Anymore during the COVID-19 Wave? Vaccination Precludes the Adoption of Personal Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions: A Quantitative Study of Taiwanese Residents.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2024Article
- Article
- Article
- A strategic analysis of health behaviour change initiatives in Africa.Global health action · 2023Review
- Review of pediatric emergency care and the COVID-19 pandemic.Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians open · 2023Article
- Determine the factors that affected COVID-19 prevention behaviors based on constructs of social cognition theory.BMC public health · 2023Article
- Transmissibility of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 among household contacts of coronavirus disease 2019-positive patients: A community-based study in India.Influenza and other respiratory viruses · 2023Article
- Mathematical modeling for Delta and Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 transmission dynamics in Greece.Infectious Disease Modelling · 2023Article
- Transmission and infection risk of COVID-19 when people coughing in an elevator.Building and environment · 2023Article
- Trends in eyebrow makeup after COVID-19 and long-COVID era.Health science reports · 2023Article
- An insight overview on COVID-19 mRNA vaccines: Advantageous, pharmacology, mechanism of action, and prospective considerations.International immunopharmacology · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The main clinical characteristics of COVID-19 are respiratory symptoms that can lead to serious cardiovascular damages and severe worsening of other medical conditions. One of the major strategies in preparedness and response to COVID 19 is effective utilization of personal protective equipment (PPE) among which the masks of different kinds are on the top of the list especially for activities in the public places. However, the underlying mechanisms of masks in preventing virus transmission have not been well identified and the current experimental data still show inconsistent outcomes that may mislead the public. For instance, the early understanding of the mask functions was limited especially in the escalating phase of the COVID 19 pandemic, resulting in quite controversial remarks on masks. Although extensive studies in mask functions have been carried out ever since the COVID-19 outbreaks, most of the investigations appear to have focused on exhalation isolation of individuals who may have been infected with the disease. Less emphasis was laid on inhalation protection from virus transmission, an important aspect that undergirds the public health policies and protective strategies. This review provides the most up-to-date information on the transmission modes of COVID-19 virus in terms of droplets and aerosols. The roles of masks in disease prevention and transmission reduction are evaluated on various types, structures and functions. More important, both aspects of exhalation isolation and inhalation protection are discussed based on virus transmission modes and the effectiveness of different types of masks under varied environmental conditions.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.