Tired Of Dumb Questions, Guy Posts 70 Research Links On How Face Masks Are Important

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a huge change in the way people used to behave in public.

With everyone now much more aware of hygienic practices, use of masks has become the new norm. There are many, however, who still oppose its use.

Reuters

Not anymore, at least not on the basis of lack of proof. A Twitter user named Mats has taken to the microblogging platform to end the debate around the effectiveness of face masks in reducing chances of COVID-19 transmission once and for all.

The #MASKUP thread by Mat is in response to anyone who asks ¡°What¡¯s the evidence for mask wearing?¡±

We would normally cite a research or two to provide a logical response to the seemingly dumb question mentioned above. Mats, however, has rounded up a total of seventy research papers on the effective use of face masks in tackling COVID-19 in his thread.

(Twitter/ nuanceORDEATH)

The researches include reviews/meta-analysis and even individual studies on the topic. The Twitter user highlights that the thread of 70 researches includes ¡°31 [researches] from 2020 alone.¡±

The researches cited in the thread range from the association of country-wide mortality rate with the use of public masks to modelling frameworks to assess the likely effectiveness of face masks in managing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Even though the 70 researches have been conducted in different parts of the world by different teams, all of them have one thing in common. All the studies ascertain that wearing masks in public can reduce the spread of COVID-19 to the masses.

(Representative Image: Reuters)

The top 10 researches cited by Mats in his thread are -

1. "Visualizing the effectiveness of face masks in obstructing respiratory jets"

2. "Community Use Of Face Masks And COVID-19: Evidence From A Natural Experiment Of State Mandates In The US¡±

3. "Association of country-wide coronavirus mortality with demographics, testing, lockdowns, and public wearing of masks"

4. "Identifying airborne transmission as the dominant route for the spread of COVID-19"

5. "A modelling framework to assess the likely effectiveness of facemasks in combination with ¡®lock-down¡¯ in managing the COVID-19 pandemic"

6. "Physical distancing, face masks, and eye protection to prevent person-to-person transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis"

7. "Face coverings for the public: Laying straw men to rest"

8. "COVID-19 and the Social Distancing Paradox: dangers and solutions"

9. "Cloth Masks May Prevent Transmission of COVID-19: An Evidence-Based, Risk-Based Approach"

10. "Quantitative Method for Comparative Assessment of Particle Filtration Efficiency of Fabric Masks as Alternatives to Standard Surgical Masks for PPE"

You can find the rest of the 60 researches on the Twitter thread here. Definitely effective in shutting down anyone who still argues about the effectiveness of face masks in restricting COVID-19 spread in 2020 or beyond.