Study Confirms Airborne Transmission Is the Dominant Route for Covid-19 Stressing the Importance of Wearing a Mask

Collaboration research by American Universities studied trend and mitigation measures in the three epicenters - Wuhan in China, Italy and New York City. By the end of their study, they concluded with advice that has been repeated since the outbreak of coronavirus: wearing face masks is critical in preventing the spread of infection and may be the greatest defense with the arrival of the second wave.

Renyi Zhang, Texas A&M Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and the Harold J. Haynes Chair in the College of Geosciences, alongside scientists from the University of Texas, the University of California-San Diego and the California Institute of Technology recently collaborated to highlight the importance of sound science which is essential for decision-making during pandemics and determining which mitigation measures worked as the best protection.

The team discovered that not wearing a face mask dramatically increases a the chances of an individual contracting an infection. But, wearing a face mask reduced the number of infections by more than 78,000 in Italy from April 6-May 9 and by over 66,000 in New York City from April 17-May 9.

The study showed that 'airborne transmission via respiratory aerosols represents the dominant route for the spread of COVID-19," Zhang said. By analyzing epicenters that did not have strict face-mask mandates, they calculated that over 66,000 infections had been prevented by wearing face masks in about a month within New York City.

Effective Mitigation Measures

'We conclude that wearing a face mask in public corresponds to the most effective means to prevent inter-human transmission,' he said. Moreover, wearing a face mask is an inexpensive practice. Mario Molina, a professor at the University of California-San Diego and a co-recipient of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his role in analyzing the threat to the Earth's ozone layer of man-made halocarbon gases.

The study establishes quite clearly that face masks are 'not only useful to prevent infected coughing droplets from reaching uninfected persons, but is also crucial for these uninfected persons to avoid breathing the minute atmospheric particles (aerosols) that infected people emit when talking and that can remain in the atmosphere tens of minutes and can travel tens of feet,' Molina said.

Zhang said that many people in China have been wearing masks for years because of poor air conditions caused by pollution. He said that the locals have been used to this mandate and that 'face-covering helped China in containing the COVID-19 outbreak.' The study also concludes that 'the failure in containing the propagation of COVID-19 pandemic worldwide is largely attributed to the unrecognized importance of airborne virus transmission," he said.

Second Wave

Wearing face masks in public was the most effective preventive means, yet must remain accompanied by social distancing, contact tracing, and quarantine to help end the coronavirus pandemic. Social distancing alone, the study notes, is insufficient alone to protect the public.

Robert R. Redfield, the director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reminded the public with their new guidelines of wearing a face mask that 'it's important that we remember that the situation is unprecedented and the pandemic has not ended,' as the world has yet to face and overcome the second wave.