A recent study from Denmark, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, has been shared tens of thousands of times on social media since mid-November and many people question the effectiveness of wearing masks.
According to factcheck.org – a self-described project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania – the Danish study “does not prove that masks do not work against the coronavirus.”
However, according to the website, there were several posts claiming that the study shows that masks offer no protection, or that it does not work.
The study was a randomized trial from April to May 2020 with approximately 6,000 people leaving their homes for at least three hours a day.
Half of the participants each received 50 disposable masks and were told to wear them. The other half did not get the masks or the recommendation.
After a month, only 11 more people tested positive in the group not wearing masks, leading to the interpretation that masks are not effective.
‘A main article of dr. Thomas Frieden, former director of the CDC, published with the journal entry, said: “The use of community masks can significantly reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, especially if enough people use them and when mask use is combined with others. effective public health and social measures. ”
Frieden also writes: ‘While no single strategy can control the pandemic, widespread masking in the community can mitigate distribution as part of a comprehensive approach. Masks have been shown to protect others and, despite the reported results of this study, are likely to protect the wearer. The maximum benefit of masking is likely to result from the combination of source control and carrier protection. If everyone wears a mask when they are close to others, everyone is safer. ‘
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