Surgical and cotton masks do not filter coronaviruses: research

Both surgical-cotton masks were found to be ineffective in preventing the spread of SARS-coronavirus (COVID-19) from the patient’s cough. The study, published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, conducted in two hospitals in Seoul, South Korea, found that when coronavirus patients cough up any type of mask, the virus drops into the atmosphere and to the outer surface of the mask.

N-95 Mask Reduction-
Due to the lack of N95 and surgical masks, people have shown interest in cotton masks to prevent the spread of influenza virus as an alternative. However, it is not known whether surgical or cotton masks worn by patients with coronavirus prevent the contamination of the environment.

Researchers at the University of Ulsan College of Medicine in South Korea instructed four patients infected with coronavirus to cough five times each on a Petri dish while wearing the following sequence of masks. First without mask, then surgical mask, then cotton mask and then without mask.

Swabs were found in the following sequence on the surfaces of the mask:
On the outer surface of a surgical mask, on the inner surface of a surgical mask, on the outer surface of the cotton mask, and on the inner surface of the cotton mask. Researchers found SARS-Cove-2 on all surfaces.

These findings suggest that recommendations to wear a face mask may not be effective to prevent the spread of coronavirus. “In conclusion, both surgical and cotton masks seem to be ineffective to prevent the spread of SARS Cove-2,” the researchers said.