In a similar study in the United States, published this January5, researchers found that a national mandate for employees to wear face masks early in the pandemic could have reduced the weekly growth rate of cases and deaths by more than 10 percentage points in late April 2020.
Should one wear a surgical mask?
No. Surgical masks and N95s need to be reserved for use by health care workers, first responders, and other frontline workers whose jobs put them at much greater risk of acquiring COVID-19. The cloth face coverings recommended by CDC are not surgical masks or N95 respirators.
Surgical masks and N95s are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for health care workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by CDC.
Can you still spread COVID-19 if you have the vaccine?
Vaccinated People Can Transmit the Coronavirus, but It's Still More Likely If You're Unvaccinated. COVID-19 vaccines continue to protect against severe illness but do not entirely block transmission. Fully vaccinated people are also less likely to contract the coronavirus than unvaccinated people.
