"Wearing a mask or not... It only takes 27 minutes to transmit the virus"

Mask. [Image source=Getty Images Bank]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Cho] An analysis has emerged suggesting that single-layer cloth masks worn by people to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus are practically no better than not wearing a mask at all. However, it was pointed out that using health masks certified by health authorities worldwide, such as the N95 mask equivalent to Korea's KF94 grade, significantly extends the virus blocking time in the same space.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 2nd (local time), citing an analysis by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), about how long it takes to become infected depending on the type of mask worn when sharing a space with a COVID-19 patient.

According to the analysis, if both an infected and a non-infected person are in the same space without wearing masks, it takes 15 minutes for the virus amount necessary for infection to transfer to the non-infected person. When both wear cloth masks, this time increases by 12 minutes to 27 minutes. If only one of the two wears a mask, the virus amount sufficient for infection transfers in about 20 minutes.

Unlike cloth masks, wearing N95 masks greatly extended the time needed for infection. If both the transmitter and the non-infected person wear N95 masks, it takes 25 hours, and under conditions where both wear N95 masks tightly sealed to achieve a 1% penetration rate, it was found that it takes as long as 2,500 hours for the virus amount necessary for infection to transfer. The N95 masks certified by the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) correspond to Korea's KF94 grade.

Dr. Lanu Dillon of Brigham Women's Hospital said, "Wearing something is better than not wearing anything at all, but cloth masks or surgical masks do not provide the same level of protection as N95 masks." Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease expert at the University of California, San Francisco (UC San Francisco), pointed out, "If everyone only wears cloth masks or single-layer surgical masks, it's practically the same as wearing nothing."

Meanwhile, the Mayo Clinic, considered one of the top hospitals in the United States, has mandated the wearing of N95 or KN95 masks for all patients and visitors since the 30th of last month.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.