N95 or surgical mask? New research puts an end to the debate

These are cheaper and generally come in blue colour. These are however meant to be discarded after one use. According to FDA, a surgical mask is meant to help block large-particle droplets, splashes, sprays, or splatter that may contain germs (viruses and bacteria), keeping it from reaching your mouth and nose. Surgical masks may also help reduce exposure of your saliva and respiratory secretions to others. However, it won't filter or block very small particles in the air that may be transmitted by coughs, sneezes, or certain medical procedures. Surgical masks also do not provide complete protection from germs and other contaminants because of the loose fit between the surface of the mask and your face, as per FDA.

According to a new study by Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, in most environments and situations, even simple surgical masks effectively reduce the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and the effective reproduction number for COVID-19. "Most environments and contacts are under virus-limited conditions, where face masks, including simple surgical masks, have a high efficacy in preventing the spread of COVID-19”, explains Yafang Cheng, the head of a Minerva Research Group at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry.

The study added that the surgical masks may not be enough in all circumstances. "In virus-rich indoor environments with high infection probability, however, more advanced masks (N95/FFP2) and other protective equipments are required to prevent airborne transmission. The strong dependence of mask efficacy on airborne virus concentration highlights the importance of combining masks with other protective measures such as ventilation and distancing to keep the infection probability low," as per the new research.

As per the research, masks can protect you against more infectious mutants of Covid as well as from a wide range of respiratory viruses and diseases, including coronaviruses, rhinoviruses, and influenza. The findings showed that aerosol transmission does not necessarily lead to very high reproduction numbers as observed for measles, and that relatively low reproduction numbers do not rule out airborne transmission.