Cloth coronavirus face masks work, but in research only if you do this after wearing

The cloth mask New coronavirus — However, a new study found that reusing these face covers multiple times without washing, only if they were washed after each use, could increase the risk of contamination.

In addition, a recently published analysis by the Kirby Institute at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, shows that masks should be washed at high temperatures and completely decontaminated after each use. BMJ Open..

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cloth masks should be washed with laundry detergent and water above 60 degrees Celsius and around 140 degrees Fahrenheit. (IStock)

This analysis is based on a randomized controlled trial published in 2015 to prevent viral infections by common respiratory pathogens such as influenza, rhinovirus (common cold virus), and seasonal coronavirus. I investigated how effective a cloth mask is. Studies at the time found that two-layer cotton masks were “not as effective as surgical masks in hospitals and may increase the risk of infection compared to not wearing the mask at all.” News release from university.. However, researchers who conducted the new analysis argue that the method of cleaning cloth masks may explain why the original study performed so poorly.

More specifically, according to a news release, so-called “cleaning data” was self-reported by Vietnamese healthcare professionals in 2011. They were working in a “high risk ward in the medical field” at that time. According to the researchers who conducted the analysis, this study is the only randomized controlled trial “to date on the effectiveness of cloth masks in preventing viral infections.”

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Most healthcare professionals in the original study (about 77%) reported washing masks by hand. However, in analysis, researchers found that cleaning cloth masks this way more than doubled the risk of infection for health care workers compared to cleaning masks in hospital washing machines. did.

In addition, “there was no significant difference in infection. [health care workers] People who wear cloth masks washed in hospital laundry compared to medical masks. ” The analysis is finished.

In fact, “Whether the health care workers surveyed washed their masks daily, and if so, which, given the potential impact on health care workers or community members using cloth masks during a pandemic. I scrutinized the 2011 data on how they were washed. I washed their masks. I found that washing cloth masks with hospital laundry was as effective as surgical masks. ” Professor Rina McIntyre of the University of Sydney, who conducted the survey, said in a statement.

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Researchers in the original study did not test SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, because the virus was not present at the time. However, researchers who analyzed at the BMJ Open claim that past findings are still applicable to new viruses.

“Both cloth masks and surgical masks should be considered” contaminated “after use,” McIntyre said. “Unlike surgical masks that are discarded after use, cloth masks are reused. You may want to use the same mask for several days in a row, or wash your hands or wipe it quickly, but ours Studies have shown that this increases the risk of contamination. ”

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“This sparked a debate about cloth masks between the Pro Group and the Anti-Mask Group. Both focused on the 2015 survey, but a closer look at the laundry data shows that the cloth is hand-washed. You can see that it was made. It is a mask with a higher risk than the cloth mask itself. When decomposing the data with this new method, comparing the washing machine and hand washing, the cloth mask washed in the washing machine is as effective as the surgical mask. That’s right, “continues McIntyre. “There is a lot of research on mask design, fabrics and construction, but washing is also important for protection.”

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cloth masks should be washed with laundry detergent and water above 60 degrees Celsius and around 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

“Our analysis confirms this recommendation,” said MacIntyre. “The clear message from this study is that cloth masks work. However, once you wear a cloth mask, you need to wash it properly each time before you wear it again. Otherwise, it will be ineffective. “

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