Wearing a mask is most effective way to stop Covid transmission, new study finds

Wearing a mask is the single most effective measure we can take in regards to stopping the transmission of Covid-19, according to a new study, which says it reduces incidences of Covid by 53%.

Vaccines are one tool used to tackle coronavirus, but they don’t offer 100% protection from infection, and it’s currently unclear how effective they are against new Covid variants.

Researchers from the study wrote in the British Medical Journal, saying: “This systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that several personal protective and social measures, including handwashing, mask-wearing, and physical distancing are associated with reductions in the incidence of Covid-19.”

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The study notes that public health measures like mask wearing, frequent handwashing and social distancing are also still important alongside the vaccine programme.

The first global study which highlights the effectiveness of Covid measures, it analysed data from more than 30 studies to discover that mask wearing reduces Covid spread by 53%.

According to researchers, social distancing measures reduce Covid by 25%, and handwashing by 53% – however, only a small number of handwashing studies were available so the significance of this statistic is reduced.

Researchers at Monash University and the University of Edinburgh did add that a combination of measures would need analysing further to assess any potential negative impact it could have on people.

The wearing of masks in public was one of the first measures brought in to tackle the spread of Covid at the beginning of the pandemic, although many countries have abandoned it – including England.

Here, wearing a mask is no longer compulsory by law in most public settings, partly due to the success of the vaccine rollout.