New Study Finds Some Face Masks Are Better Than Others

We've all heard the expression that we are not defensless against COVID-19: wearing face masks saves lives.  Not surprisingly, all face masks are not equal in efficacy.  In a recent study titled Low-cose measurement of facemask efficacy for filtering expelled droplets during speech, published on August 7, 2020 in Science Advances, Duke University compared the efficacy of a variety of commonly available masks.  The researchers concluded that "some mask types approach the perforance of standard surgical masks, while some masks alternatives, such as neck fleece or bandanas, offer very little protection."