The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended this week that people vaccinated against COVID-19 resume wearing masks in public indoor spaces in areas of the United States where the virus is spreading. "Appropriate masking in addition to vaccination remain the best methods to help protect individuals from the Coronavirus," says Gregory Poland, M.D., an infectious disease expert at Mayo Clinic.
In fact, published data from Mayo Clinic researchers have found that appropriate masking and physical separation reduces the exposure of individuals to respiratory droplets that spread the virus and a physical separation of 6 feet reduces particle counts to near baseline levels. The findings strongly support the protective value and effectiveness of widespread mask use, maintaining physical distance and vaccination in helping to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Watch: Dr. Elie Berbari and Dr. Matthew Callstrom discuss mask study.
