Study finds that the risk of contracting Covid-19 using a PFF2 mask is very small Corona virus
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PFF2 masks (the equivalent to other international standards known as N95, KN95 and P2 masks) offer nearly 100% protection against Covid-19, according to a study by the Max Planck Institute, from Germany.
If a person infected with the Sars-Cov-2 coronavirus, which causes Covid-19, touches a healthy person in an enclosed space – even at a small distance and after 20 minutes – the risk of infection is only 0.1%. If a person is vaccinated, the risk of contracting the disease is lower, the face of researchers.
However, according to scientists, reducing the risk depends on using the mask correctly. For optimum protection, the metal clip should be snug toward the nose, pressed to the side.
See PFF2’s instructions for use (and major errors) – Photo: Anderson Cattai / G1
If the mask is not fitted correctly to the face, the risk of infection in the same scenario rises to about 4%, says the study, published in the scientific journal PNAS, of the National Academy of Sciences in the United States.
The analysis also showed that PFF2 masks that fit tightly against the face protect 75 times more than surgical masks – which, however, reduces the risk of infection to a maximum of 10% if it is also well controlled.
The researchers said their calculations are very conservative. “In everyday life, the actual probability of infection is certainly ten to a hundred times lower,” says Eberhard Bodenschitz, the researcher who led the study.
Without a mask, the risk of contamination is high
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On the other hand, the analysis of confrontations between two people without a mask showed that if a healthy individual stood for a few minutes in front of an infected person, even at a distance of 3 meters, there is a 90% probability of infection.
Despite the distance of 3 metres, the researchers stress that the risk is great when you come into contact with people with a high viral load, as in the case of the currently dominant delta variant of the Corona virus, for a few minutes and without a mask.
“Our results show once again that the use of masks in schools and also in general is a good idea,” concludes Budenschatz.
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