CDC MMWR: Masks Reduce Odds of COVID-19 Infection

People who said they always wore some type of face mask indoors were less likely to test positive for COVID-19 compared to those who did not, though high-quality N95 respirators and KN95 were better at stopping infections than other masks, the CDC said last week in an MMWR. According to the study, surgical masks reduced the odds of testing positive for COVID-19 by about 66 percent compared to no masks at all. People who reported wearing N95 respirators while indoors were about 83 percent less likely to test positive compared with those who said they never wore a mask inside, the CDC found. The odds of infection were 56 percent lower for people wearing a cloth mask, but the findings were not statistically significant.