In some settings, medical masks may offer similar effectiveness to N95 respirators for preventing COVID-19 infection among health care workers

A study of more than 1,000 health care workers was unable to establish whether medical masks are significantly less effective at preventing COVID-19 infection than N95 respirators in hospital settings. The findings varied across countries, which were studied during different times in the pandemic, and uncertainty in the estimates of effect limit definitiveness of findings. The study is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

This Anti-COVID Mask Breaks the Mold

To address PPE shortages during the pandemic, scientists at Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley are developing a rechargeable, reusable, anti-COVID N95 mask and a 3D-printable silicon-cast mask mold.