"But there’s little evidence to suggest that the face masks worn by members of the public prevent people from being infected by breathing in the virus..." #Coronavirus

Coronavirus FAQs: Do Masks Help? Is The Disease Really So Mysterious?

There’s a run on masks in China, with the belief that wearing one in public will protect an individual from exposure to droplets sneezed or coughed out by someone infected with the Wuhan virus.

But there’s little evidence to suggest that the face masks worn by members of the public prevent people from being infected by breathing in the virus, says William Schaffner, a professor in the division of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. “There really are no good, solid, reliable data.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the kind of flimsy masks that people often buy in pharmacies may not tightly fit the face, so the wearer can still breathe in air — and infected droplets.