Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

November 23, 2020

Physical Interventions to Interrupt or Reduce the Spread of Respiratory Viruses

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A meta-analysis with 67 pre-COVID-19 trials reported no significant reduction in respiratory viral infection with the use of medical/surgical masks during influenza season (9 trials; 3507 participants), and no clear differences between the use of medical/surgical masks versus N95/P2 respirators in healthcare workers (5 trials; 8407 participants). Hand hygiene was associated with an 11% relative reduction of respiratory illness (7 trials; 44,129 participants) but with low-certainty evidence and high heterogeneity. 

Jefferson et al. (Nov 20, 2020). Physical Interventions to Interrupt or Reduce the Spread of Respiratory Viruses. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD006207.pub5