Improving mask use to reduce COVID-19 transmission

by Chloe Wilkinson, Dr Felicia Low, Dr Joel Rindelaub and Sir Peter Gluckman

A new Koi Tū rapid evidence brief has synthesised the most up-to-date research on medical masks, cloth masks and N95 respirator masks, and suggests that New Zealand needs improved mask wearing guidelines to best protect ourselves against highly transmissible variants of the virus that causes Covid-19.

While N95 respirator masks should be prioritised for all border workers including those at managed isolation facilities, educational efforts are also needed to help the general public improve their mask use. A simple technique is the ‘knot and tuck’ method on medical masks to improve its fit, as demonstrated by evidence brief co-author Dr Joel Rindelaub:

Download the evidence brief here

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