Use of masks in hospitals was “modest at best”

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During the corona pandemic, masks accompanied the population every day. A new study from Britain looked at the use of masks in hospitals. This shows that the use of face masks has hardly reduced the infection rate in hospitals.

Researchers at St. George’s University Hospital in London routinely analyzed infection control data collected over a 40-week period. As reported by the “Daily Mail,” they wanted to know if masks actually protected hospitals from more infections during the omicron wave. In the first phase of the study, all employees and visitors had to wear a face mask. In phase two, mask requirements were eliminated in most departments, while one high-risk department retained mask requirements for staff.

Advantage «modest at best»

The scientists concluded that the abolition of the masks did not result in a significant change in the Covid infection rates achieved in hospitals. When the mask obligation was lifted, the number of infections in British hospitals did not increase. The benefits of masks are therefore “modest at best”.

However, masks are not useless

In presenting their findings, the researchers pointed out that the new findings do not mean that masks are worthless. In the future, hospitals should just use them more rationally and proportionately and not spread them across the board. Aodhan Breathnach, a medical microbiologist at St. George’s University Hospital, stressed that masks would bring little benefit to real healthcare and should be used more sparingly, including in terms of durability and looming communication barriers.

In June 2020, a mask requirement was introduced in UK healthcare facilities. This remained in effect until June 2022. (A)

Source: Blick