Royal Society review looks at non-pharmaceutical interventions during pandemic when applied in packages of several measures
  •  merridew   ( @merridew@feddit.uk ) OPEnglish
    31•1 year ago

    “When looking at the use of face masks and mask mandates, studies consistently reported the measures were an effective approach to reduce infection. The evidence further indicates higher-quality respirator masks (such as N95 masks) were more effective than surgical-type masks.”

    •  Cethin   ( @Cethin@lemmy.zip ) English
      6•1 year ago

      We’ve basically known it since germ theory, or maybe before. Still, it doesn’t hurt to have the study to point crazy people to. They won’t believe it, but it at least ensure anyone else reading might not trust them.

        •  Cethin   ( @Cethin@lemmy.zip ) English
          2•1 year ago

          I remember it as saying they won’t be perfect and won’t help enough, and also that people in critical positions (Healthcare specifically) needed them and the supply was limited. I don’t think I ever heard from an official source that they wouldn’t help, but I’ve heard many people say they said that.

          •  chicken   ( @chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com ) English
            1•1 year ago

            Here is an overview of how the government’s recommendations changed over time. They were explicitly advising against wearing face masks and saying they don’t work. Ex:

            U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams tweets that wearing a face mask will not prevent the public from contracting the novel coronavirus.

            “Seriously people — STOP BUYING MASKS!” he wrote in a tweet that was later deleted. “They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus

  •  AutoTL;DR   ( @autotldr@lemmings.world ) BEnglish
    7•1 year ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:

    Measures taken during the Covid pandemic such as social distancing and wearing face masks “unequivocally” reduced the spread of infections, a report has found.

    Experts looked at the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) – not drugs or vaccines – when applied in packages that combine a number of measures that complement one another.

    Prof Sir Mark Walport, the foreign secretary of the Royal Society and chairman of the report’s expert working group, said: “There is sufficient evidence to conclude that early, stringent implementation of packages of complementary NPIs was unequivocally effective in limiting Sars-CoV-2 infections.

    Additionally, the report found that in school settings, closures and other distancing measures were associated with reduced Covid-19 cases, but the effectiveness varied depending on a range of factors, including adherence and pupils’ ages.

    For the future, the report recommends establishing international protocols for conducting clinical trials and observational research on NPIs in advance of further pandemics.

    The report draws together the findings of six expert-led evidence reviews, published in a special themed issue of the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A.

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