Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • NEWS

When are masks most useful? COVID cases offer hints

Masks offer the greatest protection indoors and during long exposures to people infected with the coronavirus — but other public-health measures matter, too.
  1. Ariana Remmel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar

An analysis of hundreds of COVID-19 cases suggests that face masks are most protective in specific circumstances, such as exposure to a person with COVID-19 that lasts for more than three hours or that takes place indoors1.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Get just this article for as long as you need it

$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-03030-3

References

  1. Andrejko, K. L. et al. Preprint at medRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.20.21265295 (2021).

  2. Abaluck, J. et al. Innovations for Poverty Action Working Paper https://www.poverty-action.org/publication/impact-community-masking-covid-19-cluster-randomized-trial-bangladesh (2021).

  3. Bundgaard, H. et al. Ann. Intern. Med. 174, 335–343 (2021).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Subjects

Latest on:

Nature Careers

Jobs

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing

Search

Advanced search

Quick links