COVID-19 epidemic: disentangling the re-emerging controversy about medical facemasks from an epidemiological perspective

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, there have been over 80  000 confirmed cases and 2700 deaths across 39 countries/ regions worldwide as of 25 February 2020, with case numbers outside China now rising at an unprecedented rate.1 This epidemic has induced concern worldwide and a sharp rise of demand for medical facemasks (surgical masks and respirators), especially in East Asia. Notably, China produced>50% of the world ’s supply of medical facemasks before the epidemic, but the daily production has now dropped from 20 million to 15 million, whereas the current demand in China alone is estimated to be>50 million per day.2 These factors have resulted in an unprecedented global shortage of medical facemasks, which invites a re-emerging debate about their value in an epidemic.2,3
Source: International Journal of Epidemiology - Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research