Nutritional Advice El Mondo
Objectives:
Currently, the number of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has increased rapidly, but relationship between comorbidity and patients with COVID-19 is still not clear. Therefore, this review article has been conducted.
Do medical masks and N95 respirators offer similar protection against viral respiratory infection including coronavirus?
Study design:
This review article included 4 RCTs.
The studies had a low certainty evidence.
Results and conclusions:
The investigators found compared to N95 respirators, the use of medical masks did not increase laboratory confirmed viral (including coronaviruses) respiratory infection [OR = 1.06, 95% CI = 0.90 to 1.25, I2 = 0%] or clinical respiratory illness [OR = 1.49, 95% CI = 0.98 to 2.28, I2 = 78%].
Only 1 trial evaluated coronaviruses separately and found no difference between the 2 groups [p = 0.49].
The investigators concluded low certainty evidence shows that medical masks and N95 respirators offer similar protection against viral respiratory infection including coronavirus in health care workers during non-aerosol generating care. Preservation of N95 respirators for high-risk, aerosol generating procedures in this pandemic should be considered when in short supply.
Original title:
Medical Masks vs N95 Respirators for Preventing COVID-19 in Health Care Workers A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials by Bartoszko JJ, Farooqi MAM,[…], Loeb M.
Link:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/irv.12745
Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on coronavirus right here.