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Updated: Oct 7, 2025
Effects of Surgical Masks on Cardiopulmonary Function in Healthy Subjects
Published on: February 12, 2021
Analysing different exposures identifies that wearing masks and establishing COVID-19 areas reduce secondary-attack
Bastien Reyné1, Christian Selinger1, Mircea T Sofonea1
1Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs: Écologie Génétique Évolution Contrôle (MIVEGEC), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Université de Montpellier, France.
Background:
The COVID-19 epidemic has spread rapidly within aged-care facilities (ACFs), where the infection-fatality ratio is high. It is therefore urgent to evaluate the efficiency of infection prevention and control (IPC) measures in reducing SARS-CoV-2 transmission.
Methods:
We analysed the COVID-19 outbreaks that took place between March and May 2020 in 12 ACFs using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and serological tests for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Using maximum-likelihood approaches and generalized linear mixed models, we analysed the proportion of infected residents in ACFs and identified covariates associated with the proportion of infected residents.
Results:
The secondary-attack risk was estimated at 4.1%, suggesting a high efficiency of the IPC measures implemented in the region. Mask wearing and the establishment of COVID-19 zones for infected residents were the two main covariates associated with lower secondary-attack risks.
Conclusions:
Wearing masks and isolating potentially infected residents appear to be associated with a more limited spread of SARS-CoV-2 in ACFs.
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