According to a study by British researchers from St. George’s Hospital in London, the real-world benefits of masks during the first ten months of the omicron variant of the corona virus were likely “modest at best”. The study analyzed routinely collected data over a 40-week period between December 4, 2021 and September 10, 2022.
The National Health Service (NHS) in Great Britain introduced a mask requirement for staff in June 2020, which remained in force in clinical areas of hospitals until June 2022. The researchers noted that this measure, although “of no proven benefit”, was appropriate at the beginning of the pandemic. However, many hospitals have retained mask-wearing despite the significant financial and environmental costs, as well as the significant barriers to communication.
During the first phase of the study (December 4, 2021 to June 1, 2022), all staff and visitors in clinical areas of the hospital were required to wear medical masks. In the second phase of the study (June 2, 2022 to September 10, 2022), mask requirements were eliminated on most wards, while a subset of high-risk wards retained mask requirements for staff. Despite analyzing numerous influencing factors, the researchers found that the masks made “no discernible difference” in terms of infections.
Dr. Ben Patterson, the study lead author, commented that this does not mean that masks are worthless once morest omicrons, but their isolated real-world utility in healthcare seems modest at best. His colleague, Dr. Breathnach, expressed hope that the study results can help bring regarding “a rational and proportionate mask policy in healthcare”. The research results will be presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Copenhagen this month.
During the first ten months of the omicron variant of the corona virus, the real-world benefits of masks were likely “modest at best,” British researchers have found in a study.
Background to the investigation: In the state health system in Great Britain (NHS), a mask requirement for staff was introduced in June 2020 – similar to Germany – which remained in force in clinical areas of hospitals until June 2022. After that, the decision was entrusted to the individual institutions.
This measure, although “of no proven benefit”, was appropriate at the beginning of the pandemic, explain the authors from St. George’s Hospital in London.
“Significant communication barriers and costs”
dr But Aodhan Breathnach, medical microbiologist at the NHS Foundation Trust at St George’s University Hospitals in London, notes that many hospitals have retained mask-wearing “despite the significant financial and environmental costs, as well as the significant barriers to communication”.
The researchers assumed that with the decreasing severity of the corona disease, the risk-benefit ratio of masks was at least “questioned”.
To examine this in more detail, the scientists analyzed routinely collected data over a 40-week period between December 4, 2021 (the first week in which the omicron variant became dominant) and September 10, 2022.
“Real benefits modest at best”
During the first phase of the study (December 4, 2021 to June 1, 2022), all staff and visitors in clinical areas of the hospital were required to wear medical masks (minimum Type IIR). In phase two of the study (June 2, 2022 to September 10, 2022), mask requirements were eliminated on most wards, while a subset of high-risk wards retained mask requirements for staff.
The result – taking into account numerous influencing factors: The masks made “no discernible difference” in terms of infections.
“This does not mean that masks are worthless once morest omicrons,” comments study lead author Dr. Ben Patterson, “but their isolated real-world utility in healthcare seems modest at best.”
His colleague, microbiologist Dr. Breathnach, expressed hope that the study results can help bring regarding “a rational and proportionate mask policy in healthcare.”
The research results will be presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Copenhagen this month.
In conclusion, the study conducted by researchers from St. George’s Hospital in London found that the real-world benefits of masks during the first ten months of the omicron variant were “modest at best,” and that the risk-benefit ratio of masks was at least “questioned.” Despite this, many hospitals have retained mask-wearing due to significant communication barriers and costs. The study’s lead author, Dr. Ben Patterson, emphasized that this does not mean that masks are worthless once morest omicron, but their isolated real-world utility in healthcare seems modest at best. The hope is that these study results can help bring regarding a rational and proportionate mask policy in healthcare. These findings will be presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Copenhagen this month.
