[COVID-19] Wear THIS Mask to Stay Safe!

Like it or not, face masks are going to be around a while.

But do they really work?

A group of researchers set out to answer that question.

And their results will SHOCK you.

It turns out some are practically USELESS—while one of the best options is made from an unusual household product.

If you venture out in public, there’s no getting around wearing a face mask.

But do they really work?

And if so, which ones are the best?

A study recently published in the Journal of Hospital Infection set out to answer that question.

For this study, the researchers collected data from studies of mask efficacy and created a computer model of infection risk.

They considered various factors, such as length of exposure, inhalation rates, and the material the mask was made of.

Compared to not wearing a mask, wearing a mask reduced the risk of infection during a 20-minute exposure to the virus by 24-94 percent…

And after just 30 seconds of exposure, they reduced the risk of infection by 44-99 percent.

Clearly, wearing a mask was more beneficial than not wearing one.

But those are pretty big spreads in protection rates.

And that’s because not all masks are created equal.

The least effective masks weren’t really masks at all, but were items like scarves and cotton t-shirts.

These materials are so porous that you may as well not be wearing them at all.

The most effective store-bought mask was an N99 mask—reducing the risk by 94-99 percent.

Since these are typically reserved for medical staff, the next best option was n N95 mask. But those can be difficult to get your hands on these days, too.

In that case, for your best protection, turn to a common household item: your vacuum cleaner.

More specifically, your vacuum cleaner filter.

This study showed that inserting vacuum cleaner filters into the pocket of a cloth mask reduced infection rates by 83 percent after a 30-second exposure, and by 58 percent after a 20-minute exposure.

Of course, no mask is going to be 100 percent effective. Plenty of other factors are in play (like how many infected people you’re around, how close they are to you, how much time you spend in an infected environment, and how equipped your immune system is to defend your body).

So it’s up to you to be smart and take necessary precautions, especially if you’re in a vulnerable, at-risk group.

But if you’re going to be forced to wear a mask, you might as well be wearing the most effective one possible.