Coronavirus

Researchers Test Whether Cloth Masks Or Surgical Masks Are Best

A group of researchers from universities including Yale and Stanford found surgical masks more effective than cloth masks.

Researchers Test Whether Cloth Masks Or Surgical Masks Are Best
Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP
SMS

We are more than a year and a half into the pandemic, and researchers think they know which mask is better.

They're saying surgical is better than reusable cotton — and it's not even close.

A group of researchers from universities including Yale and Stanford found that a double-layer cotton mask was only 37% effective at filtering particles, while a surgical mask was 95% effective.

The CDC does recommend multi-layer cloth masks. Its data shows they can block up to 50% to 70% of small droplets and particles.