re: The only randomized control trial of cloth masks vs surgical masks

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Did you read the study? Or do you not know what a control arm is? Hint: it’s no mask.

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Hospital wards were randomised to: medical masks, cloth masks or a control group (usual practice, which included mask wearing).

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It is important to note that some subjects in the control arm wore surgical masks, which could explain why cloth masks performed poorly compared to the control group. We also did an analysis of all mask wearers, and the higher infection rate in cloth mask group persisted. The cloth masks may have been worse in our study because they were not washed well enough – they may become damp and contaminated. The cloth masks used in our study were products manufactured locally, and fabrics can vary in quality. This and other limitations were also discussed.

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