Key TakeawaysThe CDC has issued a scientific brief that says cloth face coverings help protect the wearer from COVID-19.The organization cited several newer studies to back up their statements.Doctors hope this will promote mask wearing among the general public.

Key Takeaways

The CDC has issued a scientific brief that says cloth face coverings help protect the wearer from COVID-19.The organization cited several newer studies to back up their statements.Doctors hope this will promote mask wearing among the general public.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now says that masks may protect the wearer from COVID-19. That’s a slight pivot from previous messaging that stressed people should wear masks to help protect others.

The CDC made the announcement in a scientific brief released earlier this week. In the brief, the agency said that masks can provide “filtration for personal protection.”

“Studies demonstrate that cloth mask materials can also reduce wearers’ exposure to infectious droplets through filtration, including filtration of fine droplets and particles less than 10 microns,” the CDC says.

The agency also said the following elements are helpful in masks:

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The CDC reiterated the importance of wearing a mask to protect others as well. “Cloth masks not only effectively block most large droplets, but they can also block the exhalation of fine droplets and particles,” the organization says. “Upwards of 80% blockage has been achieved in human experiments that have measured blocking of all respiratory droplets, with cloth masks in some studies performing on par with surgical masks as barriers for source control.”

The CDC ended the brief on this note: “Data support community masking to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2. The prevention benefit of masking is derived from the combination of source control and personal protection for the mask wearer. The relationship between source control and personal protection is likely complementary and possibly synergistic, so that individual benefit increases with increasing community mask use.”

Meaning, masks may offer even more benefit for the wearer when others wear them, too.

Stacey Rose, MD, FACP, assistant professor of medicine-infectious diseases at Baylor College of Medicine, tells Verywell that this is a “helpful summary” of the “evolving evidence that masks protect wearers.”

“Given the rising rates of infection in the United States at this time, I am hopeful that this brief will provide additional receptivity to mask-wearing among the U.S. population,” she says.

What the Research Says

The CDC cited plenty of research to back up its statements.

Why Did the CDC Release This Information Now?

It’s unclear, but new data may have played a role. “The scientific brief was based in part on research that was only recently released,” Rose points out.

The CDC likes to gather as much scientific data as possible before issuing guidelines, Adalja says. “It takes time for scientific data to accumulate,” he says. “You want to have some level of confidence in the findings before you issue guidance.”

Adalja is hopeful that the new information will help increase the use of masks among the general public. “The more data that we have on how masks actually impact the trajectory of spread, the more likely people are to comply with mask recommendations,” he says. “Now that masks have been shown to be protective of the wearer also, people may be more likely to use them.”

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Rose agrees. “I am hopeful—and I suspect the CDC is hopeful—that this scientific brief will help to encourage more universal mask wearing in the United States,” she says. “The demonstrable effect of such measures, both for individual risk and community risk, is increasingly clear, and we need to be doing everything we can to reduce the rate of COVID-19.

What This Means For YouWearing a mask protects both you and the people around you. Hopefully, with the CDC’s new guidance, more members of the general public will start wearing masks, increasing protection for everyone.

What This Means For You

Wearing a mask protects both you and the people around you. Hopefully, with the CDC’s new guidance, more members of the general public will start wearing masks, increasing protection for everyone.

The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit ourcoronavirus news page.

5 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Hendrix MJ, Walde C, Findley K, Trotman R.Absence of apparent transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from two stylists after exposure at a hair salon with a universal face covering policy - Springfield, Missouri, May 2020.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020 Jul 17;69(28):930-932. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6928e2

Schwartz KL, Murti M, Finkelstein M, Leis JA, Fitzgerald-Husek A, Bourns L, Meghani H, Saunders A, Allen V, Yaffe B.Lack of COVID-19 transmission on an international flight.CMAJ. 2020 Apr 14;192(15):E410. doi:10.1503/cmaj.75015

Doung-Ngern P, Suphanchaimat R, Panjangampatthana A, Janekrongtham C, Ruampoom D, Daochaeng N, et al.Case-control study of use of personal protective measures and risk for SARS-CoV 2 infection, Thailand.Emerg Infect Dis. 2020 Nov;26(11):2607-2616. doi:10.3201/eid2611.203003

Payne DC, Smith-Jeffcoat SE, Nowak G, Chukwuma U, Geibe JR, Hawkins RJ, et al. CDC COVID-19 Surge Laboratory Group, Gillingham BL.SARS-CoV-2 infections and serologic responses from a sample of U.S. Navy service members - USS Theodore Roosevelt, April 2020.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020Jun 12;69(23):714-721. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6923e4

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