Mask wearing at home

Wearing face masks at home may reduce transmission among family members — but only before symptoms develop — a study in BMJ Global Health suggests. Researchers studied roughly 125 families in Beijing in which at least one member contracted COVID-19. Nearly a quarter of household members were subsequently infected. After multivariable adjustment, the risk for secondary transmission was significantly increased when the primary case had diarrhea (odds ratio, 4) and with frequent, daily close contact (within 3 feet) with the primary case at home (OR, 18). Frequent disinfectant use and family members wearing masks at home before the primary case showed symptoms were associated with reduced risk (ORs, 0.2 for both). The authors conclude that the findings “may … be informative for families of high-risk groups such as health workers, quarantined individuals or situations where cases of COVID-19 have to be managed at home.”

https://gh.bmj.com/content/5/5/e002794