- Studies show that mask wearing and social distancing can help slow the spread of COVID-19.
- Previously, it was not known how effective it would be to combine the two. Researchers studied this question by using a network model.
- A network model can look at how individuals interact with each other to spread the disease.
- They found that the combination of the two interventions is more effective than either alone in preventing the spread of COVID-19.
Studies indicate that steps like mask wearing and physical distancing can help stem the spread of COVID-19.
However, it was not known exactly how effective these safety measures are when used at the same time.
In an attempt to study this question, researchers from New York University and Politecnico di Torino in Italy created a network model.
What they found in their study was very encouraging.
According to Alessandro Rizzo, PhD, and Maurizio Porfiri, PhD, two of the researchers who worked on the study, the combination of these two measures would be sufficient to halt the spread of the virus, if applied rigorously by more than 60 to 70 percent of the population.
This was an improvement over either measure alone, which would require nearly universal compliance.
Source: healthline