Even If No One Else Is Wearing One, a Mask Can Help Protect You from COVID-19

• Wearing a face mask lowers your risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, even if you’re the only mask wearer in the crowd.
• Keep in mind: You need the right mask and the right fit.
• Experts say vaccinations plus community mask wearing provide better protection.

Studies have shown that when mask wearing in public is widespread, there’s substantially lower community transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

One reason for this is that wearing a mask helps protect others.

But what happens when you’re surrounded by people who aren’t wearing masks?

Your mask still helps protect you, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In fact, a review article published earlier this year in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found “compelling data” to demonstrate the effectiveness of mask wearing in reducing the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in general as well as the protection for the mask wearers.

The JAMA study authors went on to say that the overall community benefit of wearing masks has to do with their ability to limit both exhalation and inhalation of virus particles.