Face masks: latest guidance, demand and supply challenges

Global demand for face masks has far outpaced supply, impacting health care workers but also the public, as governments are increasingly mandating face coverings as a precondition for lifting lockdowns. According to the latest guidance from the WHO and the S. CDC, however, face masks are only recommended for healthy people that are not able to socially distance or if they are taking care of someone with COVID-19.

Limited access and soaring prices have disproportionately affected vulnerable populations, particularly as more than 50 countries have made mask-wearing in public mandatory. In March, the WHO estimated that 89 million medical masks would be required each month. Although companies around the world have repurposed their manufacturing capacity to develop face masks, quality control has been a significant issue with millions of masks rejected for failing to meet international standards. Many of these masks were made in China, which increased production 12-fold since January, and is projected to account for 85% of all masks globally by the end of the year (compared to just over half in 2019).

A pre-print study from the University of Edinburgh provided two conclusions when analyzing aerosol dispersion from a variety of different face coverings. First, while medical respirator masks provide protection against inhaling germs, they may not protect others from exhaled germs, which suggests greater caution by the public in maintaining a distance from someone wearing respirator masks. The second relevant conclusion is that even home-made cloth masks and face shields are effective at blocking upwards of 50% of exhaled germs (granted they fit closely all around the face)