Exhaled air dispersion and use of oronasal masks with continuous positive airway pressure during COVID-19

What is it about?

Ferioli et al recently published a paper reviewing steps that can help protect healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. We urge caution regarding the authors' conclusion that oronasal (i.e., 'full face') masks do not contribute to generation of viral aerosols in the room when used with PAP devices at high pressures. This conclusion was based on data from experiments whose methods may not have been able to capture exhaled air movement out of one mask model. Also, the researchers found that other models of oronasal masks did generate aerosols. Thus, caution is advised before applying these results to safety recommendations for healthcare workers.

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