Face mask effectiveness: What we know now When the COVID-19 pandemic took off in 2020, so too did questions over the effectiveness of wearing a face mask to prevent the spread of the virus.

But is “one-way masking”—or wearing a mask even if no one else around you does—really enough to protect you from getting infected by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19? “One-way ...

The N95 respirator mask is regulated by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Almost all N95 masks use ...