Face masks aren't a very effective way to prevent the spread of coronavirus, experts say, despite spiking sales

AP Photo/Kin Cheung

• Sales of face masks are spiking in China and around the world amid a coronavirus outbreak.
• Health experts say that for the average person, the masks are not as effective as everyday measures like hand-washing and avoiding close contact with anyone who might be infected.
• Still, the CDC recommends that healthcare providers and those who might be infected wear masks.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Of the many preventative measures you can take to protect yourself from the growing Wuhan coronavirus outbreak, wearing a face mask is one of the most visible. But health experts aren't convinced it'll help much.

"There's little harm in it," Eric Toner, a scientist at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said of donning a mask. "But it's not likely to be very effective in preventing it."

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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See Also:

• Wuhan, China, and at least 11 other cities have been quarantined as China attempts to halt the spread of the coronavirus. That's about 33 million people on lockdown.
• The Wuhan coronavirus has hit Xinjiang, where China has imprisoned at least 1 million Uighur Muslims. Its filthy detention camps will make inmates sitting ducks.
• 2 new potential US cases of the Wuhan coronavirus are being monitored in Texas and Los Angeles

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