Coronavirus: hamster research shows effectiveness of masks ‘huge’ in Covid-19 battle, Hong Kong scientists say

Hamsters placed in adjoining cages with infected subjects were infected at a 66.7 per cent rate; the introduction of a barrier saw the percentage drop to 16.7

‘It shows very clearly that if infected hamsters or humans … put on masks, they actually protect other people,’ HKU’s Dr Yuen Kwok-yung says

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Professor Yuen Kwok-yung of Hong Kong University discusses how surgical mask partitions effectively reduced the transmission of the coronavirus between hamsters on Sunday. Photo: May Tse

Published: 8:35pm, 17 May 2020Updated: 11:03pm, 17 May 2020

Hong Kong scientists conducting research on hamsters have offered the first proof of what many residents have believed all along – that wearing surgical masks can significantly reduce the rate of airborne Covid-19 transmission.

The study, which the team called the first of its kind, found the rate of non-contact transmission – in which the virus was transmitted via respiratory droplets or airborne particles – dropped by as much as 75 per cent when masks were present.

“The findings implied to the world and the public is that the effectiveness of mask-wearing against the coronavirus pandemic is huge,” Dr Yuen Kwok-yung of Hong Kong University said on Sunday, while cautioning a risk of infection remains even with masks.

Researchers used 52 hamsters in the experiment, which saw the presence of surgical mask-like barriers greatly lower the rate of infection. Photo: Handout

The top microbiologist said the team carried out the study as the necessity of wearing masks, something he had long advocated, was being challenged worldwide, including by the World Health Organisation.

In their experiment, partitions made of surgical masks were set up between cages in an isolated facility, with an infected hamster on one side, and three healthy hamsters on the other. A fan was then placed in between to make sure the virus would “transmit” between cages.