According to the researchers, masks and testing “are necessary to combat asymptomatic spread in aerosols and droplets.”
Respiratory infections occur through the transmission of virus-containing droplets exhaled from infected individuals when they for instance breathe, speak, cough, or sneeze.
“For society to resume,” the researchers explain, “measures designed to reduce aerosol transmission must be implemented, including universal masking and regular, widespread testing to identify and isolate infected asymptomatic individuals.” They added that countries that have been most effective in reducing the spread of COVID-19 have implemented universal masking, referring to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and South Korea.
It remain unclear how high the viral load has to be for an individual to get infected. Researchers nevertheless seem to agree that exposure to a comparatively high viral load may trigger more severe symptoms.
