Accepted for Publication: November 16, 2020.
Published Online: December 10, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.8168
Corresponding Author: Phillip W. Clapp, PhD, Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, U.S. EPA Human Studies Facility, 104 Mason Farm Rd, Campus Box # 7310, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 (pwclapp@med.unc.edu).
Correction: This article was corrected on January 25, 2021, to fix an error in a recordered temperature and the use of the word “woven.”
Author Contributions: Drs Clapp and Bennett had full access to all the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. Drs Clapp, Sickbert-Bennett, and Samet served as co–first authors and contributed equally to the work.
Concept and design: Clapp, Sickbert-Bennett, Samet, Weber, Bennett.
Acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data: Clapp, Samet, Berntsen, Zeman, Anderson, Weber, Bennett.
Drafting of the manuscript: Clapp, Sickbert-Bennett, Weber, Bennett.
Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: All authors.
Statistical analysis: Clapp.
Obtained funding: Clapp, Sickbert-Bennett, Anderson, Weber.
Administrative, technical, or material support: Sickbert-Bennett, Samet, Berntsen, Weber, Bennett.
Supervision: Weber, Bennett.
Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Dr Clapp reported grants from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and UNC/US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Cooperative Agreement during the conduct of the study. Dr Sickbert-Bennett reported grants from CDC Epicenter (U54CK000483) during the conduct of the study. Dr Anderson reported grants from CDC Epicenter (U54CK000483) during the conduct of the study; grants from Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, personal fees from UpToDate, and royalties for authorship outside the submitted work; and being the owner of Infection Control Education for Major Sports, LLC. Dr Weber reported grants from CDC during the conduct of the study. Dr Bennett reported grants from CDC during the conduct of the study and grants from the National Institutes of Health, US Department of Defense, US Food and Drug Administration, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and EPA outside the submitted work. No other disclosures were reported.
Funding/Support: This study was supported by the Duke-UNC Prevention Epicenter Program for Prevention of Healthcare-Associated Infections (U54CK000483) and a cooperative agreement between the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the US Environmental Protection Agency (CR 83578501).
Role of the Funder/Sponsor: The funding organizations had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication.
CDC Epicenters Program Members: Phillip W. Clapp, PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Emily E. Sickbert-Bennett, PhD, MS, University of North Carolina Health Care, Deverick J. Anderson, MD, MPH, Duke University, David J. Weber, MD, MPH, University of North Carolina Health Care, and William D. Bennett, PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Disclaimer: The research described in this article has been reviewed by the Center for Environmental Public Health and Environmental Assessment, EPA, and approved for publication. The contents of this article should not be construed to represent agency policy nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
Additional Contributions: We thank Dr Bennett, the pictured author, for granting permission to publish this information.
2.To
KK-W , Tsang
OT-Y , Leung
W-S ,
et al. Temporal profiles of viral load in posterior oropharyngeal saliva samples and serum antibody responses during infection by SARS-CoV-2: an observational cohort study.
Lancet Infect Dis. 2020;20(5):565-574. doi:
10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30196-1PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref 4.Milton
DK , Fabian
MP , Cowling
BJ , Grantham
ML , McDevitt
JJ . Influenza virus aerosols in human exhaled breath: particle size, culturability, and effect of surgical masks.
PLoS Pathog. 2013;9(3):e1003205. doi:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1003205PubMedGoogle Scholar 6.Chu
DK , Akl
EA , Duda
S , Solo
K , Yaacoub
S , Schünemann
HJ ; COVID-19 Systematic Urgent Review Group Effort (SURGE) study authors. Physical distancing, face masks, and eye protection to prevent person-to-person transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Lancet. 2020;395(10242):1973-1987. doi:
10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31142-9PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref 7.Offeddu
V , Yung
CF , Low
MSF , Tam
CC . Effectiveness of masks and respirators against respiratory infections in healthcare workers: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Clin Infect Dis. 2017;65(11):1934-1942. doi:
10.1093/cid/cix681PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref 11.Mueller
AV , Eden
MJ , Oakes
JM , Bellini
C , Fernandez
LA . Quantitative method for comparative assessment of particle removal efficiency of fabric masks as alternatives to standard surgical masks for PPE.
Matter. 2020;3(3):950-962. doi:
10.1016/j.matt.2020.07.006PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref 13.Hinds
WC . Aerosol Technology: Properties, Behavior, and Measurement of Airborne Particles. John Wiley & Sons; 1999.