Can a face mask protect me from coronavirus? Covid-19 myths busted

The truth about how you can catch coronavirus, how much more elderly people are at risk and what you can do to avoid infection

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Wearing a face mask is certainly not an iron-clad guarantee that you won't get sick - viruses can also transmit through the eyes and tiny viral particles, known as aerosols, can penetrate masks. However, masks are effective at capturing droplets, which is a main transmission route of coronavirus, and some studies have estimated a roughly fivefold protection versus no barrier alone (although others have found lower levels of effectiveness).