According to a study out of the University of Waterloo in Canada, the popular blue surgical masks made from cloth that were used around the world to prevent the spread of COVID were only 10% effective in stopping the virus.

The study compared different types of masks to determine their effectiveness in reducing the transmission of the virus. Though the study concluded that masks helped stopped the spread of COVID, there was a marked difference in effectiveness between different styles of masks.

The study revealed that the popular blue mask was largely ineffective because it does not squeeze tightly around the face and there are usually several gaps allowing the aerosol spray containing the COVID virus to escape as we talk or breathe through our mouth.

The study concluded that the N95 was the most effective because it strapped tightly to a person’s face and stopped 50% of the aerosol droplets.

READ: Blue surgical face masks are only 10% effective in preventing COVID infection, new study finds

We already knew that, though.

A large Danish study was banned on social media after it showed that masks were largely ineffective in stopping the spread of COVID.

The difference in rates of infection between the control group (no masks) and medical mask wearers was 2.1% vs 1.8%, respectively.

Odds Ratio CI was 0.54 to 1.23, P=0.33.

No significant difference.

— James Todaro, MD (@JamesTodaroMD) November 18, 2020

READ: Two top Oxford academics accuse Facebook of censorship for branding their article on whether masks work ‘false information’