A study led by a Texas A&M professor has determined not wearing a face mask can "dramatically" increase a person's chances of contracting COVID-19.
The team of scientists was led by Renyi Zhang, Texas A&M Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and the Harold J. Haynes Chair in the College of Geosciences, according to Texas A&M Today. It featured colleagues from the University of Texas, the University of California-San Diego and the California Institute of Technology.
The researchers studied trends and mitigation procedures in China, Italy and New York City. They discovered using a face mask reduced the number of infections by more than 78,000 in Italy from April 6 through May 9 and by over 66,000 in New York City from April 17 through May 9.
The study was funded by the Robert A. Welch Foundation. The research was published in the PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences).