We already know how to beat COVID in three easy steps
Washing your hands is still an important prevention technique, even while wearing a mask (Christine Sandu/Unsplash/)All you hear about right now is masks, but in all the debate we may have temporarily forgotten about some other important ways of fighting off the coronavirus. New research from scientists in the Netherlands found that combining masks with hand washing and social distancing is crucial for limiting the spread of COVID-19. They published their findings in the journal PLOS Medicine this week. The researchers used computer modeling to examine how effective these protective measures are when used alone and when paired with government-mandated social distancing. They found that self-imposed actions like wearing a mask can have a major impact on preventing transmission—especially when most people in a community use them in tandem.“If nearly all [the] population adopted self-imposed measures we would not have to confront the possibility of secondary lockdowns as well as...