Face masks cannot offer the same level of protection against Covid as previously thought, new research suggests. A study conducted in the UK, which examined data from over 100,000 individuals, found that while masks were associated with a roughly 30 per cent decrease in infection risk throughout 2021, this protective effect seemed to vanish by February 2022. The rise of the Omicron variant, which became predominant in the UK and later in the US during the summer of 2022, likely played a significant role in reducing the efficacy of masks.

Professor Paul Hunter, the lead author of the study and an expert in infectious diseases at the University of East Anglia, highlighted that this trend is not exclusive to the UK but likely applies elsewhere, including the US. “There's nothing intrinsically different about the UK that would make this be an issue here and not in the US, or indeed anywhere else,” he said. “The main takeaway from the study is that we can't assume things that worked in one part of the pandemic worked throughout.

” Shoppers bag nearly £200-worth of free SPF and beauty buys in deal that scans under £60 The protective effect of the mask seemed to vanish by February 2022 ( Image: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) While masks have become a thing of the past for many adults in the UK, across the pond, they remain a hotly debated topic in the US. A recent survey revealed that a whopping 12 per cent of Americans are still sporting masks in public spaces, .