# Coronavirus COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) Thread - 2021 Breaking News **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [January 1, 2021, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428 "2021-01-01T08:03:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 777
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2021, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/777 "2021-03-09T23:53:40Z")
Let’s move the conversation. > [@This study does not explain why masks lower the severity of COVID-19](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-study-does-not-explain-why-masks-lower-the-severity-of-covid-19/937557): > > To stop the hijack of the Breaking News thread, if anyone wants to make the claim that this study proves anything about the method by which masks help reduce severity or why one mask type is better than the other due to the results, this is a good place. [Study in question.](https://www.cell.com/biophysj/fulltext/S0006-3495(21)00116-8) I’ll start with the [lead author’s own statements](https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/researchers-propose-humidity-masks-may-lessen-severity-covid-19) about the study: We found that face masks strongly increase the humidity in inhaled air and propose that the resulting hydration of the respiratory tract could be responsibl… --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428)._