>I literally shared multiple studies which state "There is limited evidence for their effectiveness in preventing influenza virus transmission either when worn

>I literally shared multiple studies which state "There is limited evidence for their effectiveness in preventing influenza virus transmission either when worn by the infected person for source control or when worn by uninfected persons to reduce exposure." It's the first half that I would take issue with, and I don't see anything you quoted as convincingly supporting it. Garden variety masks are not suitable for healthcare professionals; that's why N95 masks are reserved for them. But the ordinary masks are vital to reduce the odds of transmission where the proportions of infected to not-infected are inverted. It's fundamentally different whether you have one (potentially) infected person surrounded by non-infected people, or one (presumably) non-infected person surrounded by infected people. The latter needs an N95 and maybe more, and the former needs anything as long as it deflects exhalations a little.