"Quantity and size distribution of cough-generated aerosol particles produced by influenza patients during and after illness" (2012) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.ni

"Quantity and size distribution of cough-generated aerosol particles produced by influenza patients during and after illness" (2012) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22651099/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22651099/ I draw your attention in particular to one of the figures: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22651099/#&gid=article-figures&pid=figure-4-uid-3 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22651099/#&gid=article-figur... You will see that there is a great deal of variation in the number of aerosol-sized particles emitted by the individuals in this small clinical study and note that the variation between individuals is greater than the difference, for a single individual, between a person's aerosol output when ill vs. after recovery. You can also find studies confirming that ordinary breathing constantly generates aerosols. They aren't just something produced when someone coughs or sneezes. If you were extremely socially isolated, perhaps on a farm or in a cabin somewhere and only going into town once a month to buy some supplies or pick up your mail from a one-man post office or something, slight reductions in other persons' viral load and very conscientious use of a properly-fitted respirator and eye protection might buy you a little more time before you got infection. But living normally, going out most days and interacting with many people and entering environments with non-negligible foot traffic from other people who have made their own respiratory contributions to the ambient air? With surgical masks or cute cloth masks and everyone having gotten some combination of the currently-available covid shots? No.