Impact of Hearing Loss and Universal Face Masking on Communication and Accessibility in the COVID-19 Era and beyond.

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, health and government officials encouraged community-wide face mask wearing (i.e., universal masking) to reduce potential pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) to others. Universal face mask use, in combination with physical distancing, while effective, also places considerable burden on communication, particularly for those with hearing loss. This manuscript provides evidence of the impact on speech audibility provided by facemask type, increased physical distance (>2 m), and background noise.