Surgical masks keep “spatter” out of OR staffs’ mouths.
If surgical masks prevented viral transmission to any significant degree, there would have been tons of research to back that claim up long before 2020.
Surgical masks for SARS-CoV-2 are nothing but a security blanket until proven otherwise.
Don’t hold your breath waiting for credible proof.
Holding your breath may prevent spread of the virus though...
They do do that, but masks are for keeping patients from catching what ever the medical people might have been exposed to. Same with gloves and why a surgeon sterilizes before surgery. Every medical professional I interact with has confirmed this. It is to protect the patient, primarily. Protection of the medical personnel is a secondary benefit. In any case, Something is better than nothing.