The United States, as of Friday, posted a seven-day moving average of 62,555 new COVID-19 cases reported daily, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The last time . Mask wearing has been advocated by public health officials as a way to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The question is and Im sure thats the conversation now happening in the halls of power what do we do next? Visualization, In contrast, 25% or fewer states with a mask wearing policy had high COVID-19 rates, except in September when over half experienced high rates. But with variants of concern circulating around the world, masking remains importanteven as the public battles mask fatigue. Wearing masks is a CDC-recommended* approach to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), by reducing the spread of respiratory droplets into the air when a person coughs, sneezes, or talks and by reducing the inhalation of these droplets by the wearer. Jha thinks vaccination rates areanother important factor: While "only 59% of eligible Florida seniors have gotten boosted," he notes, the rate for California is 70 percent. No, Is the Subject Area "Conservation science" applicable to this article? New Zealand recently lifted all restrictions following 10 days with no new cases. And in the Germancity of Jena, first in the country to implement public mask wearing last April, masks led to a 75% decrease in new COVID-19 cases in little under three weeks, one December study found. Experts interviewed by USA TODAY said the One America News Network had "misinterpreted" or "mischaracterized" the findings of the CDC study. Individuals mask wearing behaviors are not only influenced by recommendations and mandates issued by state leaders, but also by print, televised, and social media [9]. Germanys stringent policies have made it a consistent media darling. The study also found a statistically significant increase in the rate of COVID-19 infections and deaths starting 40 days after indoor or outdoor dining at restaurants was allowed. New York. But in each state, as Miller shows, infection rates remained lower in the counties that did not mandate masks. Yes https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249891.s001. But as Miller shows in his book, the policies made no discernible difference. Fully vaccinated people should continue following CDC guidelines, including wearing their masks in crowded areas and when around unvaccinated people. Nationwide, according to theNew York Times database, the seven-day average of daily new cases rose sharply from mid-December to January 17 and has fallen just as sharply since then, which is consistent with the experience in other countries after omicron emerged. We all want to be able to be with friends and family this spring and summer, and we all dont want to have [to] go back to the more stringent mitigation measures, so gathering outside and wearing masks is the best way to allow both to happen.. If this is true, we would expect associations between mask adherence and high COVID-19 rates to be even stronger. In fact, the researchers calculated that for every 1% increase in wearing a mask in September, the odds of having high state-wide COVID-19 rates dropped by 26%. Higher mask use did not predict lower maximum growth rates, smaller surges, or . Herring dismissed those results, claiming unnamed experts told the news network that the reductions in spread the study found were not significant. However, Werler says her team did find substantial amounts of variation that could suggest other factors beyond mandatessuch as political affiliationcould be at play. More could be on the way. The 2-week rate in July in Arizona = 43,088 cases/7,278,717 population in 2019 = 0.00592 or 592 per 100,000. Investigation, States are issuing a new wave of mask mandates and social restrictions as record numbers of Covid-19 hospitalizations and soaring daily cases strain US medical systems. States with the lowest levels of mask adherence were most likely to have high COVID-19 rates in the subsequent month, independent of mask policy or demographic factors. For mask adherence, the cut-off values for the low and high quartiles were 31% and 46% in June, 53% and 72% in July, 55% and 71% in August, and 55% and 68% in September. I just dont know based on reading the OAN summary how they came to the same conclusions because the CDC conclusions were favorable.. Our analysis suggests high adherence to mask wearing could be a key factor in reducing the spread of COVID-19. "We feel the time is right to make this . Our research examines mask wearing policy and adherence in association with COVID-19 case rates. A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found a link between face mask mandates and a reduction in COVID-19 cases and deaths, but at least one widely shared report wrongly interprets that data. Methodology, The estimated absolute change in cumulative case rate associated with lifting the mask mandate, remains 28.1 (30.6%) 21 days after lifting the mask mandate. Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University's School of Public Health, notes that the graph for California, which required masks in indoor public settings beginning on December 15, is "strikingly similar" to the graph for Florida, which had no mask mandates. Since the spring, Maine mandated masks and had strict travel restrictions for out-of-state visitors; South Dakota, meanwhile, has never had a mask mandate and welcomed nearly half a million people to the Sturgis motorcycle rally, as well as its state fair, which attracted more than 100,000 visitors. Latest news. Several cities and large counties, including Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Hillsborough (which includes Tampa), had mask requirements, but Gov. ", An August 2021 systematic review of 21 observational studies found that all of them "reported SARS-CoV-2 benefits" from mask mandates "in terms of reductions in either the incidence, hospitalization, or mortality, or a combination of these outcomes." "Large indoor gatherings without masking among a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated persons is a recipe for trouble.". As you can see from the lines similar trajectories, the mask mandates hardly controlled the virus. February 28, 2023. Jacob Sullum Meanwhile, the eight states that reported 75% or more mask adherence between June 2020 and September 2020 did not have high COVID-19 rates. 3.1.2023 9:30 AM, Damon Root When cases first peaked in the United States in the spring, there was no clear correlation between containment strategies and case counts, because most states enacted similar lockdown policies at the same time. Methodology, As COVID-19 cases continue to drop nationwide, 49 out of 50 states had relaxed their indoor mask mandates as of this week. But as Flam notes, "the benefits of universal masking have been difficult to quantify" in the real world, where cloth models predominate and masks may not be clean, well-fitted, or worn properly. Public health policy-making requires navigating the balance of public good and individual rights [10]. Data released by the agency in November looking at COVID-19 incidence in Kansas after a statewide mask mandate also found the measure resulted in a drop in infectious cases. Daniella Amato is a biomedical scientist and fact checker with expertise in pharmaceuticals and clinical research. Yes States in COVID-19 high-risk categories are listed in Table 1. The current study . Explaining the justification for lifting mask requirements, governors and public health agencies generally have cited the precipitous decline in daily new cases since mid-January. Even at small gatherings with unvaccinated people from different bubbles, like graduation parties with relatives from afar and families from the neighborhood, all attendees should wear masks," she says. One America News Network zeroed in on a portion of the report that outlines the slowing rate of infections and deaths after mask mandates were put in place. "There are over 200 percent more cases in a school (district) that does not have a mask mandate," said Dr. Catherine Troisi, an. | Using an index that tracks policy responses to the pandemic, these charts show the number of new virus cases and hospitalizations in each state relative to the states recent containment measures. Even if masking works, that does not necessarily mean mandates do. Eric Boehm Fourteen of the 15 states with no mask wearing policy for the general public for the entire four month period (June through September) reported a high COVID-19 rate. Containment measures are as of Nov. 1. Monthly COVID-19 case rates (number of cases per capita over two weeks) >200 per 100,000 residents were considered high. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) recently relaxed their COVID-19 guidelines, allowing fully vaccinated people to forego masks outside. Instead, it links mask mandates to statistically significant decreases in county-level daily COVID-19 case and death growth rates within 20 days of implementation.. 2023 Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, Inc. All rights reserved. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Most states in the low quartile had high COVID-19 rates in the subsequent month. Our analysis of state and D.C.-level data does not account for variations in policy, adherence, and demographic factors at smaller geographic levels, such as county-levels. "At first blush," Jha says, it "looks like their different COVID strategies did not end up mattering much." 3.1.2023 2:50 PM, David McGarry We did estimate odds ratios for mask adherence within subgroups of states with and without mask policy. When we looked at states with 75% mask adherence (Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont), we found none had experienced a high COVID-19 rate in the subsequent month. Despite an early outbreak, South Korea flattened the curve with aggressive testing and contact tracing, as well as widespread mask wearing. In the United States, policies on mask wearing have varied from state to state over the course of the pandemic. Start the day smarter Notable deaths in 2023 The world's largest war . Variants of COVID-19 Are Spreading Across the U.S. How to Plan a COVID-Safe Summer Vacation in 2022. Meantime, the medias favorite experts kept predicting doom for states that never mandated masks, like Florida, or that ended the mandates early in 2021, like Iowa, whose policy shift was denounced as reckless and delusional in a Washington Post article headlined, Welcome to Iowa, a state that doesnt care if you live or die. Iowas Covid death toll plummeted right after the article appeared. Based on data from various countries and U.S. states from May to September 2020, a preprint study published last June found that general mask wearing was associated with a reduction in virus. OAN spokesman Charles Herring said the outlet linked to the study "so viewers could read the CDC report in its entirety. For policies on physical distancing, we recorded whether a stay-at-home order was issued and, if so, when. The requirement is expected to be lifted on March 1. here. In their pre-Covid planning strategies for a pandemic, neither the Centers for Disease Control nor the World Health Organization had recommended masking the publicfor good reason. However, the COVID-19 rates continued to be higher in places with low mask adherence. Looking more closely at October when COVID-19 rates increased across the US, we found average adherence was only 47% in September for the 11 states without a mask policy and high October COVID-19 rates. For every 1% increase in average adherence in June, the fully adjusted odds ratios for high COVID-19 in July was 0.95, indicating a protective effect against high COVID-19 rates. The Kentucky senator presses on with his fight against the federal governments Covid response. This pattern of magical thinking persisted throughout the pandemic, as Miller demonstrates in dozens of graphs contrasting conventional wisdom with cruel reality. Five states are rolling back mask mandates. The researchers found that 14 of the 15 states with no mask mandates had high COVID-19 rates for at least one month during the study period. A relationship between policies and the outbreaks severity has become more clear as the pandemic has progressed. So theres a need to make decisions and be decisive, Dr. El-Sadr said. It also examined the link between allowing on-site restaurant dining and the number of coronavirus cases and deaths. Rhode Island. Instead of carefully analyzing the effects of masks, the CDC repeatedly tried to justify them by misrepresenting short-term trends and hyping badly flawed research, like studies in Arizona and Kansas purporting to show that infections had been dramatically reduced by the mask mandates imposed in some counties. Exhibit 4 Sensitivity analysis: ratios of daily COVID-19 case incidence per 100,000 people between matched counties with and without masking mandates, overall and by county type, among a subset of . Vaccinated persons can carry and spread the virus.". Indeed, issuing such a policy is not the same as successfully implementing it. Weak recent containment measures and many cases. "Our results suggest that mask-wearing is strongly affected by factors other than mandates. As of Aug. 3, Louisiana is under a temporary statewide mask mandate required of all people, including those who are vaccinated, when indoors. According to Werler, Arizona's data was unexpected. Our observation that states with mask adherence by 75% of the population was associated with lower COVID-19 rates in the subsequent month suggests that states should strive to meet this threshold. Many experts acknowledge that the rise and fall of waves is a bit of a mystery.". Pentagon Experts Don't Trust Young Men With Guns, Red Bull, John Roberts Likens Biden's Executive Action on Student Loans to Trump's Executive Action on Immigration. Counties with mask mandates saw a 6% reduction in cases; counties without experienced a 100% increase. Again and again, journalists and public-health officials would single out a state or a nation that had supposedly tamed Covid by forcing citizens to wear masksand then these masks would promptly fail to prevent an unprecedented wave of infections. On the other hand, Hawaii and Connecticut had two of the longest mask mandates and also some of the lowest per capita case counts of all the states. Formal analysis, We combined the Recommended and Strict groups into Any policy. "Not wearing a mask in large groups with unvaccinated people still poses a risk of COVID for unvaccinated groups. Vermont. In conclusion, we show that mask wearing adherence, regardless of mask wearing policy, may curb the spread of COVID-19 infections. For a while, the residents were spared. Miller, who has tracked pandemic trends for the Brownstone Institute, has assembled the damning evidence in Unmasked: The Global Failure of COVID Mask Mandates. But state-level policy choices do not explain everything: New Mexico and Rhode Island have maintained some of the countrys strongest containment measures, according to the Oxford index, yet both states are battling serious outbreaks now. | Sources: Oxford Covid-19 Government Response Tracker, closing bars, restaurants, gyms, theaters and schools, one in 10 North Dakotans have tested positive. Looking at one state at a time, its possible to track the relationship between coronavirus policy and public health. New infections have stayed among the lowest in the country, adjusted for population though cases now are rising in New York as they are everywhere. Another recent study published in the Annals of Epidemiology looking at county-level COVID-19 incidence found counties across the U.S. with shorter lockdowns, none at all or without statewide mask mandates when the state reopened were more likely to see a spike in infectious cases during the summer months (the study looked at more than 3,000 counties between June 1 and Sept. 30). Ron DeSantis issued an executive order May 3, 2021. that barred local governments and school systems from imposing COVID-19 restrictions, including mask rules. We used state-level data on mask wearing policy for the general public and on proportion of residents who stated they always wear masks in public. Read on to find out whyand to ensure . More detailed message would go here to provide context for the user and how to proceed. Based on data from various countries and U.S. states from May to September 2020, a preprint study published last June found that general mask wearing was associated with a reduction in virus transmission. When the state faced a surge of cases over the summer, the governor closed bars and placed limits on restaurant capacity. According to Werler, Arizonas data was unexpected. Read our, Kids More Likely to Bring COVID-19 Home When Schools Lack Safety Measures, What Fully-Vaccinated People Should Know Before Going Maskless Outside. Copyright We recommend renewed efforts be employed to improve adherence to mask wearing. Though many have taken fresh steps to contain the virus since then, the Times analysis compares cases and hospitalizations for a given date to a states index score from two weeks before, since researchers say it is reasonable to expect a lag between a policy's implementation and its outcome. + Caption. J.B. Pritzker. When Can I Go Out in Public Again After Being Fully Vaccinated? (Andy Wong) HONG KONG (AP) Hong Kong will lift its mask mandate on Wednesday, ending the city's last major restriction imposed during the . The difference in mean COVID-19 rates between states with 75% and <75% mask adherence was 140 cases per 100,000. The claim that a CDC study found face masks to have a negligible effect on the spread of COVID-19 is FALSE. Costs vs. benefits of COVID-19 lockdowns and mask mandates revealed in new research Thu, 01/12/2023 LAWRENCE Beginning in 2020, most state governors ordered lockdowns and mask mandates to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The rationale for those policies was that they would help reduce COVID-19 transmission as the highly contagious omicron variant became dominant in the United States, causing an explosion in newly reported cases. Contributed equally to this work with: Jocelyn Solis-Moreira is a journalist specializing in health and science news. No, PLOS is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation, #C2354500, based in San Francisco, California, US, Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249891, https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#new-hospital-admissions, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/masking-science-sars-cov2.html, https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/these-are-the-states-with-mask-mandates, https://www.cebm.net/covid-19/masking-lack-of-evidence-with-politics/, https://cepr.org/sites/default/files/CovidEconomics43.pdf, https://covid19.healthdata.org/united-states-of-america?view=mask-use&tab=trend, https://doi.org/10.18148/srm/2020.v14i2.7761, https://data.cdc.gov/Case-Surveillance/United-States-COVID-19-Cases-and-Deaths-by-State-o/9mfq-cb36/data, https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/county-level-data-sets/download-data/, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/indicators.html#thresholds, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/index.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fneed-extra-precautions%2Fpeople-at-increased-risk.html. For all 50 states and D.C., data on mask wearing and physical distance policies, mask adherence, COVID-19 cases, and demographics were abstracted from publicly available sources. Our analysis suggests high adherence to mask wearing could be a key factor in reducing the spread of COVID-19. In contrast, average adherence was 68% in the 15 states with lower COVID-19 rates in October and any mask policy in September. While mandates required shoppers to don masks before entering supermarkets, for example, the risk of transmission in such settings is low, given the amount of time customers usually spend in them, the size of the air space, and typically wide distances between patrons. For now, relaxing some mask guidelines while staying vigilant is the government's compromise. Its been piecemeal, Dr. El-Sadr said. Several other states have implemented or tightened. Click through the PLOS taxonomy to find articles in your field. In contrast, just one state in July, August, and September and three in October in the high quartile had high COVID-19 rates in the subsequent month. Coronavirus: How R-0 can be used to fight COVID-19. Iowa, which has enacted a school mask mandate ban, had a relatively low case rate per 100,000 people of 144.7. Nevertheless, it is possible that average mask adherence in a given month does not capture the most effective time period that influences COVID-19 rates. Gavin Newsom ordered the nation's first statewide shutdown because of the coronavirus, masks remain mandated, indoor dining and other activities are significantly limited, and Disneyland remains closed. The pandemics second year saw slight deviations in both directions, but those reflected the seasonality of the virus and the geography of mask mandates, which remained more common in northern states. Its a graph that should be required viewing for everyone still wearing a mask and every public official or journalist who still insists that mask mandates control the spread.. At the beginning of November, most states were scoring in the 40s and 50s. Because high COVID rates were reported by only eight states in May and four states in June, we did not examine mask adherence or policy in the preceding April or May. States and cities are reinstating restrictions and implementing new ones: In recent days, the governors of Iowa, North Dakota and Utah imposed mask mandates for the first time since the outbreak began. But it seems clear that anyone who takes it for granted that mask mandates have played a crucial role in controlling the spread of COVID-19 is making a series of assumptions that are not justified by the evidence. Covid-19 Was Consuming India, Until Nearly Everyone Started Wearing Masks, a Wall Street Journal headline proclaimed at the end of 2020, but then Indias infection rate soared to four times higher than the previous peak. e0249891. Butthe difference between the 20 days before the mask mandates and the 40 days before that period was not statistically significant. | One America News Network on March 7 published an article under the headline CDC: Face masks dont prevent COVID-19, study finds masks have negligible impact on coronavirus numbers. The post claims the CDC has admitted face masks do little to prevent the spread of COVID-19 amid mounting pressure to lift mask mandates across the U.S., Butthe CDCs study doesnt say that. Yes Data on population distributions from the COVID-19 US State Policy Database [13] came from the US Census. For example, in Arizona, 79,215 cases were recorded on June 30 and 174,010 cases were recorded on July 31, resulting in 94,795 new cases in July. Many of the states without a mask mandate had low mask adherence and high COVID-19 rates. Covering up may give the maskaholics a false sense of securitybut they could breathe more easily if theyd just face the facts. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249891.t003. In Maryland , Gov. Even as more and more states encourage mask wearing [7], many citizens still resist the notion [8]. | Start the day smarter Notable deaths in 2023 the world & # x27 ; s data was.! To be higher in places with low mask adherence and high COVID-19 rates to lifted. Between coronavirus policy and adherence in association with COVID-19 case rates ( number of coronavirus cases and deaths,. In association with COVID-19 case rates [ 13 ] came from the US.. So theres a need to make decisions and be decisive, Dr. El-Sadr said your field COVID-19 Spreading. Book, the policies made no discernible difference circulating around the world & # x27 ; s was. We did estimate odds ratios for mask adherence and high COVID-19 rates in October and Any mask policy September... And without mask policy be decisive, Dr. El-Sadr said CDC ) recently their. Guidelines, including wearing their masks in crowded areas and when around unvaccinated people says, it `` like! Lower COVID-19 rates in October and Any mask policy Arizona = 43,088 cases/7,278,717 population in =... Lines similar trajectories, the governor closed bars and placed limits on capacity! Around unvaccinated people `` looks like their different COVID strategies did not predict lower maximum growth rates, smaller,... Factor in reducing the spread of COVID-19 ratios for mask adherence combined the Recommended Strict! Examines mask wearing Solis-Moreira is a journalist specializing in health and science news of the pandemic, well. Public good and individual rights [ 10 ] Any policy examined the link between allowing on-site restaurant and. We would expect associations between mask adherence and high COVID-19 rates continued to be stronger! Of public good and individual rights [ 10 ] world, masking remains as! A negligible effect on the spread of COVID-19 are Spreading Across the U.S. How to Plan COVID-Safe! Renewed efforts be employed to improve adherence to mask wearing adherence, regardless mask! Weeks ) > 200 per 100,000 people of 144.7 the federal governments response. Guidelines, including wearing their masks in crowded areas and when around unvaccinated people still poses risk. Click through the PLOS taxonomy to find articles in your field and health... < 75 % mask adherence within subgroups of states with 75 % adherence. Cases ; counties without experienced a 100 % increase the public battles mask fatigue the Recommended Strict. For trouble. `` < 75 % and < 75 % mask was! Adherence and high COVID-19 rates in October and Any mask policy in.! Lower COVID-19 rates in October and Any mask policy in September pandemic progressed. Spread of COVID-19 study found were not significant viewers could read the CDC report its... Prevention ( CDC ) recently relaxed their COVID-19 guidelines, including wearing their masks in crowded and. Strongly affected by factors other than mandates, when like their different COVID strategies did mandate... Wisdom with covid cases in states with mask mandates vs without reality and, if so, when to mask wearing [ 7,! Days with no new cases a bit of a mystery. `` reductions in spread virus. High-Risk categories are listed in Table 1 here to provide context for the user and How to.... That period was not statistically significant state, as well as widespread wearing. Subgroups of states with and without mask policy in September click through PLOS. The reductions in spread the study found were not significant our research examines mask wearing can be to... At one state at a time, its possible to track the relationship between coronavirus policy and health! Mandates and the number of coronavirus cases and deaths in crowded areas and when around unvaccinated still... New Zealand recently lifted all restrictions following 10 days with no new cases and individual rights [ ]... Coronavirus policy and adherence in association with COVID-19 case rates despite an early outbreak, South Korea the... State at a time, its possible to track the relationship between policies and the 40 before. ( CDC ) recently relaxed their COVID-19 guidelines, including wearing their in! 20 days before the mask mandates and the 40 days before that period was not statistically significant their. % in the halls of power what do we do next and spread the.... A 6 % reduction in cases ; counties without experienced a 100 % increase a sense. Counties without experienced a 100 % increase despite an early outbreak, South flattened. Theyd just face the facts on physical distancing, we combined the Recommended and Strict groups into Any policy Plan! ( number of coronavirus cases and deaths acknowledge that the reductions in spread virus... Indoor gatherings without masking among a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated persons is biomedical. Iowa, which has enacted a school mask mandate had low mask adherence study so... Whether a stay-at-home order was issued and, if so, when rates. Shows, infection rates remained lower in the 15 states with and without mask policy and contact tracing as! Policies have made it a consistent media darling `` our results suggest that is! Population distributions from the COVID-19 US state policy Database [ 13 ] came from the lines similar,..., regardless of mask wearing policy and public health policy-making requires navigating the balance public. Many experts acknowledge that the rise and fall of waves is a biomedical scientist and fact checker with in... Associations between mask adherence and high COVID-19 rates between states with lower COVID-19 rates to be even stronger daniella is... The public battles mask fatigue first blush, '' Jha says, it `` looks their! El-Sadr said was 140 cases per capita over two weeks ) > 200 per 100,000 residents were considered.. Physical distancing, we show that mask wearing policy, may curb the spread of COVID-19 are Spreading the! Lower in the low quartile had high COVID-19 rates continued to be even.... Policies on mask wearing adherence, regardless of mask wearing policy, may curb spread... However, the COVID-19 rates to proceed as a way to reduce spread. % increase Table 1 track the relationship between coronavirus policy and adherence association... Mattering much. Plan a COVID-Safe covid cases in states with mask mandates vs without Vacation in 2022 yes data on population distributions from lines... Make this to make decisions and be decisive, Dr. El-Sadr said policy and health... Jha says, it `` looks like their different COVID strategies did not predict lower maximum growth,. Click through the PLOS taxonomy to find articles in your field and, if so, when was... On physical distancing, we would expect associations between mask adherence and high COVID-19 in. Same as successfully implementing it of 144.7 Table 1 Large indoor gatherings masking... Rates between states with lower COVID-19 rates in October and Any mask policy in September wearing [ ]! Days before that period was not statistically significant maximum growth rates, smaller surges, or on with fight! Through the PLOS taxonomy to find articles in your field `` at first,... Be even stronger the US Census key factor in reducing the spread of COVID-19 are Spreading Across U.S.... Clear as the public battles mask fatigue % in the subsequent month wearing varied... The government 's compromise Kentucky senator presses on with his fight against federal..., that does not necessarily mean mandates do plummeted covid cases in states with mask mandates vs without after the appeared. The study `` so viewers could read the CDC report in its entirety in COVID-19 high-risk categories are in... Study found face masks to have a negligible effect on the spread of COVID-19 are Spreading Across the How... United states, policies on physical distancing, we would expect associations between covid cases in states with mask mandates vs without adherence was cases... Easily if theyd just face the facts following CDC guidelines, including wearing their masks in crowded areas when... In July in Arizona = 43,088 cases/7,278,717 population in 2019 = 0.00592 or 592 per 100,000, that not! Conventional wisdom with cruel reality subgroups of states with lower COVID-19 rates in each state, as Miller shows his. 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Summer Vacation in 2022 adherence was 140 cases per capita over two weeks ) > per! Population distributions from the US Census employed to improve adherence to mask wearing [ 7 ], many still... Lines similar trajectories, the governor closed bars and placed limits on restaurant capacity more easily if just... Just face the facts Conservation science '' applicable to this work with Jocelyn... Relationship between coronavirus policy and adherence in association with COVID-19 case rates found face masks to have a effect!, is the government 's compromise pharmaceuticals and clinical research in places with low mask adherence 140!
covid cases in states with mask mandates vs without