Is the Subject Area "COVID 19" applicable to this article? 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. The politicization of COVID-19 epidemiology [9,12] has further complicated policy-making, messaging, and uptake. 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. We calculated the average mask use percentage by month for AprilSeptember, 2020. Outbreaks are comparatively smaller in states where efforts to contain the virus were stronger over the summer and fall potential good news for leaders taking action now. The strongest association was for mask adherence in September; for every 1% increase in average adherence, the odds of a high COVID-19 case rate decreased by 26%. Note: State containment measures are shown from two weeks prior, reflecting what experts say is a lag between new policies and results. Coronavirus: How R-0 can be used to fight COVID-19. Parents have pushed for the mask mandate to be lifted for a number of reasons. 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. We thank Drs. When mask adherence dropped in September, COVID-19 cases increased in October. here. States with a 75% minimum mask adherence reported about 109.26 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents compared to the average of 249.99 per 100,000 residents in states with low mask adherence. "At first blush," Jha says, it "looks like their different COVID strategies did not end up mattering much." But there are still settings where wearing your mask is crucial. As COVID-19 cases continue to drop nationwide, 49 out of 50 states had relaxed their indoor mask mandates as of this week. No, Is the Subject Area "United States" applicable to this article? Visualization, 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. "Large indoor gatherings without masking among a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated persons is a recipe for trouble.". Here's What's Safe and What You Should Avoid, How To Plan a COVID-Safe Gathering When Not Everyone Is Vaccinated. 2.18.2022 4:30 PM. We thank Dr. Julia Raifman Boston University School of Public Health for developing, maintaining, and providing open access to the COVID-19 US State Policy Database. In addition, Hawaii and Oregon, which have both implemented school mask. Our analysis suggests high adherence to mask wearing could be a key factor in reducing the spread of COVID-19. The study concluded that mask mandates and use are not associated with slower state-level Covid-19 spread during Covid-19 growth surges. The medias narrative about masks extended throughout the world. Eric Boehm 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. Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. No, Is the Subject Area "Public policy" applicable to this article? Fourteen of the 15 states with no mask wearing policy for the general public through September reported a high COVID-19 rate. 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. February 28, 2023. Mast mandates may be back on the table for states where the number of COVID cases are once again causing serious alarm for health officials. Mask wearing has been advocated by public health officials as a way to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Herring dismissed those results, claiming unnamed experts told the news network that the reductions in spread the study found were not significant. I think timing really matters for the decisions.. 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. Yes For example, mask wearing in the two weeks before rates begin to rise might be a more sensitive way to measure the association. Cases fell, and since then, New York has maintained some of the countrys strongest measures to contain the virus. 2023 Dotdash Media, Inc. All rights reserved, Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Our observed associations should influence policy-makers and contribute to public health messaging by government officials and the media that mask wearing is a key component of COVID-19 mitigation. J.B. Pritzker. Only one study examined the relationship between lifting mask mandates and population level COVID-19 outcomes, and observed a statistically significant increase in COVID-19 cases 45 days after lifting mask mandate in early 2021. 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. In contrast, allowing on . She holds a Masters in Psychology concentrating on Behavioral Neuroscience. Mask wearing has been advocated by public health officials as a way to reduce the spread of COVID-19 [35]. In Germany, by contrast, more than 80 percent did so, but look at the similar trajectories of the daily Covid death toll in both countries from the summer of 2020 through March of this year. One of the biggest problems in the United States so far has been the lack of a coherent, cohesive national response, said Wafaa El-Sadr, an epidemiologist at Columbia University. The pandemic planners at the United Kingdoms Department of Health had reached a similar conclusion: In line with the scientific evidence, the Government will not stockpile facemasks for general use in the community. Anthony Fauci acknowledged this evidence early in the pandemic, both in his public comments (Theres no reason to be walking around with masks, he told 60 Minutes) and in his private emails (I do not recommend you wear a mask, he told a colleague, explaining that masks were too porous to block the small Covid virus). States that have kept more control policies in a more consistent way New England states, for example have avoided a summer surge and are now having a smaller fall surge, as opposed to states that rolled them back very quickly like Florida or Texas, Mr. Hale said. Several other states have implemented or tightened. Among states and D.C. with no mask wearing policy, 50 to 73% had high COVID-19 rates in the subsequent month. 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. A June 2020 study published in the journal Health Affairs comparing COVID-19 growth rates before and after mask mandates in 15 states and Washington, D.C., found wearing masksled to a reduction in daily cases, especially over time. 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. In August 2020, the Congressional Research Service also wrote that federal constitutional precedents made it unlikely that the federal government could issue a national mask wearing mandate that applies to the states. Note: Cases and hospitalizations are data from Nov. 16. PLOS ONE promises fair, rigorous peer review, But the surge is worst now in places where leaders neglected to keep up forceful virus containment efforts or failed to implement basic measures like mask mandates in the first place, according to a New York Times analysis of data from the University of Oxford. Illinois will lift its face mask requirement on Feb.28 in most indoor places as COVID cases decline in the state, according to Gov. But "few studies assessed compliance to mask wearing policies or controlled for the possible influence of other preventive measures such as hand hygiene and physical distancing.". 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. 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. But despite an official infection rate that was virtually the same as California's, he adds, "Florida had 33% more deaths per capita than California" during the omicron surge. We utilized the COVID-19 US State Policy Database, created by Dr. Julia Raifman at Boston University School of Public Health [14], for policy and demographic information. We also identified states with average mask adherence 75% in a given month. Yes Variants of COVID-19 Are Spreading Across the U.S. How to Plan a COVID-Safe Summer Vacation in 2022. 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. "Lifting of mask mandates across the board without consideration of the caveats does open the opportunity for another wave," Werler says. R-0 may be the most important scientific term youve never heard of when it comes to stopping the coronavirus pandemic. We classified a state and D.C. as having a high case rate in a given month if a 2-week rate was >200 cases per 100,000 people, per CDC classifications of highest risk of transmission [19]. The lag between mask adherence measures and COVID-19 rates should reduce the chance of reverse causation, but high COVID-19 rates early in a month could affect mask adherence levels later in that month. Counties with mask mandates saw a 6% reduction in cases; counties without experienced a 100% increase. Copyright: 2021 Fischer et al. He adds that the two states "had nearly identical infection rates.". Many have also done the least to contain the virus. e0249891. Yes Despite an early outbreak, South Korea flattened the curve with aggressive testing and contact tracing, as well as widespread mask wearing. 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. 3.1.2023 9:15 AM, Joe Lancaster But even allowing for differences in testing rates, the similarity in case trends is striking. If youre still not convinced to take off the mask, consider one more graph from Miller. | Taiwan recently recorded 200 days without a new coronavirus case after its leaders focused on a speedy response and invested in mass testing and contact tracing. Conceptualization, As indicated on the graph, surveys during the pandemic showed that fewer than 10 percent of Swedes bothered to wear masks. "The probability of becoming a rapid riser county was 43% lower among counties that had statewide mask mandates at reopening," the researchers reported. Over the course of the pandemic, both Iowa and Florida have done better than the national average in measures of Covid mortality as well as overall excess mortality (the number of deaths more than normal from all causes). But there is little evidence that mask mandates had much to do with that drop. If this hasnt persuaded you to take off your mask, you can find lots more reasons in a book by Ian Miller, the data analyst who created the graph for City Journal. California's state of emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic is finally over, ending on Tuesday after nearly three years in place. 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]. 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. There's little evidence that mask mandates are the primary reason the pandemic waves eventually fallthough much of the outrage over lifting mandates is based on that assumption. 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. Thats a huge swing, Werler says. By Lauren Leatherby and Rich HarrisNov. Our website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Across these four months, the proportion of states with COVID rates in the high category were 19 (37%), 19 (37%), 20 (39%), and 32 (63%), respectively. Click through the PLOS taxonomy to find articles in your field. This association between high mask adherence and reduced COVID-19 rates should influence policy makers and public health officials to focus on ways to improve mask adherence across the population in order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. 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. When the outbreak slammed the New York City area in March and April, leaders locked down. In the United States, policies on mask wearing have varied from state to state over the course of the pandemic [6]. When Can I Visit a Friend's House After I'm Fully Vaccinated? The strongest real-world evidence in favor of general masking comes from a randomized trial in Bangladesh, which found that the use of surgical masks reduced symptomatic infections by 11 percent. Another consideration is that access to COVID-19 testing appears to vary from state to state [21]. A quarterly magazine of urban affairs, published by the Manhattan Institute, edited by Brian C. Anderson. Mask adherence was associated with lower odds of high COVID-19 rates, even after adjustment for mask policy and for demographic factors. You cansubscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here. Mask adherence was classified as low if in the lowest quartile and as high if in the highest quartile. But with variants of concern circulating around the world, masking remains importanteven as the public battles mask fatigue. broad scope, and wide readership a perfect fit for your research every time. 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. No, Is the Subject Area "Public and occupational health" applicable to this article? Even as more and more states encourage mask wearing [7], many citizens still resist the notion [8]. ", 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." Of note, there were no states with 75% in September. CNBC called the nations early Covid response a master class in science communication, and last fall it was praised for tightening its mask mandate in an Atlantic article, Four Measures That Are Helping Germany Beat Covid. Its stricter mandate early last year banished cloth masks, requiring surgical masks instead, and the states of Berlin and Bavaria went still further, requiring masks of N95 quality. Thats what this study was pursuing to try to answer,"said Michael Bisesi, vice dean and interim chair of environmental health sciences in Ohio State University's College of Public Health. Writing original draft, According to Werler, Arizonas data was unexpected. Though demographic factors were measured as proportions of the population, even if they were considered to be indicators for individual level characteristics, they do not denote an inherent biologic association with the outcome and more likely reflect structural inequities that lead to higher rates of infection in minoritized populations. Their cumulative rates of Covid mortality were virtually identical, too (in fact, there were slightly more deaths per capita in the states with mask mandates). He Kept Quiet. Former Arizona AG Found No Evidence of 2020 Election Fraud. The opposite was true for states with mandates. 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. 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The least to contain the virus reducing the spread of COVID-19 what covid cases in states with mask mandates vs without Safe what. Identified states with average mask adherence dropped in September, COVID-19 cases to! [ 21 ] South Korea flattened the curve with aggressive testing and contact tracing, as well as widespread wearing... Or electronic newspaper replica here the mask mandate to be lifted for a number of.... And what You Should Avoid, How to Plan a COVID-Safe Gathering covid cases in states with mask mandates vs without Everyone!
covid cases in states with mask mandates vs without