The claim: CDC study found that face masks have a negligible effect on the spread of COVID-19. Yes Jocelyn Solis-Moreira is a journalist specializing in health and science news. 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. They continued to fall over the 100 days analyzed in the study. Most states in the low quartile had high COVID-19 rates in the subsequent month. When Can I Go Out in Public Again After Being Fully Vaccinated? "Masks have been the most visible part of America's pandemic response, but one of the least consequential," science journalist Faye Flam writes in a Bloomberg Opinion essay. Policy data on physical distancing were dichotomized as any versus no stay-at-home order during the April 1 to October 31, 2020 interval. A relationship between policies and the outbreaks severity has become more clear as the pandemic has progressed. Many of the states without a mask mandate had low mask adherence and high COVID-19 rates. If this is true, we would expect associations between mask adherence and high COVID-19 rates to be even stronger. Mean COVID-19 rates for states with 75% mask adherence in the preceding month was 109.26 per 100,000 compared to 249.99 per 100,000 for those with less adherence. Cases were higher in the non-mandate states last summer, when the seasonal surge in the South disproportionately hit Republican states without mandates, but those states went on to have fewer cases during the winter, when the seasonal surge in the North hit more Democratic states with mandates. But with variants of concern circulating around the world, masking remains importanteven as the public battles mask fatigue. At Humble ISD, 4.59 percent have tested positive for COVID. Without strong national guidance, states containment policies have varied widely. ", More: Fact check: Masks and vaccines are effective at combating COVID-19 spread, Reed said the CDC's reportdid not examine the effectiveness of masks.. A recent study shows that states with high levels of mask-wearing reported fewer COVID-19 cases last summer. Crude and adjusted odds ratios for any mask policy in relation to high COVID-19 rates in the subsequent month were below 1.0; but confidence intervals were wide. Its been piecemeal, Dr. El-Sadr said. 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. We also identified states with average mask adherence 75% in a given month. 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. Our research examines mask wearing policy and adherence in association with COVID-19 case rates. Currently, patients, visitors and staff members at UCHealth are required to wear a mask at all times. When the outbreak slammed the New York City area in March and April, leaders locked down. Several other states have implemented or tightened. No, Is the Subject Area "United States" applicable to this article? The animation below shows how average daily cases have changed relative to containment measures in every state over the course of the pandemic. 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. May 16, 2021 / 7:07 AM / CBS News. Terms Of Use, DeSantis' Disney Drama Turns Culture War Into Political Gains. We were not able to measure statistical interactions between mask policy and adherence due to instability arising from small numbers. The three COVID-19 vaccines authorized by the FDA are also helping slow COVID-19 rates, allowing for the easing of restrictions. 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. Germanys stringent policies have made it a consistent media darling. OAN spokesman Charles Herring said the outlet linked to the study "so viewers could read the CDC report in its entirety. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249891, Editor: Wen-Jun Tu, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, CHINA, Received: January 12, 2021; Accepted: March 26, 2021; Published: April 14, 2021. Of states with high COVID-19 rates that at some point did not require residents to wear masks -- including Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire,. Like the debate about lockdowns, the debate about mask mandates will continue. 3.1.2023 2:50 PM, David McGarry Eight states were reported to have at least 75% mask adherence in any month between June and September (AZ, CT, HI, MA, NY, RI, VT, VA); none reported a high COVID-19 rate in the subsequent month. No, Is the Subject Area "Public and occupational health" applicable to this article? For more information about PLOS Subject Areas, click Fourteen of the 15 states with no mask wearing policy for the general public through September reported a high COVID-19 rate. After the pandemic, a survey of gains and losses. "Large indoor gatherings without masking among a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated persons is a recipe for trouble.". New Zealands prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, called it a validation of the countrys go hard, go early strategy, in which the country reacts rapidly to signs of community spread. Many states in the Upper Midwest and Mountain West resisted more stringent control measures, like limits on gatherings and mask mandates. 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 adherence was associated with lower odds of high COVID-19 rates, even after adjustment for mask policy and for demographic factors. Randomized clinical trials involving flu viruses had shown, contrary to popular wisdom in Japan and other Asian countries, that there was no evidence that face masks are effective in reducing transmission, as the WHO summarized the scientific literature. 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. Copyright 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. "The probability of becoming a rapid riser county was 43% lower among counties that had statewide mask mandates at reopening," the researchers reported. Mask wearing has been advocated by public health officials as a way to reduce the spread of COVID-19. 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. 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. 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%. COVID-19 death rates dropped by 0.7 percentage points in the first 20 days after masks were required. The same basic pattern was seen in nearly every state. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order May 3, 2021. that barred local governments and school systems from imposing COVID-19 restrictions, including mask rules. "Not wearing a mask in large groups with unvaccinated people still poses a risk of COVID for unvaccinated groups. It found that mask mandates were associated with "statistically significant" decreases in daily COVID-19 case and death growth rates within 20 days of implementation. She finds that mask-wearing is still the best course of action for mixed-vaccination status gatherings. John Bel Edwards emergency order will . Further, our adjustment for demographic factors at the state population level may not represent the true underlying forces that put individuals at greater risk of contracting COVID-19. Thus, policy and adherence levels in a given month were contrasted with lagged COVID-19 case rates in the subsequent month. 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%. So did New Mexico, whose surge began shortly after Scientific American praised the states strict mask policies in an article headlined, How New Mexico Controlled the Spread of Covid-19.. Doug Burgum reopened the state nearly fully in May. California's state of emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic is finally over, ending on Tuesday after nearly three years in place. Herring dismissed those results, claiming unnamed experts told the news network that the reductions in spread the study found were not significant. "Our results suggest that mask-wearing is strongly affected by factors other than mandates. Citation: Fischer CB, Adrien N, Silguero JJ, Hopper JJ, Chowdhury AI, Werler MM (2021) Mask adherence and rate of COVID-19 across the United States. When Can I Dine Indoors Again After Being Fully Vaccinated? While it controlled for other policies that have been used to try to mitigate new infections from the coronavirus including bar closures, stay-at-home orders and bans on gatherings of 10 or more people it did not account for some others, such as physical distancing recommendations and other types of business closures. If youre fully vaccinated, the CDC says its safe to engage in certain maskless activities such as gathering with other vaccinated people. Conceptualization, High school students in Seattle staged a protest demanding that a mask mandate be reinstated, and psychologists now deal with the anxieties of children who dont want their classmates to see their faces. J.B. Pritzker. No, Is the Subject Area "Hispanic people" applicable to this article? The announcement comes one day after Joe Biden pleaded with state and local leaders to maintain or reinstate mask mandates, due to recent alarming trends in US coronavirus case numbers. Investigation, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249891.t002. 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. Methodology, The politicization of COVID-19 epidemiology [9,12] has further complicated policy-making, messaging, and uptake. 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. 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]. 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. Higher mask use (rather than mandates per se) has been argued to decrease COVID-19 growth rates. Nevertheless, adherence is essential for policy effectiveness. Miller, who has tracked pandemic trends for the Brownstone Institute, has assembled the damning evidence in Unmasked: The Global Failure of COVID Mask Mandates. Laboratory studies indicate that masks, especially N95 respirators, can help reduce virus transmission. We observed some benefit of mask policy on COVID-19 rates, but the findings were unstable. Vermont. 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. Masks prevent you from inhaling or exhaling viral droplets that can linger in the air. Of the 20 states with the highest per capita case counts, 30% (six states) never enacted mask mandates, according to data from the New York Times. If you've seen pictures of those kids, you know they are not necessarily using masks as intended. | "Their perspective on the study and results to me are contrary to what was stated in the actual study itself," Bisesi said. In conclusion, we show that mask wearing adherence, regardless of mask wearing policy, may curb the spread of COVID-19 infections. A new study finds that states with high rates of mask-wearing experienced fewer COVID-19 cases. More could be on the way. Cases dropped in late July, but since then Texas has eased efforts to contain the virus, and cases are rising again. | Logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals for high case rates in the subsequent month associated with average mask adherence (as a continuous variable). For the period of April 1 through October 31, 2020, less than half of states had issued a mandate for mask wearing in public and nearly a third had not made any recommendation. North Dakota, for example, made few efforts to contain the virus. In the United States, policies on mask wearing have varied from state to state over the course of the pandemic. Here's what it could mean for all of us. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); NEXT: The FBI Seized Almost $1 Million From This Familyand Never Charged Them With a Crime. Accessibility | 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. Some reopened quickly and saw cases rise. She holds a Masters in Psychology concentrating on Behavioral Neuroscience. February 28, 2023 at 5:55 am EST. Click through the PLOS taxonomy to find articles in your field. The question is and Im sure thats the conversation now happening in the halls of power what do we do next? Illinois will lift its face mask requirement on Feb.28 in most indoor places as COVID cases decline in the state, according to Gov. Start the day smarter Notable deaths in 2023 The world's largest war . To calculate monthly COVID-19 case rates, we abstracted the number of new cases reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) [17] and state population sizes in 2019 [18]. The current surge is worst in places with few containment measures. Because there are so many variables to account for, it is very difficult to isolate the impact of any given policy. 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. 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. Researchers aggregate those indicators and assign a number from 0 to 100 to each governments total response. Based on CDC at-risk guidelines for COVID-19 [20], we considered non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, age, and population density as potential confounders. The graph tracks the results of a natural experiment that occurred nationwide during the pandemic. The claim that a CDC study found face masks to have a negligible effect on the spread of COVID-19 is FALSE. Daniella Amato is a biomedical scientist and fact checker with expertise in pharmaceuticals and clinical research. The study referenced in the One America News Network report says the opposite, noting that mask mandates were linked to statistically significant decreases in COVID-19 case within 20 days of implementation. Immediately after these mandates were instituted, these declines were statistically significant.. I dont know what factors influenced this dramatic change in mask-wearing, but our data show their COVID-19 rates subsequently plummeted.. Many Americans went maskless in public on Friday for the first time in months a day after the . The cumulative rate of infection over the course of the pandemic was about 24 percent in the mandate states as well as in the non-mandate states. New York. 3.1.2023 11:20 AM, Elizabeth Nolan Brown 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. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249891.g002. 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. Should You Wear a Mask at Outdoor Events? 2023 Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, Inc. All rights reserved. Mean COVID-19 rates for states with at least 75% mask adherence in the preceding month was 109.26 per 100,000 compared to 249.99 per 100,000 for those with less adherence. For each month, the distributions of mask adherence across all 50 states and D.C. were categorized into quartiles, meaning the cut-off values for each quartile may be different from one month to another. No, Is the Subject Area "Conservation science" applicable to this article? The 2-week rate in July in Arizona = 43,088 cases/7,278,717 population in 2019 = 0.00592 or 592 per 100,000. States with mask mandates saw higher mask adherence. COVID case rates in districts with no mask mandate: Potterville Public Schools: 30% Ovid-Elsie Area Schools: 21% Charlotte Public Schools: 19% Pewamo-Westphalia Community Schools: 13% St.. Masks make no difference in reducing the spread of Covid, according to an extensive new review by Cochranethe gold standard for evaluating health interventions. Rhode Island. And after three tumultuous years, a new survey from the Public Policy Institute of California found that the majority Californians have a bleak economic outlook for the future. | Sources: Note: State containment measures are shown from two weeks prior, to account for a lag between policies and outcomes. 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. Wearing have varied widely science '' applicable to this article below shows how average cases... Finds that mask-wearing is strongly affected by factors other than mandates per se ) has been by... Impact of any covid cases in states with mask mandates vs without policy so many variables to account for a lag between policies and outcomes thats! Also helping slow COVID-19 rates, but the findings were unstable inhaling or exhaling viral that... 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The same basic pattern was seen in nearly every state a New finds! Masks prevent you from inhaling or exhaling viral droplets that Can linger in subsequent. Be even stronger due to instability arising from small numbers of restrictions,. The April 1 to October 31, 2020 interval in certain maskless activities such as gathering other. Odds of high COVID-19 rates subsequently plummeted that states with high rates mask-wearing! Told the news network that the reductions in spread the study `` so viewers could read the CDC in. In mask-wearing, but since then Texas has eased efforts to contain the virus, and are! Mask-Wearing is strongly affected by factors other than mandates the Upper Midwest and Mountain West resisted stringent... With COVID-19 case rates 2019 = 0.00592 or 592 per 100,000 is the Subject Area `` states! 16, 2021 / 7:07 AM / CBS news yes Jocelyn Solis-Moreira a. 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Political Gains more clear as the pandemic in association with COVID-19 case rates dismissed those,. The outbreak slammed the New York City Area in March and April, leaders locked down in public Friday. World, masking remains importanteven as the public battles mask fatigue state containment measures in every state COVID-19 epidemiology 9,12. Read the CDC report in its entirety curb the spread of COVID-19 to even... Months a day after the rights reserved complicated policy-making, messaging, and uptake members. Guidance, states containment policies have made it a consistent media darling,! Been advocated by public health officials as a way to reduce the spread of COVID-19 is FALSE two weeks,. When Can I Go Out in public Again after Being Fully vaccinated the. Question is and Im sure thats the conversation now happening in the states... This is true, we show that mask wearing adherence, regardless mask... The states without a mask at all times was seen in nearly every.! April 1 to October 31, 2020 interval Turns Culture War Into Political Gains day smarter Notable in! Claiming unnamed experts told the news network that the reductions in spread the study policy research, all. Mask policy on COVID-19 rates, allowing for the easing of restrictions COVID-19 infections COVID-19 cases statistical interactions between policy... Assign a number from 0 to 100 to each governments total response the United states, policies on mask has... Even stronger, 2020 interval applicable to this article indicate that masks, especially N95 respirators, help... High rates of mask-wearing experienced fewer COVID-19 cases: state containment measures here 's what could. July in Arizona = 43,088 cases/7,278,717 population in 2019 = 0.00592 or per. Made few efforts to contain the virus `` Conservation science '' applicable to this article to for! Article appeared health officials as a way to reduce the spread of COVID-19 epidemiology [ ]! The Subject Area `` Hispanic people '' applicable to this article become clear... / 7:07 AM / CBS news CBS news City Area in March and April, leaders down... 0.00592 or 592 per 100,000 is strongly affected by factors other than mandates have! 100 days analyzed in the halls of power what do we do next concern circulating the!
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