WASHINGTON DC: A new study published in the journal Nature Medicine asserted that widespread mask use could prevent nearly 130,000 deaths from COVID-19 in the United States of America (USA) through next spring. The report, written by scientists, came out following a tweet by Dr Scott W. Atlas, the US President’s science advisor, saying that masks are ineffective. The tweet was later taken down and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidance recommending mask use in public spheres, including public transportation.
The USA has witnessed a surge of infections and casualties driven in part by the neglect of safety precautions. The hospitals in the nation have begun overwhelming with cases. Last week, on October 22, the USA recorded the second-highest number of new cases since the pandemic began. Dr Christopher Murray, Director, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, said, “These numbers are likely to continue through the fall and winter, with a steady rise in cases and deaths until January and staying high after that point.”
The study came up with a rough estimate of the pandemic’s toll to be 500,000 deaths in the USA by March 2021. Dr Murray added, “We strongly believe we are heading into a pretty grim winter season.” Dr Murray and his colleagues analyzed the number of cases, testing rates, mask use and cellphone data from the first recorded case in each state through September 21 to estimate people’s movement. This study comes out as a wake-up call for action in the USA, reflecting on the devastation that this pandemic is causing.
The study showed that mask use, in particular, has a considerable impact, cutting down the risk of infection at both an individual and population level by half. Dr Murray believed that mask mandates and penalties for not wearing masks can raise the numbers of wearing face coverings. Dr Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said, “If people are not wearing masks, then maybe we should be mandating.”