Coronavirus: Mask Can Save Life in This Winter
A new model study shows that if 95% of Americans wear masks in public, by February 2021, more than 100,000 lives can be saved from death due to the new Coronavirus.
The study conducted by the New Coronavirus Prediction Group of the University of Washington Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation pointed out that as of September 21, only about 49% of U.S. residents reported that they “always” wear masks in public.
The study, published on Friday in the journal Natural Medicine, shows that if the proportion of wearing masks remains at 49% by February, and states continue to abolish social distancing regulations, then by February 28, the United States The total death toll from the new Coronavirus may reach 1 million.
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However, assuming that states lock down the economy when the daily death rate reaches 8 deaths per 1 million people, but the state of wearing masks remains unchanged, the model of the study predicts that by February 28, the total number of deaths may reach 511,373 people.
According to research, if 95% of people in each state wear masks, and each state resumes social distancing orders when the daily death rate reaches 8 deaths per 1 million people, this will reduce the number of deaths to a minimum-by February 28 On the day, the death toll was 381,798.
In this study, researchers analyzed data on confirmed cases and deaths of the new Coronavirus in the United States from February 1 to September 21. This analysis and other factors, such as the seasonality of pneumonia, detection rates, and mask usage, help provide the model with information that predicts the epidemic to February 28.
The study has some limitations, including that the results of the study are only the predictions of the model, not the future prospects.
IHME Director Dr. Chris Murray emphasized at a virtual press conference on Friday that the Institute’s weekly modeling forecasts provide more updated data than this study provides. However, this research still helps to understand the important role of wearing a mask.