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Very Interesting Chart: Masks Work!

TNtoTaos

Angel Diva
I saw an interview last night with the researcher who published these results, and it really says it all. The Gov of KS declared a mask mandate in July, but the court struck it down, so only about 20 counties in KS decided to follow it. The two vertical red lines display the two wks that the mandate was in effect. Here are the results -- anyone with eyes and a brain can see what this tells us. For more info and the interview, click on the link.

'Natural experiment' paints clear picture: Masks work. Rachel Maddow shares a chart from researchers at the University of Kansas that compares average daily coronavirus cases over time between areas of Kansas with a mask mandate and areas with no mask mandate.
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
Mask have been in place locally here from months. As of 2 weeks ago, we have to wear them even in the office, unless were in our own separate office. And it's really hard to speak on the phone with them on...

Masks work. That's all.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Came across a summary of the various mask rules by state that was put together by AARP. Has concise notes for each state, plus links to official documents. See example for NY and NC below.

Even in the states with mask mandates, the issue lately seems to be that people are gathering with friends and family without masks because they don't really understand that someone without symptoms can be contagious for days. There are far more clusters (2-5 linked cases) or outbreaks (>5 linked cases) being detected that are related to social gatherings, as opposed to public settings such as restaurants, shopping malls, or hair/nail salons. Sports, weddings, funerals, and other situations where people are relaxing together are common hot spots in many states. That was true in the spring as well as community spread began in February, March, or April. But now most counties or states have enough contact tracing in place to detect clusters more quickly. Some post info about clusters on their Dashboard.

Last updated Oct. 22, 2020, AARP
State-by-State Guide to Face Mask Requirements
33 states and the District of Columbia mandate face-covering in public
https://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-living/info-2020/states-mask-mandates-coronavirus.html

Screen Shot 2020-10-29 at 10.48.49 AM.png

Screen Shot 2020-10-29 at 10.50.14 AM.png
 

contesstant

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I saw that chart and data yesterday. I'm so grateful this information is starting to get out there. I saw another study done by Vanderbilt that indicates the same: https://news.vumc.org/2020/10/27/st...larger-increase-in-covid-19-hospitalizations/

It truly IS common sense, although here in UT, it's not the prevailing attitude. That being said, it makes my decision to send my daughter back to the classroom a bit easier, because the schools are being strict about masks, and it seems to be keeping school outbreaks to a minimum.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
One of the early articles that showed how effective mask usage could be was about a hair salon in Missouri where two employees had COVID-19 in May. The masks helped customers from avoiding getting infected. But the story also showed that the employees weren't necessarily understanding the reason behind wearing a mask because they continued to work for a few days even after mild symptoms started.

The idea of wearing a mask to protect others is a bit confusing. As is a lot about how COVID-19 spreads.

July 14, NY Times
2 Stylists Had Coronavirus, but Wore Masks. 139 Clients Didn’t Fall Sick.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/14/health/coronavirus-hair-salon-masks.html
"Vigilant mask wearing might have spared nearly 140 people from catching the coronavirus at a hair salon in Missouri, according to a report published on Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In May, the people interacted with two hair stylists with confirmed coronavirus infections, but none ended up showing symptoms of Covid-19.

The team behind the study, which includes members of Missouri’s Springfield-Greene County Health Department, cannot be certain of all the factors that helped avert what might otherwise have been a disastrous outbreak. But policies instructing locals to cover their mouths and noses, put in place by the city of Springfield and by the salon where the stylists worked, Great Clips, appear to have played a substantial role in curbing the spread of disease.

“This really shows the power of face coverings, especially in indoor settings,” said Nadia Abuelezam, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Boston College who wasn’t involved in the study.

The findings reiterate what scientists have been saying for months: Face masks are an essential part of the disease-prevention tool kit, said Juan B. Gutiérrez, a mathematical biologist at the University of Texas at San Antonio who models coronavirus transmission, but wasn’t involved in the study. “If we get that message out to people consistently, we might be able to contain this.”

Both stylists fell ill in mid-May. But they continued to work with clients for about a week after they started to feel symptoms, said Kendra Findley, a researcher at the Springfield-Greene County Health Department and an author on the study.
. . ."
 

contesstant

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
^^ I remember that story, too.

I have decided I am going to probably use one of the Costco fabric masks, which fit me really well and are quite breathable, and put it over my neck gator. I tried a double thick balaclava today, and it still allows way too much air out.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Not really any new information, but the CDC published a brief report recently that pulls together the evidence that mask usage is highly effective when most, if not all, people are using face coverings consistently and correctly (covering mouth and nose). There are plenty of references for those who want to read the original scientific reports or journal articles. Some of the conclusions of the report are based on "observational and epidemiological studies" done since January 2020 in multiple countries.

Headlines this week point to the idea that this is the first time that the CDC has mentioned that a person wearing a decent face mask gets some level of protection. However, when it comes to cloth face masks reducing community spread is based on universal usage so that people who are infected are much less likely to infect someone else. In particular people who have no idea that they are shedding SARS-CoV-2 because they don't have any symptoms--yet--or mild symptoms that they think are due to another cause.

Nov. 10, CDC
Scientific Brief: Community Use of Cloth Masks to Control the Spread of SARS-CoV-2
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/masking-science-sars-cov2.html
" . . .
Conclusions
Experimental and epidemiological data support community masking to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2. The prevention benefit of masking is derived from the combination of source control and personal protection for the mask wearer. The relationship between source control and personal protection is likely complementary and possibly synergistic14, so that individual benefit increases with increasing community mask use. Further research is needed to expand the evidence base for the protective effect of cloth masks and in particular to identify the combinations of materials that maximize both their blocking and filtering effectiveness, as well as fit, comfort, durability, and consumer appeal. Adopting universal masking policies can help avert future lockdowns, especially if combined with other non-pharmaceutical interventions such as social distancing, hand hygiene, and adequate ventilation."
 

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