Masks reduce Covid-19 deaths, suggests study

The study is based on mask mandates and Covid-19 mortality across 44 countries in two continents between February 15 and May 31, 2020

Amid the scare of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus, a study has stated that masks can help reduce the Covid-19 deaths.

The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, found lower Covid-19 death rates in countries with stricter mask mandates compared to countries without mandates.

The mask mandates and Covid-19 mortality across 44 countries in two continents between February 15 to May 31, 2020, were examined among nearly one billion people in the process.

While the average Covid-19 mortality rate per million people was 288.54 in countries with no mask mandates, the countries that have mandated mask usage saw a mortality rate of 48.40.

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“While several studies before this have looked at the impact of masks on Covid-19 cases, fewer studies were focused on whether mask-wearing may reduce Covid-19 deaths, and no study had looked at the data across multiple countries,” lead investigator Sahar Motallebi, MD, MPH, from Malmo, Sweden, told ANI.

“The large sample of culturally diverse countries in this retrospective study covers a large population, giving us more evidence towards the life-saving potential of masks during the Covid-19 pandemic,” he added.

The study surveyed the top 50 countries of the UNDP Human Development Index ranking in 2019 "to improve the comparability of countries and reduce chances of selection bias". However, New Zealand, Australia, Chile, and Argentina were excluded ‘to avoid potential seasonality characteristics,’ and the United States and Canada were also not included as no unified national policy exists in the countries.

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The researchers examined 27 countries that had mask policies and 17 countries which did not, from Asia and Europe.

“Primarily, delays in vaccination continue to challenge health systems across the globe, and this work adds to evidence that before, and even after, full vaccination of the population face masks continue to be a preventive measure against Covid-19,” the research stated.

"Secondly, across variants, vaccines may reduce mortality but not necessarily morbidity, and face masks continue to protect against both,” the research concluded.

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