CDC study links masks to fewer COVID deaths

[sabra]

Source: The Hill

A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that mask mandates were linked to a decline in COVID-19 cases and deaths.

The study also found that allowing restaurant dining was linked to increases in cases and deaths.

...

The study examined the period March 1 to Dec. 31 of last year. It did not make a distinction between indoor and outdoor dining. Experts have long said outdoor dining is safer, given the ability of the virus to spread through poorly-ventilated indoor air.

The study provides additional empirical backing for mask mandates and limiting restaurant dining, at a time when some states are opening. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott this week ended his state's mask mandate, as did Mississippi's governor.

Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/541805-cdc-study-links-masks-to-fewer-covid-deaths

[underpants]

1. Hans?

[HUAJIAO]

2. DUH! Taiwan, Singapore, HK, South Korea and japan all knew this

a year ago......

Hell, China knew it....

[liberal N proud]

3. Most of us knew that

When I see someone not wearing a mask, I automatically assume they are a trump republican

[IronLionZion]

4. Masked liberals are more likely to survive this pandemic

in states that have lifted the mandate. Conservatives will spread it among themselves. We can only hope that essential workers stuck with conservatives will get vaccinated soon.

[Ziggysmom]

6. Darwin Award 🥇 goes to the dead conservatives LOL

[movingviolation]

10. A posthumous award, if you will.

[Ziggysmom]

5. All the dummy's who are anti-maskers:

Next time you have surgery, let’s have a party in the operating room during your procedure with no masks. How’d you like that?

[riversedge]

7. " Allowing on-premises restaurant dining was associated with an increase in 0.9%, 1.2% and 1.1% dail

Bars are the worse.





https://www.axios.com/cdc-ease-mask-mandates-covid-deaths-86bc6407-3664-4924-ae77-7f6ae93a523a.html


...............Why it matters: The report's findings converge with actions from governors this week easing mask mandates and announcing plans to reopen nonessential businesses like restaurants.

Top health officials over the past few weeks have repeatedly warned that the stagnant weekly case counts and the emergence of the new variants, stand to reverse any progress the U.S. has recently achieved.

The state of play: Mandating masks was associated with more than a 1% decrease in daily COVID-19 case and death growth rates after 20 days of implementation, the report says.

Allowing on-premises restaurant dining was associated with an increase in 0.9%, 1.2% and 1.1% daily COVID-19 case growth rates 41–100 days after implementation and an increase in daily death growth rates 61–100 days after implementation.

[roamer65]

8. Texas is about to become a SARS-CoV-2 hell.

I bet we get to 1,000,000 by the end of the year.

[movingviolation]

9. Republicans maturely with their fingers in their ears singing la-la-la I can't hear you.

They don't even have the brains to feel shame at their own stupidity.

[TexasBushwhacker]

11. A relatively mild flu season too!

[Deminpenn]

12. Pretty good study, but here are the limitations

as cited in the report at https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7010e3.htm?s_cid=mm7010e3_w#T1_down

The findings in this report are subject to at least three limitations. First, although models controlled for mask mandates, restaurant and bar closures, stay-at-home orders, and gathering bans, the models did not control for other policies that might affect case and death rates, including other types of business closures, physical distancing recommendations, policies issued by localities, and variances granted by states to certain counties if variances were not made publicly available. Second, compliance with and enforcement of policies were not measured. Finally, the analysis did not differentiate between indoor and outdoor dining, adequacy of ventilation, and adherence to physical distancing and occupancy requirements.

It's interesting that masks really did not make that much of a difference overall, less than 2%. Not too surprising given that the type of cloth mask most Americans use is by the CDC's own definition not very effective at stopping the very small droplets of SARS-CoV2.

Also, there is no real explanation for the increase in deaths nearly 3 months out on the restaurant data chart and table. Possibly because that period co-incided with the Fall season when seasonal deaths tend to increase.

Jmho, but the biggest problem was their inability to account for physical distancing. To me, that is the most significant factor in whether or not a person gets sick - from any illness transmitted through the air.

[torius]

14. The 2% percent mask-mandate decrease is per DAY

and so are the increases from restaurant dining, etc. they are talking about. That's a lot, and it's exponential as well--they are percentages so we can't see the exponential aspect, which would show in the underlying numbers.

[Deminpenn]

16. Chart looks cumulative to me, but in any event

the biggest problem with all these mask studies is that there are just too many variables to isolate one specific action as causing an increase or decrease. This study does a pretty good job of trying to control variables with the available data and seems to make reasonable assumptions, but the biggest uncontrolled variable is social distancing. To me, studies just cannot leave that out and then make a definitive conclusion. This study doesn't actually do that because it does caveat its limitations, but it's going to be taken as a definitive study and reported as such when it may or may not be.

[BlueWavePsych]

13. Are you listening Abbott? Probably not.

[Stuart G]

15. Abbott, like Trump doesn't care about anyone but himself...

...If he cared, everyone would wear a mask. In most states with large populations, there is no issue. Yet,
Abbott leads the idiots who don't want laws to wear masks..

.Perhaps the next time the idiots get into a car, they should NOT wear a seatbelt..
...That would prove that they can do what they want, when they want. So what if there is an accident or serious injury.....the idiots can claim..."We stood with our ideas which are more important than
following any rules.."