WISCONSIN (NBC 26) — A new international study that included nearly 400,000 participants Is showcasing how face masks can slow the spread of COVID-19, and they're sharing their findings with data.
The British Medical Journal has just published their findings, showing how over 70 different studies conducted across 200 countries all point to the same thing, masking slows the spread of COVID-19. The data suggests that when face masks were required communities experienced a 53 percent reduction in the amount of new COVID-19 cases. Furthermore, the research also indicated that there were nearly 46 percent fewer COVID-19 related deaths in countries where mask-wearing was mandatory, compared to countries that didn't have the requirement.
"Communities that have adapted those kinds of restrictions tend to fair better. But unfortunately, it's very hard to maintain those types of restrictions for a long period of time because people get fatigued," says Ajay Sethi an Associate Professor of Population Health Sciences at UW-Madison.
The compiled research also found that in the US, states that put mask mandates in place experienced a 29 percent reduction in new COVID-19 cases. It's a message most have heard for nearly two years, but the data is starting to paint a more vivid picture.
