Dataset Information

Modeling COVID-19 Mortality Across 44 Countries: Face Covering May Reduce Deaths

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Despite ongoing efforts to vaccinate communities against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the necessity of face mask use in controlling the pandemic remains subject to debate. Several studies have investigated face masks and COVID-19, covering smaller and less diverse populations than this study's sample. This study examines a hypothesized association of face covering mandates with COVID-19 mortality decline across 44 countries in 2 continents.

Methods

In a retrospective cohort study, changes in COVID-19-related daily mortality rate per million population from February 15 to May 31, 2020 were compared between 27 countries with and 17 countries without face mask mandates in nearly 1 billion (911,446,220 total) people. Longitudinal mixed effect modeling was applied and adjusted for over 10 relevant demographic, social, clinical, and time dependent confounders.

Results

Average COVID-19 mortality per million was 288.54 in countries without face mask policies and 48.40 in countries with face mask policies. In no mask countries, adjusted average daily increase was 0.1553 – 0.0017 × (days since first case) log deaths per million, compared with 0.0900 – 0.0009 × (days since first case) log deaths per million in the countries with a mandate. Sixty days into the pandemic, countries without face mask mandates had an average daily increase of 0.0533 deaths per million, compared with the average daily increase of countries with face mask mandates, at 0.0360 deaths per million.

Conclusions

This study's significant results show that face mask mandates were associated with lower COVID-19 deaths rates compared with countries without mandates. These findings support use of face masks to prevent excess COVID-19 deaths, and should be advised during airborne disease epidemics.

SUBMITTER: Motallebi S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8580811 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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