Thread by @EpiEllie

When people talk about masks & mask mandates for preventing respiratory infections, they love to talk about improper mask wearing.

And it’s true not everyone wears good masks correctly. But it’s also true that MOST people wear good masks well.

How many is most? About 85%.

Data from *Kentucky* show that during their mask mandates, 95% of people in indoor public spaces were seen to be wearing any mask.

And 87% of people were wearing masks that fully covered mouth and nose.

journals.plos.org/plosone/articl…

We did a separate study in Boston right around the same time — without knowing the Kentucky study was even happening.

What did we find?

95% of people were wearing masks in indoor public spaces. And 85% had them correctly over mouth & nose.

So, yes, even when there are mask mandates, you will see people without masks on and you will see people wearing masks badly.

But those people are a small group.

Most people mask & most people mask pretty well, when they are told that they need to.

They would probably mask even better if anyone with any real reach had bothered to explain how.

The data on mask mandates and infection are also clear.

During the most widespread mandates, the rates of common respiratory infections plummeted worldwide!

Mask mandates reduced flu transmission. And reduced flu deaths. Especially among little kids.

We reduced the flu sl much that one flu strain was very likely entirely eradicated worldwide!

We did not know we could prevent flu so well. We do now. Will we choose to?

Mask mandates also work to reduce COVID.

We can see this most clearly in schools.

When mandates went away, COVID rates & sick days rapidly increased.

nejm.org/doi/full/10.10…

So maybe you don’t like masks. That’s ok. You can have your own opinion.

But the facts are clear.

Masks reduce respiratory infections. Mask mandates reduce respiratory infections.

Even if some people don’t mask. Even if some masks are worn badly. Even if some masks are cloth.