A Qanon anti-mask conspiracy crackpot at
an anti-mask protest
INTRODUCTION
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.
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.
So, when some QAnon crackpot or anti-masker extremist tells you that masks do not work, or some cynical, self-serving Republican politician tells you that refusing to wear a mask is a matter of freedom over tyranny, a person can tell them two things. First, one that they are full of crap or maybe something more civil. It is a matter of public health, not politics. Second, one can also say that anti-maskers are personally responsible for lots of needless deaths and lots of needless economic damage.
QAnon conspiracy crackpottery in high gear doing its thing, i.e.,
poisoning minds
Arizona Republicans protesting the tyranny of mask mandates:
a popular chant:
I CAN'T BREATHE!! I CAN'T BREATHE!! I CAN'T BREATHE!!
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