Study shows masks cut COVID rates in health care workers even as community spread increased

Universal masking cut back on COVID-19 infections in health care workers even as community transmission continued to rise during the state’s pandemic peak, a study out of Cambridge Health Alliance shows.

“The bottom line here is that using at least the procedure-level mask and having a policy of that within the work environment and combining it with the physical distancing and handwashing and other measures of sanitation, we did see a flattening and a decrease in the curve while it was still rising statewide,” said Dr. Stefanos Kales, division chief of occupational and environmental medicine at CHA.

The study, published Wednesday in Occupational Medicine, compared the COVID-19 incidence rates between CHA and Massachusetts residents from mid-March to early May when the state first implemented public masking.

CHA, which employs 5,000 people according to Kales, implemented a universal masking policy for all employees on March 26.

After the policy was put in place, infections in health care workers sharply decreased, even while community infections continued to rise as the state moved toward its peak.

“The more that people comply as a whole group, that way we overcome the limitations of decreased physical distancing and decreased ventilation indoors,” said Kales, senior author of the study.

Before the masking policy, infection rates showed almost identical increasing curves for the health care system and statewide population.

Kales said the study suggests that universal masking should be maintained in health care settings as well as indoor businesses.

“Universal masking significantly mitigates COVID-19 incidence in the healthcare setting, which may be applicable to other essential workers and indoor businesses,” wrote the study authors.

Universal masking in the United States could save upwards of 130,000 lives by the end of February, according to an analysis published Friday in the journal Nature Medicine.

Kales said wearing a mask is extremely important, especially until some protection is provided via a vaccine. He added that if it is not worn over both the mouth and the nose, “it defeats the purpose.”

While there is significant research about masking, there are not many studies that look at mask-wearing in a population and the rate of spread of COVID, said Kales, which is why the research is particularly important.

Kales said masks that protect the wearer to the highest degree are N95 respirators, but a standard surgical mask works well to protect others and is good for daily use outside the health care setting.

In Boston, Mayor Martin Walsh has been urging residents to mask up and get tested at one of the city’s 30 testing sites as rates among Bostonians continue to rise.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3dQUviG