The case for masks:
Hospital finds decline in Covid with mask
A Boston hospital system has found that required masking has dramatically reduced Covid-19 infections among its 75,000 workers.
The 12-hospital system in Massachusetts, like many types of businesses, could not require social distancing of its employees. But the strict requirement for masking did show results, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
In March, before the masking requirement, Mass General Brigham found that positive tests for Covid-19 doubled every 3.6 days. The positivity rate rose from 0 percent to 21.3 percent during March.
On April 11, the hospital required all employees and patients to wear masks. From April 11 to 30, positive cases among employees decreased from 14.6 percent to 11.4 percent.
Meanwhile, in the state, new Covid cases rose. On March 1, Massachusetts had one case. On April 30, it had 1,940 cases. Yet, as cases rose in the state, they decreased among hospital workers, suggesting the decline in Covid cases took place at the hospital system before declines were seen in the state, according to conclusions reported in JAMA.
However, masking wasn't the only mitigation step the hospital required. It also restricted elective procedures and enforced social distancing where possible.
