The team, conducted the research using public health studies from the past, has warned that as many as 130,000 lives could be saved in the coming months if the United States government make use of facemasks mandatory across the country with a compliance rate of 95%.
The study conducted by a team from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington made its findings public on Friday.
According to the authors of the study, they used data concerning death rates from across the 50 states after the month of February. The study also observed various social distancing measures ordered by the state authorities which kept on changing regularly over the period of time. They also reviewed previous studies which stipulated that wearing facemask can reduce chances of catching respiratory infections like coronavirus by 40% to create more frameworks.
The study found, under the precautionary measures that are in place right now, the death toll could be around 470,000 to 578,000 by the end of February next year, with possibly 511,000 as the best estimate.
But there is hope, the authors explained with 95% of compliance rate for wearing face mask across the country about 85,000 to 171,000 lives could be saved, whereas if the compliance rate drops to 85% the numbers also drop significantly to 61,000 to 133,000.
Currently, face masks are quite debatable in the United States as their mandatory use has gained political momentum. The Democrat’s Presidential nominee Joe Biden has publically criticized Trump administration for not handling the pandemic efficiently whereas he himself has faced low attendance during his socially-distanced drive-in events.
Contrary to that President Trump, who is running the presidential race for his second term, has seen as many as 10,000 people in his rallies with many not wearing any precautionary face masks or shields.
Nevertheless, the study data reveals daily death rates were high in the most populated states, whether the governor or legislature is Republican or Democrat.