August 13, 2020

Effects of Universal Masking on Massachusetts Healthcare Workers’ COVID-19 Incidence

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions

•  [Preprint, not peer-reviewed] A time series analysis showed a temporal relationship between the implementation of universal masking in healthcare facilities in Massachusetts and flatting of the incidence in healthcare settings, while incidence continued to increase in the general population. The first case of COVID-19 in the Massachusetts healthcare system was reported on March 17 and universal masking in the healthcare system was implemented on March 26. The peak COVID-19 incidence in the state was on April 20, and the state implemented public masking on May 6. The authors conclude that this analysis provides additional evidence that universal masking contributed to reduced transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in healthcare facilities. 

Lan et al. (Aug 13, 2020). Effects of Universal Masking on Massachusetts Healthcare Workers’ COVID-19 Incidence. Pre-print downloaded Aug 13 from https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.08.09.20171173