We conducted an intervention that increased mask-wearing by 29 percentage points using the techniques described here:https://mobile.twitter.com/jabaluck/status/1392879291185119233?lang=en …
-
-
Show this thread
-
With this 29 percentage point increase in mask-wearing, we saw a 9% drop in serologically confirmed COVID.
Show this thread -
The reduction was larger in villages where we (randomly) used surgical masks than those where we used cloth masks; in surgical mask villages, we saw a 12% reduction in COVID overall and a 35% reduction among those aged 60+.pic.twitter.com/qnvqTcSqBD
Show this thread -
Since severe morbidity and mortality are concentrated among the elderly, this suggests that community-wide masking can be an extremely effective tool to combat COVID.
Show this thread -
If going from 13/100 to 42/100 people wearing masks leads to reductions of the magnitudes above, near universal mask-wearing (as is possible with enforced mandates in some areas) might lead to substantially larger reductions.
Show this thread -
As noted, we find especially convincing evidence that surgical masks are effective. Cloth masks reduce COVID symptoms, but the effect we find on symptomatic infections (confirmed via blood tests) is driven by surgical masks.
Show this thread -
Cloth masks are likely better than nothing, but surgical masks or masks with higher filtration efficiency should be preferred to cloth masks where available.
Show this thread -
A longer discussion of our intervention is available here, along with the underlying working paper:https://www.poverty-action.org/study/impact-mask-distribution-and-promotion-mask-uptake-and-covid-19-rates-bangladesh …
Show this thread -
In subsequent posts, which I'll link here when available, I'll say more about how our study fits into the existing literature, as well as caveats and policy implications.
Show this thread -
In the next few weeks, we'll post a public GitHub package with all of our data and analysis (with identifiers removed).
Show this thread -
Some follow-ups: I should note that the PIs on this project were myself and
@mushfiq_econ (economists at Yale),@Kwong_Laura, Steve Luby and Ashley Styczynski, epidemiologists and environmental scientists at Stanford (and in Laura's case, now Berkeley!).Show this thread -
The promised thread on how this fits into the existing literature is here:https://twitter.com/Jabaluck/status/1433067145748000778 …
Show this thread -
The promised policy / cost-benefit analysis thread is here:https://twitter.com/Jabaluck/status/1433082245997232132 …
Show this thread
End of conversation
New conversation -
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.