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K-State Today

October 7, 2021

Additional research backs the use of masks in controlling COVID-19 spread

Submitted by Division of Communications and Marketing

Kansas State University leaders continue to look at the latest research involving the use of masks and other health measures to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Several recently published studies continue to show that masks are an effective tool in stopping the spread of SARS-CoV-2, which is the virus that causes COVID-19.

  • K-12 schools with mask requirements were more likely to have fewer COVID-19 outbreaks, according to a recently published study in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. According to the study, schools without mask requirements were 3.5 times more likely to have COVID-19 outbreaks, compared with schools that started the year with mask requirements. The study involved a team of researchers from Arizona State University, the CDC and other organizations in Arizona.
  • Another recent publication led by Yale University shows that in a large Bangladesh study, every 30% increase in mask use resulted in approximately a 10% reduction in COVID-19 prevalence. The study was a large randomized study that involved more than 340,000 adults across 600 villages.
  • Another recent study from Saint Louis University shows that universal masking and fewer encounters in close proximity to people with COVID-19 can limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in university settings. Read more about the study in the CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.