Is Increased Mask Use Related to Increased COVID Deaths?

Before I go on, I will say that I do wear a mask when I'm required to do so or when I believe it is more beneficial to wear one than not.

There are three instances when you should wear a mask:

1. When there's a threat of illness or infection, like COVID-19, social distancing cannot be maintained, and you expect to be within 6 feet of others for an extended period of time.
2. When you are ill and need to be in public.
3. When you will be around those who are more vulnerable to adverse effects of or complications caused by contracting an illness.

Masks are primarily of benefit to others, so you don't share whatever you have. But there is debate about how well they might protect the wearer.

 

The absolutely most effective means of protection for yourself and others is:

• Social distancing.
• Washing hands thoroughly with soap and water frequently throughout the day, or using alcohol-based sanitizer when washing is not available.
• Don't touch your face, particularly your eyes and nose.

There are conflicting reports, studies, and opinions (from experts and non-experts) about the efficacy of wearing masks.

On June 23, the Pew Research Center released an article titled Most Americans say they regularly wore a mask in stores in the past month; fewer see others doing it

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/06/23/most-americans-say-they-regularly-wore-a-mask-in-stores-in-the-past-month-fewer-see-others-doing-it/

Here are three statements I found interesting from the research.

"Americans in counties with more reported deaths from the coronavirus when adjusted for population are much more likely to say they wore a mask all or most of the time in stores or other businesses in the past  month than those in counties where the death rate can be classified as more moderate or low (80% in high-impact counties, compared with 67% in medium- and 55% in low-impact counties)."

 

"About six-in-ten adults (62%) who live in counties with the highest COVID-19 death rates say that all or most people in their communities are wearing masks, compared with 33% of those who live in areas that have the lowest number of coronavirus deaths per capita."

"Among Americans living in counties with the highest death toll from COVID-19, those in urban and suburban communities (63% and 68%, respectively) are much more likely than those living in rural areas (43%) to say they see all or most people wearing masks."

One of the graphs has the heading statement, "Americans in counties with a higher COVID-19 death rate are about twice as likely as those in low-impact counties to report seeing most wear masks."

Did you understand that the same way I did? In counties where masks are reported to be worn by more people the death rate from COVID-19 is higher.

Why would that be, particularly if mask wearing is supposed protect people?

Here are my thoughts.

A few weeks ago I overhead an exchange between a paramedic student and a paramedic instructor (who, I believe, has relatives working as nurses/medical professionals). The student asked, "How many respiratory infections are being caused because of mask wearing?" The instructor answered, "A lot."

That is a concern I have about frequent mask wearing. While I have my doubts about the supposed increased concentration of CO2 (maybe certain masks might have this issue, but I haven't experienced it), I do know the air I am breathing while wearing a mask is much more humid than I am used to and that adds to the discomfort in using a mask.

I've personally taken my blood-oxygen levels using a pulse-oximeter and didn't find any difference between wearing a mask and not. But, I didn't have the mask with a tight seal around my face. I've seen a video where a guy uses an OSHA-approved oxygen level sensor where he tests the air to show the normal reading and then puts the sensor-tube in his mask where it begins warning about high CO2 levels. I don't have this type of sensor so I don't know how true it would be, and whether levels would increase if masks were worn with a tight seal.

I know masks can protect others, but I worry that masks can endanger many wearers more because most people don't wear them right (like just covering their mouth), they wear them too long (especially re-usable ones), and they end up touching their face (including near their nose and eyes) more (usually to adjust the mask). Most people touch their masks multiple times a day when taking them off and putting them (the same masks) back on, even if it's just sliding it down on the chin so they can talk on the phone or take an unfiltered breath.

Medical professionals are trained in proper use of face masks and other PPE, the general public are not. Masks are normally used once. Surgeons put a mask and PPE on and then don't remove them until they are done, then they are carefully removed and discarded. I've seen many "face coverings" that would do very little, if anything, to prevent saliva particles from being ejected from that person into the air.

Based on what I overhead, and has been hypothesized by others, could using a mask cause an increased concentration of the natural bacteria that we harbor, and could that increased bacterial concentration cause infections?

Are we trading our fear for COVID--which for the vast majority has about the same risk factors as a severe cold or flu--for other infections that may actually put people's health more at risk than COVID would on its own? And we won't know about these other infections because everything is so COVID-focused.

The following is hypothetical because I doubt we have the data. If a person gets COVID after getting a respiratory infection, and gets tested, they'll get added to the new cases. If they didn't have the respiratory infection first, which was then probably aggravated by COVID, they may not have gotten tested. And the combination of respiratory infection and COVID might increase the chances of being admitted to the hospital. If the person happens to die and has COVID, then they'll get added to the death count.

Wouldn't it be ironic if there are COVID cases and/or deaths happening because people get respiratory infections from wearing masks, and then get COVID which makes the respiratory infection worse and motivates the person to get tested, and may cause the person to become hospitalized?

Some questions we may not be able to answer. How many of those who are getting infected (tested, new cases) were wearing masks before they got infected? How frequently were they wearing masks? How did they wear the masks and what kind were they wearing? How long had they been feeling ill before they decided to get tested? What symptoms did they have that motivated them to be tested?

I know correlation does not imply causation, and I know many people choose to not wear masks, but isn't it interesting that it seems new COVID cases are appearing as mask use increases?