Prognosis

Wearing Face Masks Is Key to Avoiding Shutdowns, Fauci Says

  • Face coverings are associated with fewer Covid-19 cases
  • Universal use could avert 130,000 deaths through winter: study

“We can’t have this very inconsistent wearing, where you see some states that absolutely refuse to wear a mask,” Fauci said.

Photographer: Graeme Jennings/Washington Examiner
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The United States’ top infectious-diseases doctor pleaded with Americans to set politics aside and wear a face mask to arrest an escalation of Covid-19 cases.

Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and colleagues outlined how face coverings can help prevent Covid-19 in a commentary in the Journal of the American Medical Association. He said Wednesday that overcoming politically driven biases around their use is critical for avoiding economically crippling shutdowns.