A study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, suggests that masks provide an additional layer of protection that could prevent unnecessary COVID-19 deaths.

The study, looking at the impact of national face mask laws on mortality due to COVID-19 in 44 countries with a combined population of around one billion, noted that the rise in COVID-19 deaths over time was significantly slower in the nations that had mask laws in place, in comparison with countries that did not impose such laws.

Twenty-seven countries with face mask policies and 17 countries without such policies, were included in the study. Overall, 2,167,664 confirmed deaths were reported across the 44 countries studied, with 1,253,757 in countries without face mask policies and 913,907 in countries with face mask laws… (ET Healthworld – ANI, December 19, 2021)