The Association between Wearing a Mask and COVID-19

Mana Sugimura, Odgerel Chimed-Ochir, Yui Yumiya, Hiroki Ohge, Nobuaki Shime, Takemasa Sakaguchi, Junko Tanaka, Toshiro Takafuta, Michi Mimori, Masao Kuwabara, Toshimasa Asahara, Eisaku Kishita and Tatsuhiko Kubo
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Mana Sugimura: Department of Public Health and Health Policy, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan
Odgerel Chimed-Ochir: Department of Public Health and Health Policy, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan
Yui Yumiya: Department of Public Health and Health Policy, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan
Hiroki Ohge: Department of Infectious Diseases, Hiroshima University Hospital, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan
Nobuaki Shime: Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan
Takemasa Sakaguchi: Department of Virology, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan
Junko Tanaka: Department of Epidemiology, Infectious Disease Control and Prevention, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan
Toshiro Takafuta: Hiroshima City Funairi Citizens Hospital, Hiroshima 730-0844, Japan
Michi Mimori: Hiroshima City Health and Welfare Bureau, Hiroshima 730-8586, Japan
Masao Kuwabara: Hiroshima Prefectural Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hiroshima 730-8511, Japan
Toshimasa Asahara: Hiroshima Prefectural Health and Welfare Bureau, Hiroshima 730-8511, Japan
Eisaku Kishita: Hiroshima Prefectural Health and Welfare Bureau, Hiroshima 730-8511, Japan
Tatsuhiko Kubo: Department of Public Health and Health Policy, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 17, 1-7

Abstract: With the widespread and increasing number of cases of Coronavirus Disease (2019) globally, countries have been taking preventive measures against this pandemic. However, there is no universal agreement across cultures on whether wearing face masks are an effective physical intervention against disease transmission. We investigated the relationship between mask wearing and COVID-19 among close contacts of COVID-19 patients in the Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. In the Hiroshima Prefecture, a COVID-19 form adapted from the reporting form, “Japanese Surveillance in Post-Extreme Emergencies and Disasters”, was developed to collect data from COVID-19 patients’ close contacts under active epidemiological surveillance at Public Health Centers. The relative risk of COVID-19 for mask users versus non-mask users was calculated. A total of 820 interviewees were included in the analysis and 53.3% of them responded that they wore masks. Non-mask users were infected at a rate of 16.4%, while mask users were infected at a rate of 7.1%. Those who wore masks were infected at a rate of 0.4 times that of those who did not wear masks. (RR = 0.4, 95%CI = 0.3–0.6; Adjusted RR = 0.6, 95%CI = 0.3–0.9). These findings implied that COVID-19 could be avoided to a certain degree by wearing a mask.

Keywords: COVID-19; J-SPEED; mask; prevention; surveillance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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