COVID face masks didn’t stop infections after first wave Omicron – report

Wearing face masks may not have reduced the risk of COVID infection after the first Omicron wave, new research suggests. But that doesn’t mean face masks aren’t helpful.

Wearing face masks on public transportation and airplanes was made mandatory by the federal government in the United States in February 2021 in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. However, in April 2022, the mandate was deemed illegal. But did it really help stop the spread of the virus?

“Wearing face masks played a valuable role in reducing COVID transmission during the first two years of the pandemic,” said Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom. . News week.

“On their own, they could never have eliminated transmission, but they certainly reduced it. Very early in the pandemic, we estimated, based on pre-Covid data, that if everyone wore masks, we could reduce transmission by about 20%. “

In late November 2021, the Omicron variant was first identified, becoming the dominant strain in the United States by the end of December.

“Prior to Omicron, among adults, never wearing a face mask at work was associated with a 25 to 30 percent increased risk of testing positive compared to those who always wore one,” Hunter said.

“(But) after the first wave of Omicron, there was no significant difference between people who always wore a mask and those who never wore one and, in children, perhaps even a slightly reduced risk of ‘test positive if they never wore a mask.’

In a new study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, Hunter and colleagues at the University of East Anglia analyzed official data from the UK’s Office for National Statistics from November 2021 to May 2022 to explore how risk factors of infection changed before and after the first Omicron. wave. Risk factors included foreign travel history, household size, employment status, contact with children and wearing a face mask.

“Early in the pandemic, there were a lot of studies published on risk factors for getting COVID, but far fewer studies after about a year,” Hunter said. “Our research shows that there were changes in some risk factors as the Omicron BA.2 variant became dominant.”

As of November 2021, constantly wearing a face mask at work, school, or in enclosed spaces was associated with a reduced risk of COVID infection in adults and children. However, after the first Omicron wave, this was not the case. So why did the masks suddenly stop working?

“If masks can reduce transmission by about 20 to 30 percent, then if the virus becomes much more infectious, as was the case with Omicron, 20 to 30 percent ultimately won’t be enough to slow infection that much.” , Hunter said. said. “But the bigger problem is that COVID doesn’t generate lasting immunity.”

He continued: “For highly infectious viruses like COVID with a short duration of immunity, once they have spread once in the population, the number of infections that occur in a population is (rather) more affected by the rate at which immunity is lost. than through behavioral changes intended to reduce exposure (like wearing masks.) And people who wore a mask very rigorously throughout the first two years will likely be more susceptible to infection (less d immunity) than those who have not done so.

But that doesn’t mean masks are completely useless. “There is good evidence that one of the factors explaining the degree of illness is the size of the dose of virus that you are exposed to,” Hunter said. “So one suggestion is if you wear a mask and still get COVID, you’re getting a lower dose and so you’re likely to have less severe illness.”

Does this mean we should all continue to wear masks? “I think for most of us the answer is no,” Hunter said. “Most of us have already had multiple COVID infections. But people who are at increased risk of severe illness may still benefit.”

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