Coronavirus deaths in the United States are predicted to surge to 180,000 in a matter of months unless a vast majority of the population begins to wear masks.
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington said in a Wednesday report that it projected 179,106 U.S. deaths by October but added that the number could be reduced by about 33,000 if 95% of people wore face masks.
“There is no doubt that even as states open up, the United States is still grappling with a large epidemic on a course to increase beginning in late August and intensifying in September,” said the institute’s director, Dr. Christopher Murray.
“People need to know that wearing masks can reduce transmission of the virus by as much as 50%, and those who refuse are putting their lives, their families, their friends, and their communities at risk,” he added.
Experts have been saying for months that wearing face masks can help cut down on the spread of COVID-19. A number of states are now mandating the use of face coverings in public, including the nation’s largest state, California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statewide order requiring the masks.
Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida also implored “everyone” to wear a mask after his state experienced a surge in new COVID-19 cases after it began reopening.
“And then, everyone should just wear a damn mask, like you guys are, like I am right now,” the Republican senator said. “I would just encourage everyone, that’s what I said in there, to sort of become informed of the nuances of how your state is reporting. In Florida, the state tells us 20% of the COVID cases that register as hospitalizations are people that are in the hospital for something else, like a knee replacement. But they’re tested, so they tested positive.”
