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Tamir Kalifa / Getty A man in Austin, Texas wears a mask
As the COVID-19 pandemic raged in the United States, masks became the key to reducing the spread of the virus. But they’ve done more than just stop people from catching or spreading COVID-19 – they also appear to be the reason why cases of the flu, colds and other respiratory illnesses have dropped dramatically over the past year. year.
And as the post-pandemic future becomes clearer with the vaccine rollout well underway, health experts wonder if the masks will remain in the United States after COVID-19 is finally in rear view.
Recent studies and data have shown that respiratory illnesses in children have declined sharply in the past year, when most children have virtual learning at home or have to wear masks at school. A study published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine in March, looked at the number of pediatric patients hospitalized for respiratory illness at 44 children’s hospitals across the United States and found it had declined 62% this year.
RELATED: Only One Child Died From Flu This Season Versus Nearly 200 Deaths Last Year
Meanwhile, data from the Centers of Disease Control for this year’s flu season shows a monumental difference. Typically, around 100-200 children die from the flu each year – in the 2019-2020 flu season, 195 children have died – but so far this season there has been only one. child death in the United States.
“I think the erasure of the flu epidemic, which has been seen around the world, tells us that the way the flu spreads from person to person may have been affected more than anything else. through the use of masks, ”said Flor Munoz, a member of the infectious diseases committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said the Washington post early March.
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Deaths from influenza in adults are also falling significantly. Depending on the severity of the influenza strain that emerges each season, the total number of deaths ranges from 12,000 to 61,000 per year. So far, in the 2020-2021 season, the CDC has only reported 219 deaths.
“I think it clearly showed that masking, pushing away, washing hands – it all clearly works,” said Aaron Milstone, epidemiologist and professor of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University. To post. “So I think the question will be how much appetite do people have for all of this to prevent the flu, instead of just COVID.”
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Milstone and other health experts have expressed skepticism about Americans’ willingness to continue wearing masks after the pandemic. Although they were common in Asian countries long before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it has been difficult to convince all Americans to wear masks, even with the deadly virus in circulation.
“I’m a little skeptical that this crisis will be enough for a widespread culture change, given how difficult it has been to achieve a reasonable culture change over the past few months,” Dr. Ricardo told NPR. Franco from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
RELATED: U.S. COVID Cases Jump 19% As Biden Urges States To Reinstate Mask Warrants
For now, with COVID-19 on the rise again in the United States as faster-spreading variants circulate, masks are essential in reducing cases, even though people have been vaccinated. President Joe Biden on Monday urged states to retain or reinstate their mask mandates after Texas, Mississippi, Iowa, Montana, North Dakota and Arkansas all announced in recent weeks that they would abandon theirs.
“Please, this is not politics – restore the mandate,” Biden said. “Not taking this virus seriously is precisely what got us in this mess in the first place.”
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