With coronavirus vaccines and treatments still in development, states must rely on social policies to bring the current surge under control.
Now, a new modeling study published in Nature Medicine shows universal mask-wearing could make a huge difference — especially in Arizona.
The simulations predict COVID-19 could kill half a million people in the U.S. by the end of February, or 1 million if social distancing mandates continue to be rolled back.
But it also found universal mask use could save 130,000 of those lives and blunt the worst impacts of what is predicted to be a difficult winter season.
In all three scenarios, the results suggest Arizona would face the highest per capita infection levels nationally.
Universal mask wearing would cut the state's infection rate almost by half.
