- The New York Times He has put together a detailed coronavirus-themed map of the US, showing which parts of the country are home to wearing face masks and which parts are not.
- It makes clear that there are still large areas of the country that are failing or completely declining the use of face masks to protect themselves against the coronavirus pandemic.
- The latest data on the virus shows that there have now been more than 3.6 million confirmed cases of coronavirus in the U.S.
By now, everyone should know that one of the few tools we have to stay protected against capture (or, alternatively, transmission) of the coronavirus is the use of a face mask, along with the social distancing of people outside of their home. In fact, as we noted just a few days ago, it appears that the face masks prevented what could have been a large outbreak of coronavirus in Missouri, where a few months ago two stylists saw 140 clients unaware that the two women were infected with coronavirus. All clients were tested, and none of them were infected with the COVID-19 virus.
Experts believe it is because that salon had a policy that required everyone, employees and customers alike, to wear masks. The CDC even wrote an article about this incident, titled “No apparent transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from two stylists after exposure in a salon with a universal facial coverage policy. “
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg broadcast a live conversation between himself and White House health adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci on Thursday, a conversation that at various points touched on the importance of facial masks. “I think … it’s really disappointing that we still don’t have adequate evidence, that the credibility of top scientists like you and the CDC is being undermined and until recently that some parts of the administration were questioning whether people should follow the rules. basic best practices like wearing masks, ”said Zuckerberg at one point during the conversation.
All that being said, though, big differences can be found in the US in terms of places where you’re most likely to see everyone or almost everyone in public wearing a mask, compared to nearby places where almost no one is.
To quantify that behavior, The New York Times, in association with data and survey firm Dynata, conducted a survey between July 2 and 14 that resulted in more than a quarter of a million responses. The idea was to see who acknowledges wearing face masks, who doesn’t, and where is all that specifically happening.
Check the map below for regional patterns in the US In darker areas, there is more use of masks. Unfortunately, much of the country is only slightly shaded below, proving how much the United States is failing on one of the most basic things we can do to get past this terrible pandemic:
Things will get worse, needless to say, if the appearance of this map doesn’t change soon. Several states, for example, are already in a serious enough situation to have to return to the blockade. Meanwhile, the latest data from Johns Hopkins University shows that more than 3.6 million confirmed coronavirus cases have been reported in the United States so far, along with nearly 139,000 deaths.
Andy is a reporter in Memphis and also contributes to media like Fast Company and The Guardian. When he’s not writing about technology, he can be found protectively hunched over his burgeoning vinyl collection, plus guarding his whovianism and binging on a variety of television shows he probably won’t like.
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