Advocates of mandates sometimes argue that they do have a big effect even if it is not evident in populationwide data, because of how many other factors are at play. The patterns are clear even though the world is a messy place, with many factors other than vaccines influencing Covid death rates. Almost 30 percentThe idea that masks work better than mask mandates seems to defy logic. The Covid virus is so contagious that it can spread during brief times when people take off their masks, even when a mandate is in place. So do adults: Research by the University of Minnesota suggests that between 25 percent and 30 percent of Americans consistently wear their masks below their nose.

Source: New York Times May 31, 2022 11:30 UTC