The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is renewing its call for everyone to wear a mask, as the coronavirus pandemic is again spiking in the U.S.
In a Tuesday briefing, the national health agency also said wearing masks can protect not only others but the wearer as well.
“Studies demonstrate that cloth mask materials can also reduce wearers' exposure to infectious droplets through filtration, including filtration of fine droplets and particles less than 10 microns,” the agency said, adding “adopting universal masking policies can help avert future lockdowns.”
That recommendation falls directly in line with what Democrat President-elect Joe Biden is reportedly considering once he takes office, implementing a nationwide mask mandate.
On Monday, Biden announced the members of his coronavirus task force, the same day the U.S. passed 10 million coronavirus cases.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, said Tuesday he believes wearing masks is a “two-way street” for protection.
“Recent data has now shown that as a matter of fact, there’s also the added benefit to protect you from droplets and virus that’s coming your way,” Fauci told MSNBC. “You protect others. Their masks protect you. And your mask also protects you.”
On Tuesday, the U.S. hit a record number of coronavirus hospitalizations, with more than 61,960 people. The following day, Texas became the first state to record 1 million coronavirus cases, according to data from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Johns Hopkins University has been tracking the pandemic’s spread over the globe. New daily confirmed cases are up more than 60% during the last two weeks, to an average of nearly 109,000 a day. Average daily cases are on the rise in 48 states.
The U.S. accounts for about one-fifth of the world’s more than 51 million confirmed cases. U.S. coronavirus deaths are up 18% during the last two weeks, averaging 939 every day. The virus has now killed more than 240,000 Americans.
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