tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Eur J Public Health
. 2022 Sep 10;ckac123.
doi: 10.1093/eurpub/ckac123. Online ahead of print.
The impact of face-mask mandates on all-cause mortality in Switzerland: a quasi-experimental study
Giacomo De Giorgi[SUP] 1 2 3 4 [/SUP], Pascal Geldsetzer[SUP] 5 6 [/SUP], Felix Michalik[SUP] 7 [/SUP], M Maddalena Speziali[SUP] 1 8 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: Whereas there is strong evidence that wearing a face mask is effective in reducing the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), evidence on the impact of mandating the wearing of face masks on deaths from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and all-cause mortality is more sparse and likely to vary by context. Focusing on a quasi-experimental setting in Switzerland, we aimed to determine (i) the effect of face-mask mandates for indoor public spaces on all-cause mortality; and (ii) how the effect has varied over time, and by age and sex.
Methods: Our analysis exploited the fact that between July and October 2020, nine cantons in Switzerland extended a face-mask mandate at different time points from being restricted to public transportation only to applying to all public indoor places. We used both a Difference-in-Differences approach with fixed-effects for canton and week and an event-study approach.
Results: In our main Difference-in-Differences model, the face-mask mandate was associated with a 0.3% reduction in all-cause mortality [95% confidence interval (CI): -3.4% to 2.7%; P = 0.818]. This null effect was confirmed in the event-study approach and a variety of robustness checks. Combining the face-mask mandate with social distancing rules led to an estimated 5.1% (95% CI: -7.9% to -2.4%; P = 0.001) reduction in all-cause mortality.
Conclusions: Mandating face-mask use in public indoor spaces in Switzerland in mid-to-late 2020 does not appear to have resulted in large reductions in all-cause mortality in the short term. There is some suggestion that combining face-mask mandates with social distancing rules reduced all-cause mortality.
. 2022 Sep 10;ckac123.
doi: 10.1093/eurpub/ckac123. Online ahead of print.
The impact of face-mask mandates on all-cause mortality in Switzerland: a quasi-experimental study
Giacomo De Giorgi[SUP] 1 2 3 4 [/SUP], Pascal Geldsetzer[SUP] 5 6 [/SUP], Felix Michalik[SUP] 7 [/SUP], M Maddalena Speziali[SUP] 1 8 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 36087339
- DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckac123
Abstract
Background: Whereas there is strong evidence that wearing a face mask is effective in reducing the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), evidence on the impact of mandating the wearing of face masks on deaths from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and all-cause mortality is more sparse and likely to vary by context. Focusing on a quasi-experimental setting in Switzerland, we aimed to determine (i) the effect of face-mask mandates for indoor public spaces on all-cause mortality; and (ii) how the effect has varied over time, and by age and sex.
Methods: Our analysis exploited the fact that between July and October 2020, nine cantons in Switzerland extended a face-mask mandate at different time points from being restricted to public transportation only to applying to all public indoor places. We used both a Difference-in-Differences approach with fixed-effects for canton and week and an event-study approach.
Results: In our main Difference-in-Differences model, the face-mask mandate was associated with a 0.3% reduction in all-cause mortality [95% confidence interval (CI): -3.4% to 2.7%; P = 0.818]. This null effect was confirmed in the event-study approach and a variety of robustness checks. Combining the face-mask mandate with social distancing rules led to an estimated 5.1% (95% CI: -7.9% to -2.4%; P = 0.001) reduction in all-cause mortality.
Conclusions: Mandating face-mask use in public indoor spaces in Switzerland in mid-to-late 2020 does not appear to have resulted in large reductions in all-cause mortality in the short term. There is some suggestion that combining face-mask mandates with social distancing rules reduced all-cause mortality.