Researchers Claim 70,000 Lives Could be Saved in Near Future if People Wear Masks

According to a projection by the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), the U.S. could save nearly 70,000 lives by December if the country implements universal mask mandates.

Researchers from the institute also found that an estimated 134,000 people could die in the U.S. from COVID-19 by December if the country takes no further safety measures. That number, they said, could worsen if mandates are relaxed.

The U.S. has reported 5.6 million cases and more than 176,000 people have died from the virus as of Saturday night. IHME predicts that if the U.S. keeps mandates as-is, the death rates would dip in September then rise later in the fall, and the total would reach about 310,000 by December 1st.