Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

Coronavirus: face masks save lives, Japanese study says

Coronavirus: face masks save lives, Japanese study says

Scientists used a computer model to show how Covid-19 death rates were higher in countries where people tended not to cover their mouths. Obese people less likely to wear masks, study says

Wearing a face mask could reduce the risk of dying from Covid-19, according to a study by researchers in Japan.

Using data collected by British market research company YouGov, the team from Miyazawa Clinic in Hyogo and the University of Houston-Victoria created a computer model to see how various factors affected death rates from the disease in different countries.

By far the most significant was mask wearing, which had a 70 per cent impact on death rates, they said in a paper published on Tuesday on the preprint website Medrxiv.org, which means it has yet to be peer-reviewed.

YouGov asked people in more than 20 countries if they wore a face mask in public. The proportion who answered “yes” was just 21 per cent in Britain but over 90 per cent in some Asian countries.

In China, it is an offence not to wear a face mask in public and several foreigners have been arrested for not doing so. In Japan, most people wear masks but it is not a legal requirement.

As well as the face mask data, the Japanese study also took into account the respondents’ age and body mass index, lead author Dr Daisuke Miyazawa said.



The abstract of the study says the “identification of biomedical and socioeconomic predictors for the number of deaths by Covid-19 among countries will lead to the development of effective intervention”.

The mask wearing rate was “found to be the strongest predictor for the number of deaths per million”, and the sooner people started wearing masks the better, the researchers said.

Nearly 80 per cent of the Covid-19 deaths reported in early June could be linked to people’s reluctance to wear a face mask in mid-March. Wearing a mask later had some positive effects, but by early May any benefits had plateaued, it said.

A study by researchers from the University of Cambridge in Britain in April showed that “universal masking” had contributed to the suppression of Covid-19 in all Asian countries except India.

Another study by researchers from the California Institute of Technology this month rated face masks “the most effective means to prevent inter-human transmission”.

The World Health Organisation this month recommended wearing face masks in public after previously discouraging people from doing so.

“In light of evolving evidence, the WHO advises that governments should encourage the general public to wear marks … on public transport, WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on June 5.

The Japanese researchers also found that people with more body fat were less willing to wear face masks.

“When people are obese, they feel more uncomfortable wearing a mask as obese adults inhale an average of 50 per cent more air per day than non-obese adults,” they said.




Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
×