CNN reports that as the number of deaths surpasses the grim milestone of 100,000 and Americans squabble over whether it’s necessary or helpful to keep taking protective measures like wearing a face covering, a leading researcher says the data is clear that wearing masks works. Dr. Chris Murray, Director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, or IHME, at the University of Washington, says that wearing masks offers probably 50 percent protection against transmission. Unfortunately, what should be influenced by science and shared strategy is instead being influenced by politics resulting in a divided approach. Dr. Anthony Fauci agrees that “simple” things like wearing masks and washing hands are crucial and that close gatherings of people without masks are “very troubling. … That’s really tempting fate and asking for trouble.”
