Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Wednesday, Oct 01, 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

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
×