University of Vermont found that those who wore masks had more infections, more contacts

 http://www.med.uvm.edu/vaccinetestingcenter/news/2021/01/19/van_den_broek-altenburg_colleagues_report_that_without_messaging_masks_could_lead_to_more_covid-19_spread

Study Warns Mask Mandate Without Education May Raise COVID-19 Spread

January 19, 2021 by Jeff Wakefield

Church Street Marketplace in Burlington, Vt. (Photo: Sally McCay, University of Vermont)

A novel new study suggests that the behavior public officials are now mandating or recommending unequivocally to slow the spread of surging COVID-19--wearing a face covering--should come with a caveat. If not accompanied by proper public education, the practice could lead to more infections.

The finding is part of a unique study, published in JMIR Public Health and Surveillance, that was conducted by a team of health economists and public health faculty at the University of Vermont's Larner College of Medicine in partnership with public health officials for the state of Vermont.

The study combines survey data gathered from adults living in northwestern Vermont with test results that showed whether a subset of them had contracted COVID-19, a dual research approach that few COVID studies have employed. By correlating the two data sets, researchers were able to determine what behaviors and circumstances increased respondents' risk of becoming sick.

The key risk factor driving transmission of the disease, the study found, was the number of daily contacts participants had with other adults and seniors.

That had relevance for two other findings.

Those who wore masks had more of these daily contacts compared with those who didn't, and a higher proportion contracted the virus as a result...