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Coping with COVID: Could take weeks to determine effectiveness of masks

Health experts in the Kansas City area say that more time is needed to determine if mask mandates implemented in early July are working, claiming it takes three to four weeks to see a change.

A study on mask usage conducted by Health Affairs, a healthcare journal, has shown it takes almost a month for the impact of mask-wearing to be seen.

Right before the Fourth of July this year, a mask mandate was implemented in Kansas City. Now approaching the end of July, health officials are saying that a couple more weeks are needed to determine if the mandate has been working.

This week, new cases of COVID-19 hit record highs in Kansas City, Missouri, though Kansas City Health Department Director Dr. Rex Archer said he’s hopeful that Kansas City starts to see a decrease in positive cases in the next two weeks.

The timeframe will allow a couple of two week incubation periods for COVID-19 run its course in individuals after the city’s mask mandate that went into effect June 27, reports KMBC 9 News.

“That really depends on if we’re getting 60-70% compliance (for masks,) then it’s going to take five to six weeks for it to come down,” Archer said. “If we see tomorrow we got 95% compliance, then I would expect within two weeks, we would start to see that drop.”

In general health officials in the area have agreed that more time is needed to see any results.

“Right now, we’re really just at the beginning of the time period, when we would potentially see results from the mask mandate,” Elizabeth Groenweghe, chief epidemiologist at the Unified Government Of Kansas City, Kansas and Wyandotte County said.