A new study concludes that the use of masks, social distancing, hand washing and other non-pharmaceutical interventions saved an estimated 831,000 lives in the United States during the pandemic, particularly during the early days when vaccinations weren’t available, a new study finds.
The researchers note that not all the averted deaths would have been associated with the Covid virus; during the first two years of the pandemic, the fatality rate of seasonal influenza also dropped thanks to the more hygienic habits of the population.