Association between Self-reported Masking Behavior and SARS-CoV-2 Infection Wanes from Pre-Delta to Omicron-Predominant Periods - North Carolina COVID-19 Community Research Partnership (NC-CCRP). - 2022

BACKGROUND: Wearing a face mask is a primary public health method to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission. CONCLUSIONS: While the effect of not wearing a mask remains significant, during the Omicron-predominant period we observed a decrease in the association between self-reported mask wearing and risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Inc. METHODS: We performed a nested case-control analysis within the North Carolina COVID-19 Community Research Partnership (NC-CCRP) of adults who completed daily surveillance surveys, April 2020 - February 2022. We assessed the association between self-reported mask wearing behavior during non-household interactions and COVID-19 infection during three pandemic periods using conditional logistic regression models of risk of infection that were adjusted for demographics, vaccination status, and recent known exposure to COVID-19. RESULTS: Among 3,901 cases and 27,813 date-matched controls, there was a significant interaction between mask use and time period (p<0.001). Prior to July 2021, the odds of a reported infection was 66% higher (aOR=1.66, 95% CI=1.43 - 1.91) among participants reporting >=1 day not wearing a mask compared to those who reported no days (1592 cases, 11717 controls). During the Delta-predominant period, the results were similar (aOR=1.53, 95% CI=1.23 - 1.89; 659 cases, 4649 controls). This association was attenuated during the Omicron-predominant period, where odds of an infection was 16% higher (aOR=1.16, 95% CI=1.03 - 1.32; 1563 cases, 10960 controls).


English

0196-6553

10.1016/j.ajic.2022.09.027 [doi] PMC9537112 [pmc] S0196-6553(22)00727-1 [pii]


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MedStar Health Research Institute


Journal Article