Total coronavirus deaths in the United States could drop to below 300,000 by January next year, a model by the University of Washington's health institute has projected, if more Americans wear masks at the same level as Singapore.
"If mask use could be increased to approximately 95 per centthe level observed in Singapore and some other countriesforecast cumulative deaths drop to 275,000 by Jan 1, saving 96,000 lives between now and the end of the year," the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) said in its Sept 23 model update report.
An average of 700 Americans are dying from Covid-19 daily, down from the mid-August peak of around 1,200 daily deaths and all-time high of more than 2,000 in April.
IHME has forecast that the cumulative death toll in the US could reach 371,000 by Jan 1 as winter approaches.
This is not the first time the institute has cited Singapore in its reports about usage of masks.
Early the previous month, it noted that more Americans had started to not wear masks when going out, and that "increasing mask use to the levels seen in Singapore would decrease the cumulative death toll to 288,000, or 122,000 lives saved".
US President Donald Trump and his administration have faced criticism for their handling of the pandemic, as well concerning a lax approach to mask wearing and social distancing in the White House.
Currently, there is no federal mandate to wear a mask, and 17 states do not require them, according to Reuters.
According to IHME, the wearing of masks is at 48 per cent nationally, although some statesincluding California, Hawaii, Alaska, Washington and Floridanow have mask use of over 50 per cent.