Online mask sales increase amid delta variant surge
Mask sales have climbed in August as the delta variant spreads among unvaccinated communities, leading to a higher number of COVID-19 cases.
In the week beginning Aug. 4, mask sales rose 40 percent over the previous week, according to data from Adobe Digital Economy Index, CNN Business reported.
The news outlet noted that mask sales had been down in June and part of July, but the delta variant has appeared to buck that trend as states and localities see a surge of new COVID-19 cases in their communities.
The week of July 21 to July 27, the index found that mask sales had increased 24 percent compared to the week before. It was the first time in weeks that the index noted an increase of mask sales.
The trend also coincides with guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has recommended that people start wearing masks inside public spaces in areas that have seen higher transmission levels of COVID-19.
Currently, four states in addition to Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., require people to wear masks inside public spaces regardless of their vaccination status, according to AARP. Six states require people who are not vaccinated to wear masks inside public settings.
Many school districts have also required that masks be worn inside schools, sometimes in opposition to governors and other elected officials who have said they are against the mask mandates. It has become a heated political issue among state leaders and local and school officials.
Despite this, health officials warn that the U.S. is careening toward a staggering amount of new cases this fall.
President Biden’s chief medical adviser, Anthony Fauci, said in an interview with McClatchy earlier this month that the U.S. could see as many as 200,000 new daily COVID-19 cases this fall.
“Remember, just a couple of months ago, we were having about 10,000 cases a day,” Fauci told McClatchy in an interview. “I think you’re likely going to wind up somewhere between 100,000 and 200,000 cases.”
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