ArticleBMC public health2025
Does mask usage correlate with excess mortality? Findings from 24 European countries.
Article in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Uncovering the biases: why the claimed mask-excess mortality link fails to hold.Lancet regional health. Americas · 2026Article
- Risks and benefits of face masks in children.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Review
- Correction: Does mask usage correlate with excess mortality? Findings from 24 European countries.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Clustering-based methodology for comparing multi-characteristic epidemiological dynamics with application to COVID-19 epidemiology in Europe.Royal Society open science · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSeveral nonpharmaceutical interventions, such as masking, were mandated or recommended during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study's primary objective is to investigate the relationship between population-level mask usage and excess mortality across Europe.
methodsWe collected data on mask usage and other relevant variables from 24 European countries during 2020-2021, a period in which mask policies varied widely across nations, providing an ideal basis for a natural experiment. To assess the association between mask usage and relevant medical and socioeconomic data at the country level, we conducted both bivariate and multivariate regression analyses. Confounding factors were accounted for in the regression models, and numerous sensitivity tests were performed to ensure robustness.
resultsStatistically significant correlations were found between mask usage rate and age-adjusted excess mortality in both bivariate (Spearman coefficient = 0.477, p = 0.018) and multivariate (Standardized coefficient = 0.52, p = 0.0012) regressions. Likewise, vaccination rates showed negative and significant bivariate (Spearman coefficient = -0.659, p < .001) and multivariate (Standardized coefficient = -0.48, p = 0.0016) correlations with age-adjusted excess mortality.
conclusionsNo correlation was observed between mask usage rates and COVID-19 morbidity. However, significant associations were identified between mask usage rates, COVID-19 mortality, and excess deaths. Various hypotheses have been proposed to explain these associations, with thorough consideration given to potential confounders, such as socioeconomic factors and the severity of COVID-19 waves.
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Registered trials
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