As of November 1, there are nearly 46 million total cases with around 150 cases per 100,000 people in the United States. There are nearly 750,000 deaths in the United States alone. These numbers indicate the sheer virility of this disease regardless of any actions that we take; it is important that we stay active in our fight against COVID-19. This increasingly large growing number indicates that although we have reduced the rate of growth initially, it is important that we maintain public health practices.

 Understanding certain health practices in practice are also essential to understanding certain health practices such as social distancing. It has been shown that in a study that countries such as the UK, France, Germany, Russia Turkey, Iran and China, the US, Spain, and Italy would have COVID-19 cases decline 1-4 weeks after the highest level of social distancing procedures were implemented. The peak of the COVID-19 cases only declines after the use of social distancing measures, demonstrating the effectiveness of social distancing. 

According to a study, Hong Kong has a greater than 95% mask-wearing rate which has a significantly lower COVID-19 incidence rate than countries where the mask-wearing rate is lower. In Hong Kong, it was also noticed that there are 11 COVID-19 clusters under circumstances where masks were not worn and 3 clusters in mask-on circumstances. This shows that the rate of COVID-19 incidents is much lower when individuals are wearing masks. By keeping these statistics in mind, we are able to make informed decisions that help to deter the effect of COVID-19. 

For more information:

CDC COVID Data Tracker https://covid.cdc.gov › covid-data-tracker

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