WVU, CDC report week 3 results for ’MASCUP!’

The West Virginia University School of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a nearly three percent weekly increase in the number of people who wore masks during the third week of 'MASCUP!', an ongoing mask observation study. The purpose of the study is to estimate the percentage of people within the WVU community wearing masks correctly and, ultimately, increase the proportion of people who use masks correctly.

WVU is one of 60 colleges and universities across the country participating in MASCUP!, which stands for Mask Adherence Surveillance at Colleges and Universities Project. Observing mask use can assist universities with determining the adherence among students, faculty and staff to inform public health decision-making.

Following are the results from the third week (March 1-7) of observations, during which *436 people were observed. Observations are being conducted by eight CDC-trained students from the School of Public Health.

*Of those observed:

415 (95.2 percent) wore masks;
21(4.8 percent) did not wear masks; and
369 (88.9 percent) of those wearing masks wore them correctly.

Additionally, observers noted the most common mask type was a cloth mask (N = 245 (59.0 percent)).

To see how this compares to data from the first two weeks, refer to Mask Observation Results.

The School of Public Health and University will continue to share the results on a weekly basis. If you would like to receive the weekly updates directly, please contact the School of Public Health Marketing and Communications Office.

Related resources:

*Update: The observation totals for week three were updated on March 26 to reflect a correction of data entry issues.

Pictured above: WVU Public Health students on the first day of class of the fall 2020 semester. (WVU Photo/Dave Ryan).

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nl/03/12/20

CONTACT: Nikky Luna, Director of Marketing and Communications
WVU School of Public Health
304.293.1699