The Mask Mandate Efficacy for Containing COVID-19 within Michigan

This project extended previous research into face mask policy and the incidence of COVID-19 to be applied to the population of Michigan. With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, mask mandates seemed to be a necessary containment solution that can suppress COVID-19 cases and reduce pressure on health care services. To estimate the efficacy of the mask mandate in Michigan, we analyzed the COVID-19 datasets from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), focusing on Michigan’s counties. Furthermore, we also considered additional data sources to enrich the surrounding discussion regarding mask efficacy, namely how the rest of this country fared through the pandemic. We applied the Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMM) to compare counties when masks were mandatory in public and when masks were compulsory. We also provided recommendations to public health officials over the state of the pandemic within Michigan’s locale.