key: cord-0021173-1hryoo5g
authors: Van Gordon, Mollie M.
title: Regional differences in NPI efficacy and recommendations for Africa
date: 2021-09-22
journal: Int J Infect Dis
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2021.09.044
sha: 0935d699ee1f0f8f4d6c4b17afc65ce584655714
doc_id: 21173
cord_uid: 1hryoo5g

nan

Despite the high uncertainty in the efficacy of masking in Africa, two factors recommend its continuing use as an NPI policy. There is a wide evidence base supporting the efficacy of masking in reducing COVID transmission, particularly when compliance is high (Howard et al. 2021 ). Further, masking is cost-effective, both when considering cost in human life and offsetting economic costs associated with lockdowns (Abaluck et al. 2020; Hatzius et al. 2020 ).

Implementing targeted mobility NPIs, strengthening masking policies and practices in Africa, and easing social distancing may be a path to optimizing trade-offs between epidemiological efficacy and secondary costs of NPI policies. In addition, strategic public messaging may increase NPI compliance, serving as a key component of NPI policy implementation (Harling et al. 2021; Howard et al. 2021) . The demonstration of regional differences in NPI efficacy highlights the importance of context-specific information for targeting NPI policy design and minimizing detrimental secondary effects.

The author declares no conflicts of interest.

This publication is based on models and data analysis performed by the Institute for Disease

Modeling at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The funder had no influence on the analysis or conclusions presented here.

Not required. 

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