CDC study finds overwhelming majority of people getting Covid wore masks-
[thefederalist.com]
I personally know of only one individual that got Covid, the mother in law of a close uncle, and she constantly wore a mask while out and about. In the end, wearing a mask didn't save her.
I haven't had the flu in decades, but I regularly wash my hands and always after shopping. I also consciously avoid touching my face before washing.
The interesting question is why Asia did so much better than the U.S.
"With its less stringent approach and the world’s most elderly population, Japan has fared worst among the nations studied, suffering 1,056 deaths, or about 8.3 per million residents. But that figure still ranks among the lowest fatality rates globally."
"experience matters here, as well. Living through the emergence and control of pathogens like SARS and MERS has strengthened cultural norms around protections such as face masks and social distancing, Tang says. Face masks are nearly universal in public spaces in Japan even though the country never issued a mandate to wear them, he adds."
I have seen other studies that show that a large percentage of Japanese test positive for antibodies. The logical conclusion is that masks and social distancing reduce the severity of disease and speed of developing herd immunity. I could be wrong it's just a guess but still it needs study.
The U.S. did a poor job with Covid and no it wasn't Trump's fault. Democratic governors arguably did worse. Two possible explanations are that Americans are sickly, obese, prone to diabetes and heart disease all the deadly co morbidities. Americans are also not inclined to self discipline which plays into the sickly and bad viral hygiene.
I would also like to see a study on alcohol use and severity of Covid19. Europeans and other countries that have done poorly have a history of heavy alcohol consumption.
Question is, did they touch their face constantly while wearing it, did it not fit right or not cover their nose, did they bring things into their home and not properly sanitize, etc? And one last thing, how many people were they around who didn't wear masks?
As for my uncle's mother in law, the masks she wore fit just fine so most likely there was no need for her to fidget and touch her face. Also as far as I can tell, being she is long retired the only places she was going to recently were grocery stores and the Laundromat, and she never complained of being around anyone (feeling uncomfortable around anyone) who wasn't wearing a mask.
As for others, that may be the case as you pointed out above considering other factors, and then again maybe not.
Did the have a proper mask?