Most Americans have ignored advice of the CDC to wear masks in public -particularly when indoors, largely due to ignorance of the purpose of masks. Many falsely believe they are worn to protect oneself from COVID-19, when masks are actually intended to shield others from you if you have the coronavirus. Others believe that if they feel well they don't need to wear a mask either, but the fact is many people have little or no symptoms of COVID-19 and spread it that way to the frail. Add to that President Trump's insecurity preventing him from personally wearing a mask in public, signaling to his followers that it's unnecessary. But hey, he's a scientist, so why not follow his advice? The end result is that while mask-wearing Asia & Western Europe are seeing drops in coronavirus cases, the U.S. is seeing increases.