You are still comparing 1920 to 2020 and the comparison doesn’t fit. This hasn’t been the same country since 1960.
And yet, pathogens remain the same.
And so do health policies that work.
Masks aren’t perfect. But reducing your initial viral load with one may be the difference between feeling bad for a cpl weeks or ending up in the hospital for a cpl weeks and a million dollar bill you’ll never pay off.