Numerous studies show cloth masks don’t stop viruses like COVID

State governments enthusiastically demand that everyone, even those who are not sick, wear a mask in public. While it might seem like a logical and even patriotic thing to do, what does science say about the effectiveness and safety of masks?

The masks initially recognized by the best doctors do not work

At the start of the COVID-19 epidemic, Dr Anthony Fauci told us that the masks are unlikely to protect us from the Wuhan virus. Joe Biden’s COVID-19 advisor Dr Michael Osterholm also agreed that wearing masks was “largely” absurd and that “trying to stop the flu [another respiratory virus] it’s like trying to stop the wind.

These expert opinions were based on a meta-analysis of several studies on masks on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. He concluded: “We have found no evidence that surgical-type masks are effective in reducing laboratory-confirmed influenza transmission, either when worn by infected people (source control) or by people from the general community to reduce their sensitivity. “

Fauci and Osterholm were also probably aware of numerous studies finding that masks during surgery do not prevent wound infections from the particles that doctors emit through the mouth and nose. A study found that tracer particles placed on the inside of a surgeon’s mask ended up in the surgical wound.

Another clinical orthopedic study blamed the redirected airflow, saying, “Wearing a surgical mask had no effect on the overall contamination of the operating room environment and probably only worked. to redirect the projectile effect of speech and breathing. ” More recently, a September 2020 meta-review concluded: “Wearing surgical masks in people in non-sanitary settings is not significantly associated with a reduction in the incidence of acute respiratory disease in this meta-review. “

Much recent research on Pro-Mask is deeply flawed

The only statistically significant data on the prevention of viral spread concerns N95 masks worn indoors when one cannot socially distance oneself, which is not the type of mask required and not typically worn by the general public. .

In favor of a few ill-designed new studies, government leaders are ignoring previous solid research that clearly demonstrates that typical cloth masks don’t work. The researchers of these new lower studies somehow conclude that masks help, but you have to read the fine print: They have an unrealistic experimental design, confounding variables, and “low certainty” of the evidence.

Speaking of the fine print, while the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends masks to the public, she acknowledges elsewhere: “At present, the widespread use of masks by healthy people in the community setting is not yet supported by scientific evidence. “

An analysis published in the well-known medical journal The Lancet concluded that the masks helped, but the study subjects wore masks with all other health protection measures, which means that the contribution of the masks to the result of the study cannot be conclusive. To his credit, he called his evidence on masks “low certainty,” but this study is presented as “proof” that the masks work.

Other studies, like the one from Nature, had participants blow into a tube or box while wearing and not wearing various masks. If fewer particles were emitted from the front of the mask, the researchers found this mask to be effective. That would be great, except measuring only the forward projection of the particles completely misses the aerosols escaping from the edges of the mask. A person’s fogged glasses clearly demonstrate that masks do little to contain aerosols. The masks “simply redirect the airflow,” as the clinical orthopedics study indicated.

Another “definitive” study put rats in adjacent cages separated by a small hole completely covered by a new dry mask. This experiment does not come close to the effectiveness of the wet, bacteria-laden masks people wear in public, which leak aerosols by the edges. Comparing masks covering rats’ air holes to those covering human faces is to compare apples and oranges.

All of these studies also used cool masks for just a few minutes. The authors recognize that when masks are moistened with breath, they can increases emission of viral particles. Indeed, it has been well demonstrated that masks accumulate microorganisms.

Finally, in a case study, two hairdressers infected with COVID-19 worked with masks and their clients did not get sick. While this case is also widely seen as the work of the evidence masks, important details have been overlooked.

First, many clients of the hairdressers have refused to be tested, so we do not know if they contracted COVID after contact with the hairdressers. Second, clients who were in contact with stylists when their viral load would have been highest were not included in this case study. Third, the hairdressers clearly had mild cases, otherwise they could not and were not allowed to work.

When did the scientific bar fall so low, especially for something imposed on the general population?

Do masks really cause damage?

“Maskne”, rashes on the face, “mask in the mouth” and sore throat indicate the buildup of bacteria in the masks due to the humid, stagnant air and changes in the oral microbiome, which can cause systemic inflammation and downstream disease. A 2015 study found that healthcare workers who wore cotton masks suffered significantly more respiratory illnesses than those who wore surgical masks.

Previous research by Fauci himself found that the leading cause of death in the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic was bacterial pneumonia. Inhaling more bacteria with each breath seems like a particularly bad idea.

The WHO specifically recommends not wearing a mask while exercising because “masks can reduce the ability to breathe comfortably. Sweating can make the mask wet more quickly, which makes it difficult to breathe and promotes the growth of microorganisms. “

Ample research shows that masks cannot help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, while much recent research claiming to support masks is weak and poorly designed. Frequent use of a mask by the general population increases bacteria and dust in our mouths and airways. A government requiring everyone to wear a mask based on low-quality evidence is reckless and potentially dangerous.

For now, let’s stick to the measures that help: social distancing, hand hygiene and chronic disease prevention. Only don a cool, clean N95 mask for short periods of time when you are inevitably close to others inside.