Are Face Masks Effective? The Evidence.

[JohnyMac]

According to the Swiss Policy Research group, the science on wearing masks to prevent spreading or receiving the PLA Virus is flawed. In a article released on July 30, 2020 and updated December 15, 2020 titled, Are Face Masks Effective? The Evidence. It is worth your time to read the article in its entirety. Pass it along to friends & family.

"1. Studies on the effectiveness of face masks

So far, most studies found little to no evidence for the effectiveness of cloth face masks in the general population, neither as personal protective equipment nor as a source control.

A May 2020 meta-study on pandemic influenza published by the US CDC found that face masks had no effect, neither as personal protective equipment nor as a source control. (Source)

A Danish randomized controlled trial with 6000 participants, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in November 2020, found no statistically significant effect of high-quality medical face masks against SARS-CoV-2 infection in a community setting. (Source)

A July 2020 review by the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medince found that there is no evidence for the effectiveness of cloth masks against virus infection or transmission. (Source)

A May 2020 cross-country study by the University of East Anglia (preprint) found that a mask requirement was of no benefit and could even increase the risk of infection. (Source)

An April 2020 review by two US professors in respiratory and infectious disease from the University of Illinois concluded that face masks have no effect in everyday life, neither as self-protection nor to protect third parties (so-called source control). (Source)

An article in the New England Journal of Medicine from May 2020 came to the conclusion that cloth face masks offer little to no protection in everyday life. (Source)

An April 2020 Cochrane review (preprint) found that face masks didn’t reduce influenza-like illness (ILI) cases, neither in the general population nor in health care workers. (Source)

An April 2020 review by the Norwich School of Medicine (preprint) found that “the evidence is not sufficiently strong to support widespread use of facemasks”, but supports the use of masks by “particularly vulnerable individuals when in transient higher risk situations.” (Source)

A 2015 study in the British Medical Journal BMJ Open found that cloth masks were penetrated by 97% of particles and may increase infection risk by retaining moisture or repeated use. (Source)

An August 2020 review by a German professor in virology, epidemiology and hygiene found that there is no evidence for the effectiveness of cloth face masks and that the improper daily use of masks by the public may in fact lead to an increase in infections. (Source)"

[Jackalope]

   No surprise there.  Masks are simply a tool to divide the nation.  I've read that if the Chinese virus particles were compared to a mosquito, and masks were compared to a window screen, then the screen mesh would have a comparative size of 200' by 200', so it's no wonder the virus is easily penetrating these masks. As an aside, the number of infections has risen sharply is the past couple of weeks, here in middle Tennessee.

[JohnyMac]

Bummer about the cases going up in TN.

Not in our county. Our local 40-bed hospital is empty of Covid patients.