One of the most controversial of the “public health” measures during the CV-19 epidemic was the mandated use of face masks.
Supposedly the masks would both prevent infected people from transmitting the virus to others and protect uninfected persons from picking up the virus. Prior to this epidemic the research on whether face masks could prevent transmission of respiratory viruses was decidedly weak.
Viruses are incredibly small and designing something to stop them is difficult, particularly a face mask that by definition isn’t likely to be tight and actually would trap and hold viruses, which could then later be released either internally or externally. I have written extensively on the research regarding masking and I would like to stop talking about the topic, but we have masking proponents who won’t let go of the obvious fact that they made absolutely no difference in the spread or extent of CV-19 infections.
Precision in setting up a research question is important. The question here is: does wearing a face mask, or having an entire community wearing a face mask, have an impact on the transmission of respiratory viruses in the community? We are examining the widespread impact, not in a small setting or in a health care setting. There is exactly one well-done randomized trial on this question that I am aware of, and it found that the answer is no. There are several pieces of poorly designed research that claim the answer is yes. But the real test is: did we see any reduction in the level of infections or how fast the virus spread once mask mandates were enacted? And the answer to that is an undeniable no. I have posted extensively on Minnesota showing absolutely no effect of the mask mandate in our state.
The latest pro-mask nonsense is produced by researchers who can’t let go of the idea that if we just all wore 82 masks 24/7, the epidemic could have been ended in a week. Purporting to be a “meta-analysis” of research on mask effectiveness, it is basically designed to meet a specific pro-masking end. (Mask Review) We have excellent ongoing reviews produced by gold-standard medical evidence reviewers such as the Cochrane Institute, the Center for Evidence-Based Medicine, and even a group associated with the federal government, none of which find any meaningful evidence to support the notion that masks limit community spread of a respiratory virus.
All you need to do to understand this piece of dreck is read the summary. The reason we should mask is so we can virtue-signal to the rest of the world that we care about them. And those who refuse to wear masks, despite their obvious uselessness, are ideologically driven morons. That is clearly what the authors think.
They conflate mask research with respirator research. People aren’t going to routinely wear respirators and it would be dangerous for them to do so. The authors attempt to rely on the same pathetic mask studies that were so deservedly and derisively debunked when first released. They disrespect Cochrane and others because those groups insisted on actual evidence from randomized clinical trials and rejected supposed evidence of benefit from poorly designed and obviously biased trials. The most astounding thing is that anyone is still attempting to cling bitterly to the necessity of wearing masks.
I have said again and again that in a specific circumstance it is possible that a mask would prevent transmission, but that across the millions of encounters occurring in any community, they do nothing to slow or limit transmission. All we had to do is look around and see case trends despite forced masking, social distancing, business and school closures, etc.
Wear a mask if you want to but you are simply delusional if you think it is protecting you to any meaningful degree. My favorite masking research is that which showed that they really are a virus collection device, and provide an environment the virus loves. So masks may be as likely to facilitate transmission as to prevent it.
Kevin Roche runs The Healthy Skeptic, a website about the health care system, and has many years of experience working in the health care industry. If you have health care-related questions, you can contact Kevin at xuebpur@urnygul-fxrcgvp.pbz and he may answer the question in a column. Read more from Kevin Roche at his website: healthy-skeptic.com
Kevin Roche
Kevin Roche runs The Healthy Skeptic, a website about the health care system, and has many years of experience working in the health care industry.
