Mask study

Been panned already. Does not have to do with effectiveness of masks when worn properly. Just concluded that people don't wear them when they are supposed to or wear them hanging. Thus, says there is no measuarable population wide effect. Many other studies have found measuarable population wide effects with other methodologies. But it was sold (including in the author's summaries), as saying that masks don't work. Not what the study even posits.

There is no doubt that any mitigating policy is less effective if widely opposed. Public Health Officials need to consider that in making decisions. You don't want to enact a policy that will not be followed - that undercuts your future ability to implement helpful policies. And the perfect is always the enemy of the good - there is always a balance. But this vindicates very few of the anti-masking rhetoric, only those on the grounds set forth above. It certainly does not vindicate those that consciously tried to undermine the policy with disinformation. It's like Putin criticizing the Ukranian government for having an unreliable electrical grid while he is bombing it daily.

 

Proper mask wearing protocols include:

• Single use masks are used only once
• Washable masks are washed after every use
• Nose and mouth are covered at all times
• Masks are worn for no longer than 4 hours before being switched out

How many people here adhere to all these protocols? My guess is less than 10%. Been guilty myself, when I didn't have a replacement and double-used a mask. And certainly, we've all seen the poked nose or mask that is being worn as a chin strap on multiple occasions.

Like seatbelts, masks don't work if they aren't used properly. A car having a seatbelt that sits unbuckled isn't going to save a life. Neither are masks that are dirty, and not properly covering the nose and mouth.

 

I don't follow them perfectly. I have not switched out every four hours in the rare instances of which I need to wear them longer, like flights to Los Angeles, and I probably use a multiple use masks a few more times than I should. And sometimes I don't wear them in situations that I should.

But you still get much better protection even with slightly imperfect use (although not the hang down, total noncoverage).

 

Masks = anxiety placebos that heighten anxiety.

 

This was all pretty well known before Covid. But the idiots in public health wanted to look like they were doing something. Same with the made up 6 feet of social distancing nonsense.

You have to just shake your head at the insanity that was pushed on people.

 

I'm sure Republicans of today would have vehemently objected to using "Off" in 1347 when the bubonic plague hit.

 

See Tampa and Cat above. Don’t worry, I know you won’t actually read it.

 

Part of why they knew they won’t work. I don’t know what Tampa posted because they are apparently not willing to see my perspective even through they disagree with it most of the time. And because of gatorcountrys setup…I can’t see what they post. Really wish they would just allow Tampa to hide from others perspective but allow all of us to see their perspective.

With that said…they knew prior to Covid masks would not work. They knew during Covid they would not work. And they know now they will not work.

What makes it so infuriating is that forcing kids to wear a mask in order to appease the great virtue of these public health idiots…they actually were harming kids and their development. It would have been one thing if they actually worked. But they don’t.

 

Weird
I can’t see tampa and cats post either. I guess they have me on ignore for some reason?
Masks didn’t help. We have seen several studies that all point to that. There are still people wearing them in their car, at the park etc… which is silly. When we told over and over that masking didn’t help YOU it keeps you from spreading to ORHERS. If 1 out of 100 is masked.. to what purpose?
Oh well. It’s done now. We screwed over the kids with shutting down schools, isolations, masks mandates.. all without seriously considering the cost. Public hysteria rules the day.

 

Or we'd still have smallpox and polio as major medical concerns as well

 

I think looking at the practical application of something is informative. If you require a degree of conformance to details people aren’t capable without strict enforcement then there’s limited effectiveness. I’m sure they make a difference short term but over any length of time their ability to reduce spread is limited.

I would have expected better results from N95s.

 

Masks are very effective. They don't have to be used perfectly to have positive effects. I think this showed nothing more than I described above. It's not that hard to mask in a way that greatly reduce transmission. But there is also a network effect, and it was a culture war from the outset. The study showed no more than culture wars matter.

 

Why do operating room staff wear them? I am sure this has been brought up before.
I just returned from a 10 day Japan trip. I had to wear a mask every day including the 13 hour plane rides. I hated it but it was necessary for my work.

 

It’s a good question. Why do they ? There are no viruses and there are no bad bacteria. Why did doctors recommend cigarettes ? Why did they recommend butter for burns ? Why did they recommend low fat diets ? Why do they still track BMI ? I could go on ...

 

I think the primary use of standard surgical masks in operating room is to prevent splatter from operating.

 

They wear them to protect themselves from splatter. Particles larger than the mask. There is no sound evidence masks do anything when it comes to aerosol diseases.

Hence fauci before he became an authoritarian virtue signaler said you don’t need to wear one. They pulled a good one on you. Don’t let them do it again…

 

That’s what shields are for right? I assume you mean splatter from the patient or do you mean staff spittle?

 

https://pubs.asahq.org/anesthesiolo...s-Routine-Use-of-a-Face-Mask-Necessary-in-the
From our friend Google - 2010.
WHEN introduced a century ago, the purpose of the surgical facemask was to provide protection for the patient from surgical wound infections. But is there evidence that face masks prevent wound infections? A recent review concluded that it is not clear whether face masks prevent surgical wound infections,1and the scientific evidence for this practice is weak and insufficient.1,2Questioning the efficacy of surgical face masks, an established routine in operating rooms worldwide, is clearly controversial given the tradition of the practice. Recognizing the lack of sound scientific evidence, we have changed facemask routines in several units at the Karolinska University Hospital (see image by Henrik Jörnvall, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Anesthesia, Surgical Sciences and Intensive Care, Karolinska University Hospital Solna, Stockholm, Sweden).

Anesthesia personnel are no longer required to wear disposable face masks in the operating room, a practice approved by our surgical colleagues. Surgeons, their assistants, and scrub nurses are still required to wear masks.

…But the evidence to support this practice does not exist, and studies to establish differences in infection rates with or without face masks will likely be difficult to design and implement given the small potential effect.

 

That’s what I am reading too and these are articles from pre covid.