Home Latest New Study Claims Masks Don't Protect Wearers From Getting COVID
New Study Claims Masks Don't Protect Wearers From Getting COVID
According to a new study, masks are not effective at protecting Americans from getting COVID.
Published: Danish Mask Wearing Randomized Controlled Trial
1.8% of mask wearers became infected
2.1% of non-mask wearers became infected
Difference between groups is not statistically significant
Anybody who believes NPIs explain Asian success is a foolhttps://t.co/S8LvqtGIu0 pic.twitter.com/XOaDJwlFLB
— Gummi Bear (@gummibear737) November 18, 2020
ACPJOURNAL:
The recommendation to wear surgical masks to supplement other public health measures did not reduce the SARS-CoV-2 infection rate among wearers by more than 50% in a community with modest infection rates, some degree of social distancing, and uncommon general mask use. The data were compatible with lesser degrees of self-protection.
Here is a good thread about the study:
The largest randomized clinical trial on mask use was published today.
The study failed to show masks were effective.
Wearing a mask "did not reduce, at conventional levels of statistical significance, the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection…."https://t.co/4nKtxxMa9K
— Clarity (@covid_clarity) November 18, 2020
The study split 6,024 people into mask-wearing & non-mask-wearing groups.
There was no statistically significant difference in SARS-CoV-2 infection rates between the two groups.
While the study failed to show the effectiveness of masks, it did not recommend ending use.
pic.twitter.com/yNSWNn0xFU
Some are asking why the study didn't recommend stopping using masks…
The study showed there wasn't a statistically significant difference in infection rates between those wearing masks & those not wearing.
But, it didn't test whether those wearing masks were spreading less.
This is the largest RCT of its kind specifically looking at SARS-CoV-2.
The authors struggled to find a journal to publish it.
Some will rightfully criticize this study, point to other studies, and argue that masks still help to some degree.
Follow the science…
Below are 7 studies that found masks are ineffective at stopping COVID-19 like viruses.
American Greatness:
Jacobs, J. L. et al. (2009) "Use of surgical face masks to reduce the incidence of the common cold among health care workers in Japan: A randomized controlled trial," American Journal of Infection Control, Volume 37, Issue 5, 417–419.
N95-masked health-care workers (HCW) were significantly more likely to experience headaches. Face mask use in HCW was not demonstrated to provide benefit in terms of cold symptoms or getting colds.
Radonovich, L.J. et al. (2019) "N95 Respirators vs Medical Masks for Preventing Influenza Among Health Care Personnel: A Randomized Clinical Trial," JAMA. 2019; 322(9): 824–833.
"Among 2862 randomized participants, 2371 completed the study and accounted for 5180 HCW-seasons. … Among outpatient health care personnel, N95 respirators vs medical masks as worn by participants in this trial resulted in no significant difference in the incidence of laboratory-confirmed influenza."
Long, Y. et al. (2020) "Effectiveness of N95 respirators versus surgical masks against influenza: A systematic review and meta-analysis," J Evid Based Med. 2020; 1–9.
"A total of six RCTs involving 9,171 participants were included. There were no statistically significant differences in preventing laboratory-confirmed influenza, laboratory-confirmed respiratory viral infections, laboratory-confirmed respiratory infection, and influenza-like illness using N95 respirators and surgical masks. Meta-analysis indicated a protective effect of N95 respirators against laboratory-confirmed bacterial colonization (RR = 0.58, 95% CI 0.43-0.78). The use of N95 respirators compared with surgical masks is not associated with a lower risk of laboratory-confirmed influenza."
Cowling, B. et al. (2010) "Face masks to prevent transmission of influenza virus: A systematic review," Epidemiology and Infection, 138(4), 449-456.
None of the studies reviewed showed a benefit from wearing a mask, in either HCW or community members in households (H). See summary Tables 1 and 2 therein.
Bin-Reza et al. (2012) "The use of masks and respirators to prevent transmission of influenza: a systematic review of the scientific evidence," Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 6(4), 257–267.
"There were 17 eligible studies. … None of the studies established a conclusive relationship between mask/respirator use and protection against influenza infection."
Smith, J.D. et al. (2016) "Effectiveness of N95 respirators versus surgical masks in protecting health care workers from acute respiratory infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis," CMAJ Mar 2016
"We identified six clinical studies … . In the meta-analysis of the clinical studies, we found no significant difference between N95 respirators and surgical masks in associated risk of (a) laboratory-confirmed respiratory infection, (b) influenza-like illness, or (c) reported work-place absenteeism."
Offeddu, V. et al. (2017) "Effectiveness of Masks and Respirators Against Respiratory Infections in Healthcare Workers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," Clinical Infectious Diseases, Volume 65, Issue 11, 1 December 2017, pages 1934–1942,
"Self-reported assessment of clinical outcomes was prone to bias. Evidence of a protective effect of masks or respirators against verified respiratory infection (VRI) was not statistically significant."
Now, does this mean masks don't work? No.
We need more research done to see how effective, if at all masks are at slowing the spread of the Chinese Coronavirus.
What this proves is that the people pushing masks on you and bullying you into wearing a mask don't actually have all the science on their side.
In fact, the article from American Greatness points out that not a single randomized clinical trial has found that masks work.
This means that the only way to remove bias from scientific research in the medical field is with randomized clinical trials. Contrary to popular belief, every single RCT ever performed on mask usage and prevention of infection for laboratory-confirmed influenza, the common cold, or other respiratory viruses shows that masks are ineffective.
There is a sum total of zero randomized clinical trials showing that masks prevent any of the aforementioned illnesses. As you read through the following trial summaries and their conclusions, recall the damage we have already knowingly inflicted upon the population, and the health risks of the shutdowns that we have already consciously accepted in our quest to "trust the science."
You would think the trust the science guys would care about what the science actually says.
At the beginning of this pandemic they told us masks don't work:
Drew Holden put together a Twitter thread that looked back at what left-wingers, the Mainstream Press, and the experts were saying about wearing masks just a few months ago.
There's some revisionist history being written so to clarify:
There was ZERO consensus in Feb/March that masks worked against coronavirus. Insofar as there was agreement it was that they DIDN'T work & SHOULDN'T be worn.
Don't remember? Well the internet is forever.
🧵THREAD🧵
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) July 12, 2020
This started from a tweet from @jaketapper wishing @realDonaldTrump had urged people to wear masks back then.
In hindsight, that's a good wish to have. But let's not pretend that the media was urging mask adoption then.
Here's @CNN in that timeframe. pic.twitter.com/Jtz10kbR0K
@CNN's top medical expert, @drsanjaygupta, struck a similar note on March 5th. pic.twitter.com/31vCcFd07d
@jaketapper brought someone on his show, @TheLeadCNN, to echo this same concern on February 26th. pic.twitter.com/ttHuGCans9
And CNN wasn't alone. This was what most media outlets were reporting at the time.
Here's @MSNBC. pic.twitter.com/Vv7ygTbdZp
@ABC was saying the same thing. With a special shoutout to @BilldeBlasio, who has handled this public health crisis worse than probably anyone in America. pic.twitter.com/JwGmC9XLIQ
This from @nytimes captures the sentiment at the time well.
Is this consensus? I sure don't see it. pic.twitter.com/3ynfPCUaQ2
@NBCNews actually criticized @realDonaldTrump for ***focusing too much on masks*** on March 14th. pic.twitter.com/4r2lyJ2am2
@washingtonpost, these from late February and early March. pic.twitter.com/GyB8hhY5Aa
These from @voxdotcom are from February 4th and 5th respectively. Not the same note we're hitting today. pic.twitter.com/DpFrOPxjgh
This, from @Newsweek on February 28th says not to get a mask and then **reiterates it to a skeptical audience three more times** pic.twitter.com/GWgpt95Ipm
I am duty bound to ensure that @kurteichenwald is highlighted in these threads. pic.twitter.com/l1oMUcVS6o
Ditto for @SethAbramson (this from April 13th). pic.twitter.com/d4eTakwuKL
Here's @thedailybeast on March 23rd, saying that masking is "not an evidence-based, scientifically sound approach." pic.twitter.com/4YdRf8v4vP
@USATODAY did the same thing, and even took a jab at @mattgaetz for wearing a mask.
All these were from the first week of March. pic.twitter.com/JIOZ0IlczM
Fauci even didn't want a study done that would prove masks were effective:
Dr. Anthony Fauci Opposes Controlled Study on Effectiveness of Masks https://t.co/2KAbLxGubb via @BreitbartNews
— Daniel Horowitz (@RMConservative) July 17, 2020
Breitbart:
One student asked if it is possible to do a study in the midst of a pandemic about the effectiveness of wearing masks.
"What kind of studies can we do right now in the middle of the pandemic about masks and transmission of the disease?" the student asked. "Or are we just relying on anecdotal evidence because we are not able to do those kind of studies right now?"
Fauci said there are enough "meta-analyses" of existing data showing the efficacy of masks.
"Right now, I'm convinced enough in the summation and totality of the data that has been analyzed by meta-analysis that I'm convinced that the benefit of wearing a mask clearly is there and is better than not wearing a mask," he said:
In theory, a randomized controlled study would test the spread of the virus among people wearing masks versus people not wearing masks and possibly scientifically demonstrate the effectiveness of wearing one.
But Fauci balked at the idea.
"I would not want to do a randomized controlled study because that would mean having people not wear masks and see if they do better," he said.
Fauci suggested he would never ask an individual to participate in a study that would involve not wearing a mask.
"I think that to do the study would be kind of difficult to do because then you'd have to tell people not to wear masks, and I'm not about to tell them that," he said.
Lefties tried to get a mask study that didn't say what they wanted it to be shutdown:
The "science" mob has come for The Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, which is bravely standing behind their study showing there is no data supporting a cloth mask in prevent transmission of the coronavirus.https://t.co/SCUs9TRfGG
— Jordan Schachtel (@JordanSchachtel) July 17, 2020
Notice how the opponents of this study want it eliminated. They not only contest it, they want it removed from the internet. The "follow the science" people are largely book burners.
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