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So the comment I made was masks are worn to not keep you from being infected, but to lower the risk of you infecting others.
this is what followed.
Bold emphasis is mine.
www.rcreader.com
They failed to include this part which is the beginning of the article, which mostly talks about common cold and influenza.
this is what followed.
Bold emphasis is mine.
Masks Don’t Work: A Review of Science Relevant to COVID-19 Social Policy
There have been extensive randomized controlled trial (RCT) studies, and meta-analysis reviews of RCT studies, which all show that masks and respirators do not work to prevent respiratory influenza-like illnesses, or respiratory illnesses believed to be transmitted by droplets and aerosol...
Masks Don’t Work: A Review of Science
https://www.rcreader.com/…/masks-dont-work-covid-a-review-o…
Review of the Medical Literature:
▪︎ 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. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19216002/
▪︎ 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. https://www.cambridge.org/…/64D368496EBDE0AFCC6639CCC9D8BC05
▪︎ “There were 17 eligible studies. … None of the studies established a conclusive relationship between mask/respirator use and protection against influenza infection.” https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/…/…/j.1750-2659.2011.00307.x
▪︎ “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.” https://www.cmaj.ca/content/188/8/567
▪︎ “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”; as per Fig. 2c therein: (See diagram in Comments) https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/65/11/1934/4068747
▪︎ “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.” https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2749214
▪︎ “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.” https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jebm.12381
Conclusion:
If there were any benefit to wearing a mask, because of the blocking power against droplets and aerosol particles, then there should be more benefit from wearing a respirator (N95) compared to a surgical mask, yet several large meta-analyses, and all the RCT, prove that there is no such relative benefit.
Masks and respirators do not work.
They failed to include this part which is the beginning of the article, which mostly talks about common cold and influenza.
There have been extensive randomized controlled trial (RCT) studies, and meta-analysis reviews of RCT studies, which all show that masks and respirators do not work to prevent respiratory influenza-like illnesses, or respiratory illnesses believed to be transmitted by droplets and aerosol particles.
Furthermore, the relevant known physics and biology, which I review, are such that masks and respirators should not work. It would be a paradox if masks and respirators worked, given what we know about viral respiratory diseases: The main transmission path is long-residence-time aerosol particles (< 2.5 μm), which are too fine to be blocked, and the minimum-infective dose is smaller than one aerosol particle.
The present paper about masks illustrates the degree to which governments, the mainstream media, and institutional propagandists can decide to operate in a science vacuum, or select only incomplete science that serves their interests. Such recklessness is also certainly the case with the current global lockdown of over 1 billion people, an unprecedented experiment in medical and political history.
(From Words from the Publisher: "We pledge to publish all letters, guest commentaries, or studies refuting [Rancourt's] general premise that this mask-wearing culture and shaming could be more harmful than helpful. Please send your feedback to info@rcreader.com.")





