Do Masks Work?

People calling for masks say that they believe in science, but do they?

I have had some comments by a few people who don’t like what I say about masks; that masks have proven to be completely ineffective and that they’re being used to make us submit to authorities. (I will show you the facts and the links to the scientific studies in this article).

Their arguments are two fold; 1) individual liberties should be sacrificed for a higher purpose of keeping each other safe, and 2) they say that we should all follow the science.

But what does the science really say? (Hint: not what the authorities are telling you.) The people who claim to listen to science are actually listening to authorities who tell them what the science says. Science requires freedom of speech, but we have seen a tremendous amount of censorship, especially of the scientific community. The fact that there has been a ton of censorship of SCIENTIFIC DATA and SCIENTISTS should be a huge red flag, but again, most people don’t question what they hear.

As for the second point, I think we have to be very skeptical when asked to give up any individual liberties, because there is usually a darker motivation behind this. This is especially true when there is so much censorship of scientific data and scientists.

While I agree that we should take steps to help keep others safe, and the vast majority of people do this anyway, if the science doesn’t back up the claims that the masks work why are we required to wear them?

The answer, in my opinion, is that the people in power want you to submit to their authority. It’s a subtle way of saying, put your trust in the government, which is something that is contrary to the Constitution.

Here are some facts with links to the scientific studies that back up these claims (source)…

1. 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)

2. 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)

3. 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)

4. 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)

5. 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)

6. 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)

7. 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)

8. 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)

9. 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)

10. 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)

Furthermore…

1. There is increasing evidence that the SARS-2 coronavirus is transmitted, at least in indoor settings, not only by droplets but also by smaller aerosols. However, due to their large pore size and poor fit, cloth masks cannot filter out aerosols (see video analysis below): over 90% of aerosols penetrate or bypass the mask and fill a medium-sized room within minutes.

2. The WHO admitted to the BBC that its June 2020 mask policy update was due not to new evidence but “political lobbying”: “We had been told by various sources WHO committee reviewing the evidence had not backed masks but they recommended them due to political lobbying. This point was put to WHO who did not deny.” (D. Cohen, BBC Medical Corresponent).

3. An analysis by the US CDC found that 85% of people infected with the new coronavirus reported wearing a mask “always” (70.6%) or “often” (14.4%). Compared to the control group of uninfected people, always wearing a mask did not reduce the risk of infection.

4. Japan, despite its widespread use of face masks, experienced its most recent influenza epidemic with more than 5 million people falling ill just one year ago, in January and February 2019. However, unlike SARS-CoV-2, the influenza virus is easily transmitted by children, too.

5. Many states that introduced mandatory face masks on public transport and in shops in spring, such as Hawaii, California, Argentina, Spain, France, Japan and Israel, saw a strong increase in infections from July onwards, indicating a low effectiveness of mask policies. (More examples)

6. Austrian scientists found that the introduction, retraction and re-introduction of a face mask mandate in Austria had no influence on the coronavirus infection rate.

7. In the US state of Kansas, the 90 counties without mask mandates had lower coronavirus infection rates than the 15 counties with mask mandates. To hide this fact, the Kansas health department tried to manipulate the official statistics and data presentation.

8. Contrary to common belief, studies in hospitalsfound that the wearing of a medical mask by surgeons during operations didn’t reduce post-operative bacterial wound infections in patients.

9. During the notorious 1918 influenza pandemic, the use of cloth face masks among the general population was widespread and in some places mandatory, but they made no difference.

10. Asian countries with low covid infection and death rates benefited not from face masks but mainly from early border closures. This is confirmed by Scandinavian countries like Norway, Finland and Denmark, which didn’t introduce mask mandates but closed borders early and saw very low covid infection and death rates, too.

11. Researchers from the University of Minnesota found that the infectious dose of SARS-CoV-2 is just 300 virions (viral particles), whereas a single minute of normal speaking may generate more than 750,000 virions, making cloth face masks unlikely to prevent an infection.

12. To date, the only randomized controlled trial (RCT) on face masks against SARS-CoV-2 infection in a community setting found no statistically significant benefit (see above). However, three major journals refused to publish this study, delaying its publication by several months.

Here are some good pictures that demonstrate the truth…

Again, I urge you to be very skeptical about what you hear.

The media is in the business of making you scared. They will continue to do this until you turn them off.

Politicians are in the business of gaining more power over you, and that is exactly what they are doing.

And big bankers and central bankers want you to focus on anything except how they are robbing you blind.

Think for yourself. Question. Be skeptical. Encourage and demand free speech!

And of course, find independent voices you trust, but still think for yourself.

If you want to watch another source that looks at the facts, go here (start at 2:35).

Comments? Questions?

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