One of the largest COVID-19 interventions, along with lockdowns and the jabs, has been face mask mandates. Face masks continue to be recommended by our leaders (source), the experts, and trusted media outlets (source). In what won’t be a huge surprise to those who knew that virus particles are much smaller than the pores in the masks, a recent updated and large study published in the highly respected and influential Cochrane Library found: “Wearing masks in the community probably makes little or no difference to the outcome of influenza‐like illness (ILI)/COVID‐19 like illness compared to not wearing masks (risk ratio (RR) 0.95, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.84 to 1.09; 9 trials, 276,917 participants; moderate‐certainty evidence. Wearing masks in the community probably makes little or no difference to the outcome of laboratory‐confirmed influenza/SARS‐CoV‐2 compared to not wearing masks (RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.72 to 1.42; 6 trials, 13,919 participants; moderate‐certainty evidence). Harms were rarely measured and poorly reported (very low‐certainty evidence).”
COVID face masks do more harm than good?
COVID face masks do more harm than good?
COVID face masks do more harm than good?
One of the largest COVID-19 interventions, along with lockdowns and the jabs, has been face mask mandates. Face masks continue to be recommended by our leaders (source), the experts, and trusted media outlets (source). In what won’t be a huge surprise to those who knew that virus particles are much smaller than the pores in the masks, a recent updated and large study published in the highly respected and influential Cochrane Library found: “Wearing masks in the community probably makes little or no difference to the outcome of influenza‐like illness (ILI)/COVID‐19 like illness compared to not wearing masks (risk ratio (RR) 0.95, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.84 to 1.09; 9 trials, 276,917 participants; moderate‐certainty evidence. Wearing masks in the community probably makes little or no difference to the outcome of laboratory‐confirmed influenza/SARS‐CoV‐2 compared to not wearing masks (RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.72 to 1.42; 6 trials, 13,919 participants; moderate‐certainty evidence). Harms were rarely measured and poorly reported (very low‐certainty evidence).”