Masks - Science or Science-Fiction
The CDC is telling everyone that they need to wear masks indoors. The reasoning, as I understand it, is the vaccinated have to wear masks because they can spread COVID to the unvaccinated.
After the CDC issued its “revised guidance” many local governments jumped on that wagon. But none with such vigor as Philadelphia, which has literally doubled down on double-masking and mandated that “As of 12:01 a.m. September 1, all City employees will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or be double-masked when working in enclosed workspaces with others.”
As if mask the vaccinated and double-mask the unvaccinated isn’t enough insanity, now the CDC wants to force all children to wear masks in school, because science…actually not so much.
I have not seen any evidence supporting the claim that surgical or cloth face masks are effective in preventing the spread of COVID.1 I have seen significant evidence they are not.
A Danish study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that out of 4,862 participates 1.8% (42) of those who wore masks and 2.1% (53) who did not tested positive for COVID. As the authors of the study state - the difference is statistically insignificant.
A study by the Australian government involving 1,600 health care workers in Vietnam found that those who wore cloth masks had higher COVID infection rates than those who wore no masks.
A study of schools in Florida, New York, and Massachusetts found no correlation between using masks and preventing the spread of COVID among students.
Dr. Fauci himself wrote:
Will masking children harm them? No one knows for sure. However, there are red flags:
The Irish Health Information and Quality Authority published a report in March 2021 stating “there is concern regarding the potential harms associated with face mask use, for example, anxiety or negative impacts on the development of communication and language skills, particularly for younger children.”
In April 2021 the French Pediatric Society warned “Wearing a mask in nurseries, preschools and primary schools for children is neither necessary, nor desirable, nor reasonable.”
On August 17, 2021 Politico reported “Early surveys have found that the school closures have had negative effects on the education and wellbeing of many children and teenagers.”
The ‘mask the kids’ advice becomes even more questionable when you realize that they are at a very low risk of death due to COVID.
The CDC reported that from February 2020-May 2021 there was an estimated 26,838,244 cases of COVID among youth 17 or younger, 209,264 of which were hospitalized, and an estimated 332 deaths.
On April 26, 2021 the CDC stated that 64 deaths among those 17 and younger were incorrectly attributed to COVID during calendar year 2020. This brings the deaths due to COVID among youths 17 and younger to about 268 for the period of February 2020-May 2021.2
The CDC estimated that for the 2019-2020 there were 434 deaths from influenza (the flu) among those 17 and younger.
The COVID virus is .1 microns, the flu virus is between .08 and .12 microns.
The CDC does not recommend masks during the flu season.3
So if we follow the “science” which is worse - forcing children to wear masks that do not work and may cause harm, or allowing children, who are a very low risk group, to go maskless and avoid possible long term harm? Europe and Canada have made their decision. Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden the United Kingdom, and Poland, have an optional mask policy for all students. France requires masks for students 11 and older. In Ireland and Belgium students younger than 12 do not have to wear masks. Germany recommends masks for pupils older than 15.
The only way I can sum up the guidance from our “experts” is:
Those who decided to get vaccinated must now protect those who decided not to get vaccinated by everyone wearing masks that don’t protect anyone. Further, children who are a very low risk group, have to wear masks that do not prevent COVID but may cause significant harm because…“science.”
If you want to wear a mask for whatever reason - you think they work, want to make others feel good, or just don’t want to shave, then wear one…or two. If you think it’s in the best interest of your child to wear a mask, then have them wear one. However, do not attempt to force people, especially the vaccinated to wear them. Additionally, whether or not to mask children is a parental decision, not a governmental one.
As for ‘mask evangelicals’ who believe it’s their duty to preach the word of St. Fauci (as every changing as it is) to us naked faced heathens, go ahead, it’s called free speech. However, don’t ever again complain about street preachers - who are more knowledgeable and less annoying.
If your about to point to the Duke University “study” by Dr. D. Benjamin, M.D., and Dr. K. Zimmerman, M.D. - don’t. That study is beyond fatally flawed. They studied 50 North Carolina schools - all of which required students to wear masks. They had no control group of students that were not masked, really. They could not compare the COVID rates of the masked to the unmasked. The “study” is useless and explains why it was published on “Duke Today” and not a peer reviewed journal. For a good but simple explanation of this exercise in silliness wrapped in the cloak of science see First in Freedom Daily. They do an excellent job of putting together a timeline of a NY Times reporter’s tweets documenting his investigation into the non-study-study and the results.
I say “about” 268 because the number of COVID deaths are reported for a 14 or 16 month period, depending on whether the report includes Feb 2020 and May 2021 entirely or the period between the two. The study of death certificates are for calendar year 2020, covering the 12 month period of January 1 through December 31, 2020. Therefore, it is not possible to be precise.
I have seen other medical publications state that the size of the COVID-19 virus ranges from .06 to .14 microns