Skip to main content

(Biggest Sigh Yet) Can We Finally Acknowledge Masks Are Pointless

By February 3, 2023Commentary

If we should have learned anything from the epidemic, it is that most of the tactics that supposedly would suppress the virus–school and business closures, plastic barriers, social distancing and masking; made no impact on spread in the community.  Masking became a real flashpoint; ordered everywhere including by our insane governor Little Timmy Walz, with absolutely zero evidence of effectiveness.  But when you are a petty, very petty, tyrant like Little Timmy, you enjoy forcing people to do what you say, just because you want to.

Now we have two more clear pieces of evidence that in fact masks are worthless.  First up is an updated Cochrane review.  This is probably the most prestigious source of health care evidence for the effectiveness or lack thereof in regard to purported treatments.  Earlier versions of this review found no significant evidence for masks to prevent infection or transmission.  This version is more of the same.  (Cochrane Review)

The review goes by the fancy title of Physical Interventions to Interrupt or Reduce the Spread of Respiratory Viruses.  It includes all manner of interventions, but the update is focussed on masks and hand-washing.  None of them are found to be effective.  The methodological quality of the studies was generally found to not be good.  Anyone who looks at the data, and at the percent of the population now infected knows that masks are garbage.  They truly are virus collection devices.  They may in isolated instances prevent transmission between individuals but over the thousands, tens of thousands, millions of daily encounters, they make no difference in how many people are infected.

This study is further proof of mask inadequacy.  It is the long ago completed Guinea-Bissau community study, but publication was undoubtedly held up as long as possible by zealous peer reviewers determined to protect the mask religion. And you only need to read the abstract to see why they tried to sit on it until the findings were largely irrelevant.  A cluster randomized trial design was utilized in an urban area in the country.  Mask use was mandated.  One thing the study demonstrates is that people lie all the time everywhere around the world.  99% of participants claimed to wear masks, in both the intervention and control arm.    Direct public observation showed about 40% use, again basically similar between the trial arms. People are also often incompetent.  Only about half of people wore the mask correctly.  Giving the intervention group masks and messages about good use had basically no effect on either infection rates or mortality.   (Lancet Preprint)

As I always say, wear ’em if you want to, but don’t delude yourself into thinking it makes a difference.

Join the discussion 6 Comments

  • Dave K says:

    Someone tell Park Nicollet et al. I lose more respect for the medical community every day.

  • Dan Schnittker says:

    Masks are far from pointless. They have served their purpose of demoralizing and cowing wearers. Their uselessness against airborn viruses has long been known, even when used by by trained pros in the OR. Authority went ahead anyway, or perhaps, because. And they put them on kids. The rot and complicity is deep. Given that masks are virus collectors (and spreaders), and re-inoculate users, might they increase infection rates?

  • Sue Beer says:

    My dentist has given up on the masks. The workers/clinicians still do. Very refreshing.

  • Stacey Atneosen says:

    The only place I am still required to “MaskUp” is in Allina clinics and Hospitals. Really makes me wonder if the “Doctors” have a conscience.
    Kevin do you know the reason Allina is still requiring this?

  • joe Kosanda says:

    As of this morning, the CDC still had several severly flawed studies posted up on the CDC website claiming masks are effective.
    such as the bangledesh study
    Kansas mask study
    boston school study
    Arizona school study
    to name just a few

    the kansas mask study and the boston mask studies, had they not artificially cut the study period short would show that the masked mandated counties and/or the masked mandated schools actually had higher cumulative case rates within a few months after the end of the shortened study periods.

    borderline academic fraud – if not outright scientific fraud

  • dirtyjobsguy says:

    It’s interesting to see who is still wearing masks and what kind of masks.

    1. Asians: Many of my asian associates have always worn mask for a variety of reasons, but it has not gotten worse.
    2. Blacks in USA: Lots of masks, mostly cloth. This was true throughout COVID and a major reason for accepting low vaccination rates. Truely criminal to push masks on this group.
    3. Women: Somewhat more women of all groups than men. Not consistently worn
    4. Older White People: The most consistent group. I’m 67 but never was a mask wearer unless compelled to, but there are many older people who wear them constantly even in cars. Very responsive to the erroneous government line. They are the most frequent wearers of K or N95 masks.

    So the obedient (compliant) groups of White women and Retirees accept the CDC advice whole heartedly. Blacks did this as an alternative (unfortunately) to vaccination from day one. Asians (in Asia) helped sell the idea of masks (China in particular)

Leave a comment