RCT's (Randomized, Controlled Trials) are the absolute best-quality evidence the scientists have on the subject. And they tell masks do not work:
WHO meta-analysis on RCT's about masks (2019):
https://www.who.int/influenza/publications/public_health_measures/publication/en/
"OVERALL RESULT OF EVIDENCE ON FACE MASKS
- Ten RCTs were included in the meta-analysis, and there was no evidence that face masks are effective in reducing transmission of laboratory-confirmed influenza."
"Quality of evidence
- There is a moderate overall quality of evidence that face masks do not have a substantial effect on transmission of influenza."
The largest meta-analysis on the subject, with over 3000 studies gone through / analyzed:
"Physical interventions to interrupt or reduce the spread of respiratory viruses"
https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD006207.pub5/epdf/standard
20 November 2020
"What are the results of the review?
- Medical or surgical masks
Seven studies took place in the community, and two studies in healthcare workers. Compared with wearing no mask, [b]wearing a mask may make little to no difference[/b] in how many people caught a flu-like illness (9 studies; 3507 people); and probably makes no difference in how many people have flu confirmed by a laboratory test (6 studies; 3005 people). Unwanted effects were rarely reported, but included discomfort."
- "Medical/surgical masks compared to no masks
We included nine trials (of which eight were cluster-RCTs) comparing medical/surgical masks versus no masks to prevent the spread of viral respiratory illness (two trials with healthcare workers and seven in the community). There is low certainty evidence from nine trials (3507 participants) that wearing a mask may make little or no difference to the outcome of influenza like illness (ILI) compared to not wearing a mask (risk ratio (RR) 0.99, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.82 to 1.18."
A widely reported Finnish meta-analysis on masks, which at first has results that favor mask-use, but after correcting only one of the mistakes in the study, has RR>1 for masks (=masks have no effect / increase infections):
(The largest data error is regarding the Larson 2010 numbers in the study, they took "number of people with no symptoms" in stead of "number of people with symptoms")
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.07.31.20166116v2.full.pdf
December 2, 2020
"So why do the surgeons use them?!?"
The most recent meta-analysis on surgeon / operating theatre mask use: masks increase infections:
"Are facemasks a priority for all staff in theatre to prevent surgical site infections during shortages of supply? A systematic review and meta-analysis"
Marson 07.10.2020
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7539019/
"The pooled effect of not wearing facemasks was a risk ratio for infection of 0.77 (0.62–0.97) in favour of not wearing masks."
(All the previous meta-analyses on operating theatre mask use have same results, I can post you 6 another ones if you want to)
Listen to the scientists, stop wearing the masks
They are of no benefit to your health, they only harm the environment
And they have absolutely no effect on anything.
Except for the environment. They already banned straws due to pollution, face masks create multiple times more waste.
All the mask info you need:
https://patriots.win/p/HEgcXddD/forcing-me-to-wear-political-sym/c/
I wear a N95, not a piece of cloth or paper. I dont need anybody to tell me wether to or wether not to wear one.
This is the reason I don't like the fact Trump supporters keep saying masks don't work. That's a very broad statement that is just not accurate.
According to the studies, the N95 masks are also borderline completely useless
Please provide that study.
You didn't bother to read the largest meta-analysis on the subject, provided in the original post?
The results are very, very close to RR=1, and they even got RR>1 for laboratory confirmed viruses:
"The use of a N95/P2 respirator compared to a medical/surgical mask probably makes little or no difference for the objective and more precise outcome of laboratory-confirmed influenza infection (RR 1.10, 95% CI 0.90 to 1.34; moderate-certainty evidence; 5 trials;8407 participants)."
Really: you are just creating nothing but plastic waste to the oceans with your mask-religion
The facts clearly are that masks are useless in blocking Covid transmission. And thus they are harmful, due to their waste.
If masks dont work at all, why arent all nurses and doctors sick?
-Most people do not get really "sick" from covid, or influenza in general, with up to 80% asymptomatic according to different estimates
-A bunch of nurses and doctors have been sick, and have even died, more than 2900 had died as of 23rd Dec 2020 (US), during the year 2020, with ~100x more reported infections
-The hospitals, especially all the operating rooms etc, have about 10x the ventilation compared to a normal house, and the ventilation has been proven to make about a 10x difference in reduction of infections
The masks in general use do not work. If you want protection, buy a positive pressure air suit / hood, that's what they use in surgeries that actually have to be infection-free, or in the virus laboratories. And have a clean-air-cable available, or an air tank.
Here's an example from Maryland:
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/a6369/4315093/ https://hips.hearstapps.com/pop.h-cdn.co/assets/cm/15/06/54cfc5a18cd70_-_bio-lab-470-0509.jpg?crop=1xw:0.7507987220447284xh;center,top&resize=640:*
Well here is a study for you. In the experiment, N95 blocked 80-90% of the covid particles. Better mask up, fella ;) https://msphere.asm.org/content/5/5/e00637-20
https://theredelephants.com/the-science-is-settled-lockdowns-are-more-deadly-than-the-virus-and-masks-dont-work/
Several studies summarized and linked at the bottom of the article. N95 v. Surgical mask use, neither were effective. Do what you like though, it's a free country - at least for today. Just don't go Karen on me when you seeing me not wear one.
Thank you! Read through few of the studies. Not sure how the tests behind these meta-analyses were performed, but quite sure the health care personnel did not wear N95 outside of work to prevent getting the flu. Will continue to use the N95 due to the shown capability of reducing the amount of covid particles by 80-90%. To me it is enough if it diminishes the risk even by a little in short term exposure.
Not living in USA. In my neighbour country, Sweden, wearing a mask last summer/autumn was = rightwing nazi. From what I heard, no one dared to wear one. That country is a catastrophe. Funny how the attitude towards masks alter to greatly from one country to another.
You do realize particle-blocking tests tell absolutely nothing about the effectiveness of the masks?
And you do realize that the more comprehensive particle-tests have shown that multiple masks actually increase particle production, when the test subject moves even a little bit?
In RCT's the effectiveness of N95 masks is close to zero, and thus they are method to be avoided, because the money can be spent on effective measures.