Study - Masks Don't Show a Scientifically Observable Difference in the Spread of COVID

[Carborendum]

From this study.  Excerpts quoted for convenience.  Follow the link for further context and information.

The stats shown indicate the statistical data and results for each set of tests.

The "low certainty" means that the evidence suggests that the purported benefit was not indicated by the resulting data.

"Moderate certainty" means that while some evidence does appear, it is not at a very conclusive level.  It may not hurt.  But we probably don't want to be depending on this methodology for the desired outcome.

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...comparing medical/surgical masks versus no masks to prevent the spread of viral respiratory illness...

...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...

• (risk ratio (RR) 0.95, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.84 to 1.09; 9 trials, 276,917 participants; moderate‐certainty evidence.)
• (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)...

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... N95/P2 respirators compared with medical/surgical masks...

We are very uncertain on the effects of N95/P2 respirators compared with medical/surgical masks on the outcome of clinical respiratory illness

• (RR 0.70, 95% CI 0.45 to 1.10; 3 trials, 7779 participants; very low‐certainty evidence)
• (RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.66 to 1.03; 5 trials, 8407 participants; low‐certainty evidence)
• (RR 1.10, 95% CI 0.90 to 1.34; 5 trials, 8407 participants; moderate‐certainty evidence)

Harms were poorly measured and reported, but discomfort wearing medical/surgical masks or N95/P2 respirators was mentioned in several studies (very low‐certainty evidence). 

BUT... hand hygiene does apparently help.

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compared hand hygiene interventions with controls

• 14% relative reduction...(RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.81 to 0.90; 9 trials, 52,105 participants; moderate‐certainty evidence)suggesting a probable benefit
• (RR 0.94, 95% CI 0.81 to 1.09; 11 trials, 34,503 participants; low‐certainty evidence)suggest the intervention made little or no difference
• 11% relative reduction...(RR 0.89, 95% CI 0.83 to 0.94; low‐certainty evidence)

DISCLAIMER:

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The high risk of bias in the trials, variation in outcome measurement, and relatively low adherence with the interventions during the studies hampers drawing firm conclusions.

SYNOPSIS OF CONCLUSIONS:

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There were no clear differences between the use of medical/surgical masks compared with N95/P2 respirators in healthcare workers when used in routine care to reduce respiratory viral infection. Hand hygiene is likely to modestly reduce the burden of respiratory illness

I'll add one comment. I don't think they addressed the benefit of surgeons wearing masks in the operating room. ( @mikbone, correct me if I'm wrong.)

• The fact is that surgical masks do almost nothing to prevent germs from going in and out with our breath.  It isn't meant to.  Those germs are still in the air regardless of the mask you wear.  They are not "filtered" by these masks.  The air just goes out the side instead of straight forward.  Since it only takes 1 virus, it can float around and drift quite a distance and for quite a duration.  While some of the humid exhalation is captured by the mask, the great majority just goes out the sides into the air.
• The reason surgeons wear masks is to prevent spittle and nasal discharge (solids & liquids, not suspended particles) from going into the patient's body (which is directly in front of them for several hours).
• Because of this function, mask wearing does have that benefit.  And for this level of disease communication, it is effective.   But in everyday practice, that is a very small percentage of contamination of a communicable disease.

And, you can look it up, there was virtually no difference in the percentage of cases for areas with mask mandates vs no mandates.  People caught COVID at about the same rates regardless.

Edited February 24, 2023 by Carborendum

[mikbone]

Yup read the study.  

We knew this going into the Pandemic.

Yet I am still wearing a mask in my clinic and the hospital.  By mandate.

 

 

Edited February 24, 2023 by mikbone

[Still_Small_Voice]

How many people arrested and harassed over the worthless mask mandates?  I hated them and did everything I could to not wear them.

[mirkwood]

43 minutes ago, Still_Small_Voice said:

How many people arrested and harassed over the worthless mask mandates?  

I didn't, nor did any of my co-workers.

 

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I hated them and did everything I could to not wear them.

Me too.

[NeuroTypical]

For the record: I was (and still am) a fan of the vaccine, but I was rarely a fan of stuff everyone was saying/claiming/opining about.

 

Remember the folks wishing for Trump's' death b/c he sometimes wore a mask, but talked about how people should be able to make their own decisions?

 

 

Anyone see folks like this?

     

 

 

It took the democrats a little while to figure out what side they needed to be on: