Masks: The Science Is NOT Settled
Rod Klingler Rod Klingler
There are many scientific articles BOTH saying masks are helpful and NOT helpful.
The CDC itself has flip-flopped on this issue since the beginning of this so-called "pandemic", with Dr. Fauci contradicting himself at times.
Since this issue has been a question for almost a hundred years, there have been dozens and dozens of studies done on this subject on population samples both large and small. The science is clearly NOT settled!
While I had originally intended to provide lists both for and against here, I will instead direct you to the following articles, which have already done the hard work for me.
This extremely thorough and well-documented article was written by Dr. Jim Meehan, MD, an ophthalmologist and preventive medicine specialist with over 20 years of experience and advanced training in immunology, inflammation, and infectious disease, and who has personally performed well over 10,000 surgical procedures.
Mark Crispin Miller, a professor at NYU, casts a light on our current circumstances, and points out the hypocrisy at every turn. Very long and well-written. Language warning for some of the quotations contained in this article. This article is highly-documented, particularly to sources like the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, and Clinical Infectious Diseases magazine.
Even Some Liberals Get It
In "The Coronavirus and the Right’s Scientific Counterrevolution," an article from the decidedly Leftist, pro-mask website, The New Republic, there is an admission that shifting guidelines about mask-wearing has had nothing to do with research, or evidence, or any other set of facts, but was instead about shifting opinions.
"As for the effectiveness of widespread mask usage in slowing the transmission of respiratory viruses, effectively nothing about this evidence had changed since the start of the pandemic. The evidence remains now what it was then: partial and conditional. It draws from either idealized laboratory conditions, or past outbreaks of other viruses in which randomized controls were not possible. In a rapidly shifting crisis like the present pandemic, it’s exceedingly difficult to establish even general correlations, much less firm causation.
In other words, the U.S. mask advisory changed not because of what the evidence plainly dictated; rather, it was because experts’ judgment of the existing evidence had shifted. And the judgment itself was not mainly scientific—it was a prudential assessment of how the evidence should guide action." [3]
Masks Are Medical Devices
It is unlawful and unhealthy to prescribe the same medical device to all people without proper medical consultation. The risks associated with this one-size-fits-all approach have been demonstrated in many instances, very few of which have been publicly disseminated via mainstream media.
You've probably heard this argument before, but not from a surgeon. Well, here you go!
"I'm an ophthalmic surgeon. I specialize in ocular immunology, inflammation, and infectious disease. I’ve performed over 10,000 surgical procedures wearing a surgical mask. I have suffered the detrimental effects that masks caused to my mental and physical function during long surgeries. Because most of the surgeries I performed were microscopic procedures that required fine motor skills, I changed my mask frequently to prevent the detrimental effects of arterial deoxygenation." [1]
Mark Crispin Miller, PHD, in his article above [2], provides links to little-publicized articles about multiple people passing out, even dying, from improper mask wearing.
Beliefs Are Not Science
I will leave you with the following quote, as food for thought:
"The universal use of unscientific face coverings is closer to medieval superstition than it is to science."
– Dr. Martin Kulldorff (Harvard Medical School professor) [4]
SOURCES
[3] The Coronavirus and the Right’s Scientific Counterrevolution, The New Republic
https://newrepublic.com/article/158058/coronavirus-conservative-experts-scientific-counterrevolution
[4] As quoted in "Fire Fauci!' - Trump Rally Explodes Over Coronavirus Doom And Gloomer," RonPaulLibertyReport (YouTube)