Have all the conflicting rules about masks got your head spinning yet? Wondering if there are any studies you can trust to have NOT been tainted by politics of Fear or OrangeManBad? Good news there was one!
Not only was this study done before The ‘Rona came to town, but it was done before Trump was even the Republican nominee.
For anyone who’s trying to separate the science from the hype, this one has the advantage of NOT being tainted by the politics of the day.
The team over at Louder With Crowder turned up an interesting study from 2015.
Results
The rates of all infection outcomes were highest in the cloth mask arm, with the rate of ILI statistically significantly higher in the cloth mask arm (relative risk (RR)=13.00, 95% CI 1.69 to 100.07) compared with the medical mask arm. Cloth masks also had significantly higher rates of ILI compared with the control arm. An analysis by mask use showed ILI (RR=6.64, 95% CI 1.45 to 28.65) and laboratory-confirmed virus (RR=1.72, 95% CI 1.01 to 2.94) were significantly higher in the cloth masks group compared with the medical masks group. Penetration of cloth masks by particles was almost 97% and medical masks 44%.Conclusions
This study is the first RCT of cloth masks, and the results caution against the use of cloth masks. This is an important finding to inform occupational health and safety. Moisture retention, reuse of cloth masks and poor filtration may result in increased risk of infection. Further research is needed to inform the widespread use of cloth masks globally. However, as a precautionary measure, cloth masks should not be recommended for HCWs, particularly in high-risk situations, and guidelines need to be updated.
So, what does this mean, if you strip away all the bafflegab?
The cloth mask stops almost NO virus particles, and the fact that resued cloth masks get moist could actually INCREASE your chance of infection.
This is a bad combination.
So let’s recap:
With everybody and his dog wearing a mask these days (whether they want to or not), it should surprise exactly NOBODY that actual hospitals are starting to see PPE shortages again.
And those cloth masks so many of us are being shamed or legislated into wearing… are worthless.
The actual masks are much less effective than the N95 level masks… and even less so when we don’t use them properly. For example, pulling them down over our (contaminated) chin or hanging off of our ear like Biden does, only to put the dirty thing back over his mouth. Even those who do NOT play the on-again, off-again game with their disposable masks don’t always wear them properly. How many people have you seen with the mouth covered, but the nose uncovered?
And what about the environmental cost? Have you any idea what this massive increase in mask use has to do with polluting our oceans? LMAO: Wait Until The ‘Ban Straws’ People See What Masks In The Ocean Look Like! (Video)
So…
Tell us again how we are all expected to wear masks ‘for our own damn good’?
