😷 CNN Admits Cloth Masks Don't Work After Supporting Their Use For Over 20 Months
Here it is. CNN finally admits cloth masks don’t work (see 1st video below). Why is that relevant? You see, for going on 2 years now, CNN has been doubling down suggesting that cloth masks are an excellent way to slow the spread of COVID-19 when in fact there are no cluster-randomised control trials to prove efficacy for such a fallacy. Below will be examples demonstrating how confused our public health officials truly are about masking, some of which appear on CNN.
To begin, the only cluster-randomised control trial out there regarding masks is from Bangladesh1. Ironically, it made light of the fact that cloth masks were merely decorations, not a protective item. Moreover, data from the aforesaid study suggested that surgical masks were a much better alternative than cloth. That evidenced by an 11.2% reduction in symptomatic seroprevalence.
Farther below the first video is a second. It’s a tweet from the CDC Director Rochelle Walensky where she claims that masking reduces the chance of COVID-19 infection by more than 80%. Yet again, another safeguard fallacy based on no evidence. In fact, her statement was likely based on a lab study that tested 14 different kinds of face masks to see which ones could block respiratory droplets best2. Tragically, a lab experiment is not a substitute for good sized cluster- randomised control trials, nor are the results reflective of the billions of people that live on the planet. The labs results are only relevant to the lab, not the entirety of the human populace. One couldn’t possibly extrapolate the full impact of 14 masks in a lab to a population of billions. Those are rudimentary concepts the CDC director seems to be struggling with.
Another contradiction, WHO and UNICEF advise against masking children 5 and under, while CDC recommends cloth masking all children 2 and up3. These are the same people okaying cloth masks for children in daycares aged 2-4 when awake, but while asleep during nap time, give the green light for them to remain unmasked within close proximity for hours. Are there any randomised trails to show efficacy for that? Absolutely not.
Finally, there are many individuals that say masks works because they provide a barrier. That’s like saying all medications are effective because they use a particular mechanism of action to target a result with high specificity. Therefore, they don’t need to be tested because they were engineered to be effective-just administer them. Such a flawed way to see science. In fact, the antithesis is true. Just because something is engineered to work a certain way in or on the body, doesn’t mean it will. To give you an example, Vioxx. It was an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory) drug specifically designed to reduce stomach distress, while providing pain relief with minimal side effects- something other NSAIDS like IBUPROFEN and NAPROXEN failed at. Small clinical trials seemed promising and revealed decent results. Unfortunately, when the masses began to take it, many suffered blood clots, irreparable damage, and death. Nearly 40,000. Soon after, Vioxx was taken off the market and class action lawsuits ensued against the drug manufacturer Merck. As a consequence, billions were paid in reparations to affected individuals and families. The point is, a highly specific intervention failed to be highly specific. That’s why we need to test things with many randomised control trials, and not simply assume they work. You see, things may look good on paper and even seem logical, but that alone doesn’t guarantee an outcome. Let’s not forget masking has its downsides. For instance, facial rashes, and mental health repercussions especially for young developing children.
You know the times are crazy when public health figures give contradicting advice, and implement an intervention based on pure speculation (cloth mask wearing). All and all, it seems our public health officials are confused about what they’re supposed to know best. Why do you think that is?
LETS CONNECT:
https://www.poverty-action.org/publication/impact-community-masking-covid-19-cluster-randomized-trial-bangladesh
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abd3083
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/k-12-guidance.html#:~:text=Consistent%20and%20Correct%20Mask%20Use&text=Indoors%3A%20CDC%20recommends%20indoor%20masking,to%20wear%20masks%20when%20outdoors.