Are Face Masks SAFE? Effective? We Present The Evidence…
By Shya
WeLoveTrump.com
With COVID-19 sweeping the world and governments following close behind with new regulations and precautions, one has to ask…does wearing masks and other facial coverings really help?
We are not the only ones to ask questions like this…so what have other’s found out? Let’s see:
Montana Daily Gazette shares some insight in their report:
A review of the peer-reviewed medical literature examines impacts on human health, both immunological, as well as physiological. The purpose of this paper is to examine data regarding the effectiveness of facemasks, as well as safety data. The reason that both are examined in one paper is that for the general public as a whole, as well as for every individual, a risk-benefit analysis is necessary to guide decisions on if and when to wear a mask.
In this meta-analysis, face masks were found to have no detectable effect against transmission of viral infections. (1) It found: “Compared to no masks, there was no reduction of influenza-like illness cases or influenza for masks in the general population, nor in healthcare workers.”
This 2020 meta-analysis found that evidence from randomized controlled trials of face masks did not support a substantial effect on transmission of laboratory-confirmed influenza, either when worn by infected persons (source control) or by persons in the general community to reduce their susceptibility. (2)
Another recent review found that masks had no effect specifically against Covid-19, although facemask use seemed linked to, in 3 of 31 studies, “very slightly reduced” odds of developing influenza-like illness. (3)
This 2019 study of 2862 participants showed that both N95 respirators and surgical masks “resulted in no significant difference in the incidence of laboratory confirmed influenza.” (4)
This 2016 meta-analysis found that both randomized controlled trials and observational sudies of N95 respirators and surgical masks used by healthcare workers did not show benefit against transmission of acute respiratory infections. It was also found that acute respiratory infection transmission “may have occurred via contamination of provided respiratory protective equipment during storage and reuse of masks and respirators throughout the workday.” (5)
A 2011 meta-analysis of 17 studies regarding masks and effect on transmission of influenza found that “none of the studies established a conclusive relationship between mask/respirator use and protection against influenza infection.” (6) However, authors speculated that effectiveness of masks may be linked to early, consistent and correct usage.
Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medcinefound found in July 2020 review that there is no evidence for the effectiveness of any type of cloth masks against virus infection or transmission.
Two month's after COVID-19 hit the US, the US CDC released a meta-study on pandemic influenza, discovering that face masks had no effect, neither as personal protective equipment nor as a source control.
The New England Journal of Medicine published an artcile from May 2020 came to the conclusion that cloth face masks offer little to no protection in everyday life.