Support NeoGAF

[TDiddyLive]

Triggered much? Going by what you quoted, that a cloth face covering can filter large droplets don't provide a perfect seal is exactly in line with what I posted and does demonstrate that they actually ARE more than mere facial decorations which makes that phrase hyperbole.

It said cloth masks were “little more” than a decoration, then you ignore the “little more” part. You then follow it with a video showing that cloth masks blocked 17% of the virus, which was lower than the expected 25% mentioned in the article I posted, actually strengthening the point I was making, so thank you for that.

 

[Rentahamster]

It said cloth masks were “little more” than a decoration, then you ignore the “little more” part.

How did I ignore that when I quoted that part too and directly addressed it? "little more than a decoration" implies that they don't do anything significant, but they actually do. It's the same position that I've always had for the last two years - they're not perfect; no one preventative measure is, that masks range on a spectrum of effectiveness in different situations, and that cloth masks are better than nothing.

You then follow it with a video showing that cloth masks blocked 17% of the virus, which was lower than the expected 25% mentioned in the article I posted, actually strengthening the point I was making, so thank you for that.

If you think a video that shows cloth masks blocking virus strengthens your point that cloth masks are little more than facial decorations, then you need to think that over again.

 

[Chittagong]

I got my covid masked and tripple shotted. I know because I only left the house once in two weeks due to typhoon season. I was masked, as was everyone else, and caught it anyway.

 

[Rentahamster]

Individual anecdotes are not a good way of determining what does and doesn't work for a population. Just like condoms or birth control pills, neither masks nor vaccines are going to work 100% of the time. An individual is but one data point. When you observe a population that is masked vs a population that is unmasked, or observe a population that is vaccinated vs a population that is unvaccinated, the difference becomes much clearer.

 

[TDiddyLive]

How did I ignore that when I quoted that part too and directly addressed it? "little more than a decoration" implies that they don't do anything significant, but they actually do. It's the same position that I've always had for the last two years - they're not perfect; no one preventative measure is, that masks range on a spectrum of effectiveness in different situations, and that cloth masks are better than nothing.


If you think a video that shows cloth masks blocking virus strengthens your point that cloth masks are little more than facial decorations, then you need to think that over again.

The link I provided said cloth masks weren’t that effective and it stated about 75% of the particles get through. Your video strengthened that statement by showing cloth masks only blocked 17%. At no point was it said the cloth masks do nothing. If you think 17% isn’t smaller than 25%, then you need to think that over again.

 

[Rentahamster]

At no point was it said the cloth masks do nothing.

What do you think "little more than facial decorations" means?

 

[TDiddyLive]

What do you think "little more than facial decorations" means?

I think it means that it’s effectiveness is pretty low in comparison to other masks, so it’s looks prettier than the bland masks that are more effective.

 

[Nobody_Important]

I think it means that it’s effectiveness is pretty low in comparison to other masks, so it’s looks prettier than the bland masks that are more effective.

 

[daveonezero]

What do you think "little more than facial decorations" means?

I think it means little to no effect vs no mask.

 

[TDiddyLive]

my answer was literally what the article I linked was explaining, and where the quote came from. Care to explain how that moved the goal posts instead of adding nothing to the conversation?

 

[Nobody_Important]

my answer was literally what the article I linked was explaining, and where the quote came from. Care to explain how that moved the goal posts instead of adding nothing to the conversation?

You took what you said earlier and made it sound better once challenged. As someone who did this regularly when another section existed I give you props.

 

[Vaelka]

I got my covid masked and tripple shotted. I know because I only left the house once in two weeks due to typhoon season. I was masked, as was everyone else, and caught it anyway.

It's not really strange to get it even with a mask, the issue is that a lot of people get a false sense of security from masks.
People wear masks and then they get the virus on their masks, they touch the masks and then their face or put them down and then touch where they were laid down etc.
And you can still have it on your hands or clothes and then you take off the mask and start touching shit.
The mask might protect you but you can still get it when you don't have it on, that doesn't mean that the mask didn't work.
The mask can't make up for dumb mistakes or random chance when it's off.

I got the new variant and am recovering and I knew I probably fucked up when I did it myself, I took the mask off from the front and then started touching my beard and I immediately went '' uh oh ''. Even when you're aware it's easy to slip and all it take is to slip once.

All of this anti-mask stuff reminds me a little of seatbelts and bike helmets, it's such an easy precaution that does make you safer so why not use it.
You can still die even with a seatbelt and bike helmet but no one would say that it's dumb to wear it quite the opposite.

 

[Slaylock]

Covid 19 Thread: [no bitching about masks of Fauci edition]​

Getting some major déjà vu here. Do we really want to have to start a new thread?

 

[Rentahamster]

I think it means little to no effect vs no mask.

Yup. That's what most people would interpret that as, especially since the entire quote continues that "there's no place for them in light of omicron". They actually do have a significant enough effect to make them worthwhile, and they do have a place in light of omicron. They don't protect as well as surgical or N95 masks, but they still do enough to make them a lot more than mere facial decorations.

I think it means that it’s effectiveness is pretty low in comparison to other masks, so it’s looks prettier than the bland masks that are more effective.

Now you're reaching. Its effectiveness is lower in comparison to other masks, but not so low as to make them "little more than facial decorations" with "no place for them in light of omicron". CNN is being overly sensational yet again.

Your video strengthened that statement by showing cloth masks only blocked 17%. At no point was it said the cloth masks do nothing. If you think 17% isn’t smaller than 25%, then you need to think that over again.

I'll also point out that you're not interpreting the study correctly, and you should actually read the full thing.

Effectiveness of Face Masks in Preventing Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2

Airborne simulation experiments showed that cotton masks, surgical masks, and N95 masks provide some protection from the transmission of infective SARS-CoV-2 droplets/aerosols; however, medical masks (surgical masks and even N95 masks) could not completely ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

When a mannequin exposed to the virus was equipped with various masks (cotton mask, surgical mask, or N95 mask), the uptake of the virus droplets/aerosols was reduced. A cotton mask led to an approximately 20% to 40% reduction in virus uptake compared to no mask (Fig. 2B). The N95 mask had the highest protective efficacy (approximately 80% to 90% reduction) of the various masks examined; however, infectious virus penetration was measurable even when the N95 mask was completely fitted to the face with adhesive tape (Fig. 2B). In contrast, when a mask was attached to the mannequin that released virus, cotton and surgical masks blocked more than 50% of the virus transmission, whereas the N95 mask showed considerable protective efficacy (Fig. 2C). There was a synergistic effect when both the virus receiver and virus spreader wore masks (cotton masks or surgical masks) to prevent the transmission of infective droplets/aerosols (Fig. 2D and andEE).

We found that cotton masks, surgical masks, and N95 masks all have a protective effect with respect to the transmission of infective droplets/aerosols of SARS-CoV-2 and that the protective efficiency was higher when masks were worn by a virus spreader. Importantly, medical masks (surgical masks and even N95 masks) were not able to completely block the transmission of virus droplets/aerosols even when completely sealed.

 

[Loki]

The Finnish health authority just slipped this gem out:



Translation

There is a technical error in THL's primary health care Avohilmo data, which seems to indicate an increase in malformations, cancers and vaccine side effects. The increase is not due to corona or corona vaccines, but to an error in statistics. The data is currently being corrected

Very interesting, because it reminds me of a similar statement put out recently by the US military, which tries to make us believe that medical data from 2016-2020 was "glitched up" (see: PoliFact: Military data from 2021 show military members experienced spikes of 300% in miscarriages, almost 300% in cancer diagnoses and 1,000% in neurological issues), while, miraculously, the 2021 numbers were accurate. Go figure. Never mind the fact that the 2016-2020 data was not even looked at for supposed "errors" until the discrepancy from baseline was pointed out recently. I suppose people can stick their fingers in their ears as long as they want - cognitive dissonance is a bitch. What's been really amazing to me during this pandemic is how many otherwise very intelligent people just don't see the extent of what's going on - from the suppression of the lab leak hypothesis, to the demonization of any treatment save the vaccines, to the wildly irregular vaccine trials (both in terms of the manner of data presentation as well as their "poisoning the well" by giving the placebo arm the vaccine super early in the trial - to say nothing of Pfizer's negligence/active skewing and suppression of data as detailed in "Covid-19: Researcher blows the whistle on data integrity issues in Pfizer’s vaccine trial"), to the discrediting of all reports of side effects and adverse events. The pattern has been super transparent, and it baffles me how many just don't see it, or are unwilling to see it.

The BMJ editor-in-chief's letter to Facebook/Meta should be enough for anyone with half a brain cell to understand what's been going on across the media/digital landscape:

We are Fiona Godlee and Kamran Abbasi, editors of The BMJ, one of the world’s oldest and most influential general medical journals. We are writing to raise serious concerns about the “fact checking” being undertaken by third party providers on behalf of Facebook/Meta.

In September, a former employee of Ventavia, a contract research company helping carry out the main Pfizer covid-19 vaccine trial, began providing The BMJ with dozens of internal company documents, photos, audio recordings, and emails. These materials revealed a host of poor clinical trial research practices occurring at Ventavia that could impact data integrity and patient safety. We also discovered that, despite receiving a direct complaint about these problems over a year ago, the FDA did not inspect Ventavia’s trial sites.

The BMJ commissioned an investigative reporter to write up the story for our journal. The article was published on 2 November, following legal review, external peer review and subject to The BMJ’s usual high level editorial oversight and review.[1]

But from November 10, readers began reporting a variety of problems when trying to share our article. Some reported being unable to share it. Many others reported having their posts flagged with a warning about “Missing context ... Independent fact-checkers say this information could mislead people.” Those trying to post the article were informed by Facebook that people who repeatedly share “false information” might have their posts moved lower in Facebook’s News Feed. Group administrators where the article was shared received messages from Facebook informing them that such posts were “partly false.”

Readers were directed to a “fact check” performed by a Facebook contractor named Lead Stories.[2]

We find the “fact check” performed by Lead Stories to be inaccurate, incompetent and irresponsible.

-- It fails to provide any assertions of fact that The BMJ article got wrong

-- It has a nonsensical title: “Fact Check: The British Medical Journal Did NOT Reveal Disqualifying And Ignored Reports Of Flaws In Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Trials”

-- The first paragraph inaccurately labels The BMJ a “news blog”

-- It contains a screenshot of our article with a stamp over it stating “Flaws Reviewed,” despite the Lead Stories article not identifying anything false or untrue in The BMJ article

-- It published the story on its website under a URL that contains the phrase “hoax-alert”

We have contacted Lead Stories, but they refuse to change anything about their article or actions that have led to Facebook flagging our article.

We have also contacted Facebook directly, requesting immediate removal of the “fact checking” label and any link to the Lead Stories article, thereby allowing our readers to freely share the article on your platform.

There is also a wider concern that we wish to raise. We are aware that The BMJ is not the only high quality information provider to have been affected by the incompetence of Meta’s fact checking regime. To give one other example, we would highlight the treatment by Instagram (also owned by Meta) of Cochrane, the international provider of high quality systematic reviews of the medical evidence.[3] Rather than investing a proportion of Meta’s substantial profits to help ensure the accuracy of medical information shared through social media, you have apparently delegated responsibility to people incompetent in carrying out this crucial task. Fact checking has been a staple of good journalism for decades. What has happened in this instance should be of concern to anyone who values and relies on sources such as The BMJ.

We hope you will act swiftly: specifically to correct the error relating to The BMJ’s article and to review the processes that led to the error; and generally to reconsider your investment in and approach to fact checking overall.

Best wishes,

Fiona Godlee, editor in chief
Kamran Abbasi, incoming editor in chief
The BMJ

 

[sinnergy]

I got my covid masked and tripple shotted. I know because I only left the house once in two weeks due to typhoon season. I was masked, as was everyone else, and caught it anyway.

That could happen because people touch their eyes .. because you can also get COVID that way ..

 

[prinz_valium]

Sister now rapid test positive.
Let's see how her PCR will go.

She works in a mental health hospital. So high risk, too.

 

[Chittagong]

MSN

ceasefire!!

 

[sinnergy]

MSN

ceasefire!!

Yes like every spring / summer , or at least the past 2.. it’s basically marketing now

 

[Chaplain]

 

[Elpidio Valdés]

Bill Maher as always bringing common sense and sanity to the craziness from both sides.

 

[arkhamguy123]

Bill Maher as always bringing common sense and sanity to the craziness from both sides.

We'd be in such a different spot right now if the vaccines actually fucking stopped infection (Often). Sigh.

 

[daveonezero]

Yup. That's what most people would interpret that as, especially since the entire quote continues that "there's no place for them in light of omicron". They actually do have a significant enough effect to make them worthwhile, and they do have a place in light of omicron. They don't protect as well as surgical or N95 masks, but they still do enough to make them a lot more than mere facial decorations.

If that is true then why did mask mandates and lockdowns have little to no effect on the case numbers?

 

[FunkMiller]

Dodged Covid for two years, and now waiting on a PCR to fly. What’s the fucking betting I’ve got an asymptomatic dose?

 

[arkhamguy123]

Dodged Covid for two years, and now waiting on a PCR to fly. What’s the fucking betting I’ve got an asymptomatic dose?

Wait for the result before accepting you're positive.

 

[sinnergy]

If that is true then why did mask mandates and lockdowns have little to no effect on the case numbers?

Says who ? everywhere in the world there where all kinds of measures and mandates .. cases would have been much higher .. like you are seeing now with Cron.

 

[FunkMiller]

Wait for the result before accepting you're positive.

I’m only mucking about, dude. I do t think I have it… but it’s just be Sod’s law, would t it?

 

[Excess]

Had the vaxx and recently got it. All better now. Not dead.

It's just refreshing to finally see people begin to change their minds about all of this. It's like one of those strongly held beliefs that becomes harder and harder to maintain and be consistent about. But I get why they did it. I get why it was convenient to believe. This is much like predicting the stock market. Millions and billions of interactions happening minute by minute, faster than any human brain could possibly understand, and the only genius left in the room is the one who "knew" in hindsight.

 

[prinz_valium]

Fuck. I'm rapid test positive now.
Light cough first. Headache and pain in my legs. Also was fucking freezing when I went to the toilet.
Have a slight fever.

 

[ManaByte]

Spotify has started to delete Rogan episodes.

 

[Chittagong]

Fuck. I'm rapid test positive now.
Light cough first. Headache and pain in my legs. Also was fucking freezing when I went to the toilet.
Have a slight fever.

Well, it is inevitable for all of us. Don’t worry, the worst symptoms should pass in around 5 days, so by Thursday you should be pretty good.

 

[daveonezero]

Says who ? everywhere in the world there where all kinds of measures and mandates .. cases would have been much higher .. like you are seeing now with Cron.

Says the numbers vs nations and states that took no measures. Also when mask mandates were enacted they did not cause numbers to decrease.

Spotify has started to delete Rogan episodes.

This has nothing to do with Covid. It is him apologizing after being forced to apologize for a behavior he doesn’t even do any more.

 

[arkhamguy123]

Well, it is inevitable for all of us. Don’t worry, the worst symptoms should pass in around 5 days, so by Thursday you should be pretty good.

Nah. This is defeatist nonsense and unhealthy rhetoric. It will get a lot of us but when its all said and done just remember you will still have hundreds of millions maybe even a few billion who never caught it.

 

[Chittagong]

Nah. This is defeatist nonsense and unhealthy rhetoric. It will get a lot of us but when its all said and done just remember you will still have hundreds of millions maybe even a few billion who never caught it.

Nothing defeatist about not bunkering in for years, because this virus is so infectious nothing less will keep you from eventually getting it. It’s literally the most infectious pathogen on the planet.

While a number of people will not get it, it is because of chance afforded them by mathematics, not because of their own actions - unless said action is a complete withdrawal from human contact.

Also, I don’t see why people should even be existentially concerned of getting omicron, unless they have a severe comorbidity.

I doubt anyone thinks it’s “defeatist or unhealthy rhetoric” to be certain you will get a cold in your lifetime.

 

[arkhamguy123]

Nothing defeatist about not bunkering in for years, because this virus is so infectious nothing less will keep you from eventually getting it. It’s literally the most infectious pathogen on the planet.

While a number of people will not get it, it is because of chance afforded them by mathematics, not because of their own actions - unless said action is a complete withdrawal from human contact.

Also, I don’t see why people should even be existentially concerned of getting omicron, unless they have a severe comorbidity.

I doubt anyone thinks it’s “defeatist or unhealthy rhetoric” to be certain you will get a cold in your lifetime.

Nope. I personally know numerous, numerous people (myself included) who have been living normally and have people facing jobs who have still not caught it. Not exactly bunkering. Your statement was just wrong.

Also measles still has it beat for most infectious.

It's not just gonna be people in huts and villages in the jungle dude. Hundreds of millions of people in society will make it out of this pandemic having never caught it.

 

[Rentahamster]

If that is true then why did mask mandates and lockdowns have little to no effect on the case numbers?

They did. Also, mandates and lockdowns are only as good as the people who comply.

Mask-wearing linked to 53% cut in Covid incidence, global study finds

Researchers said results highlight the need to continue with face coverings, social distancing and handwashing alongside vaccine programmes

www.theguardian.com

Mask-wearing is the single most effective public health measure at tackling Covid, according to the first global study of its kind, which found that the measure was linked to a 53% fall in the incidence of the disease.

Now a systematic review and meta analysis of non-pharmaceutical interventions has found for the first time that mask wearing, social distancing and handwashing are all effective measures at curbing cases – with mask wearing the most effective.

“This systematic review and meta analysis suggests that several personal protective and social measures, including handwashing, mask wearing, and physical distancing are associated with reductions in the incidence of Covid-19,” the researchers wrote in the BMJ.

Surgical masks reduce COVID-19 spread, large-scale study shows

Researchers found that surgical masks impede the spread of COVID-19 and that just a few, low-cost interventions increase mask-wearing compliance.

med.stanford.edu

A large, randomized trial led by researchers at Stanford Medicine and Yale University has found that wearing a surgical face mask over the mouth and nose is an effective way to reduce the occurrence of COVID-19 in community settings.

It also showed that relatively low-cost, targeted interventions to promote mask-wearing can significantly increase the use of face coverings in rural, low-income countries. Based on the results, the interventional model is being scaled up to reach tens of millions of people in Southeast Asia and Latin America over the next few months.

The findings were released Sept. 1 on the Innovations for Poverty Action website, prior to their publication in a scientific journal, because the information is considered of pressing importance for public health as the pandemic worsens in many parts of the world.

“We now have evidence from a randomized, controlled trial that mask promotion increases the use of face coverings and prevents the spread of COVID-19,” said Stephen Luby, MD, professor of medicine at Stanford. “This is the gold standard for evaluating public health interventions. Importantly, this approach was designed be scalable in lower- and middle-income countries struggling to get or distribute vaccines against the virus.”

Association Between K–12 School Mask...

This report describes Arizona school associated COVID-19 outbreaks higher in schools without mask requirements than in schools with mask requirements.

www.cdc.gov

Pediatric COVID-19 Cases in Counties...

This report describes pediatric COVID-19 cases in counties with and without school mask requirements.

www.cdc.gov

Association of State-Issued Mask Mandates and Allowing ...

This report describes changes in COVID-19 case and death growth ...

www.cdc.gov

Trends in County-Level COVID-19 Incidence in Counties With ...

This report describes COVID-19 incidence in Kansas counties with and without mask mandates.

www.cdc.gov

Tennessee Areas Without Mask Requirements Have Higher Death Toll Per Capita | Department of Health Policy

www.vumc.org

 

[prinz_valium]

Well, it is inevitable for all of us. Don’t worry, the worst symptoms should pass in around 5 days, so by Thursday you should be pretty good.

Got infected on the first or second February.
Symptoms started Friday. Yesterday night war hard. Got one instance of mega chill that resulted in heavy dizzyness.
Today its already better (I'm In Europe, we're at Sunday already)

Will check my fever now. Feels like it's gone or down already.


Edit: fever down from 38.6°C to 37.5°C.
Maybe I'm lucky and already have the worst behind me. I'm just worried it will now spread in my lungs. Even tho that's less likely with Omicron. Anyways I have a pulse oximeter to measure my blood oxygen.

 

[BadBurger]

I ordered a new 50 pack of KN95 masks, and Amazon sent me two units. I offered to send the extra pack back and they told me to just keep it. So cool, I am set for a long while.

 

[Chittagong]

Got infected on the first or second February.
Symptoms started Friday. Yesterday night war hard. Got one instance of mega chill that resulted in heavy dizzyness.
Today its already better (I'm In Europe, we're at Sunday already)

Will check my fever now. Feels like it's gone or down already.


Edit: fever down from 38.6°C to 37.5°C.
Maybe I'm lucky and already have the worst behind me. I'm just worried it will now spread in my lungs. Even tho that's less likely with Omicron. Anyways I have a pulse oximeter to measure my blood oxygen.

That sounds good. Mine went up to 38C only, but I had a friend near 40C and we both got well the same pace. The fact that you are down to nearly no fever is reassuring.

I was a bit worried about lungs as I coughed on Day 3 of symptoms, even if I knew rationally that omicron doesn’t survive there. It’s hard to keep a cool head when the cough hits, but that too passed in a day.

I too checked my oxygen from Apple Watch and temperature, HRV and respiratory rate from Oura, all was fine. Also I got very carefully back to sports after recovery, just to be safe.

I trust that by next weekend this is behind you and you will be a relieved, happy man.

 

[prinz_valium]

That sounds good. Mine went up to 38C only, but I had a friend near 40C and we both got well the same pace. The fact that you are down to nearly no fever is reassuring.

I was a bit worried about lungs as I coughed on Day 3 of symptoms, even if I knew rationally that omicron doesn’t survive there. It’s hard to keep a cool head when the cough hits, but that too passed in a day.

I too checked my oxygen from Apple Watch and temperature, HRV and respiratory rate from Oura, all was fine. Also I got very carefully back to sports after recovery, just to be safe.

I trust that by next weekend this is behind you and you will be a relieved, happy man.

Always good to talk to people who went through the same when everyone is freaking themselves out.

Until early 2021 we had about 10% of all cases being serve that require hospital attention.
But that was pre Omicron and also across all demographics with all comorbities.

Wonder how low that's now.
The odds are definitely in my favor.
Cases are heavily up, but vaccination rate not compared to the last Delta wave in October / November. So Omicron is also less serve for unvaccinated.
The good thing with being infected I can just take 1 shot later down the road for the same protection as being "fully vaccinated".


I had the coughing on Friday already. But maybe it will come again later. Let's hope not. My GF had a lot of sneezes. I'm not at all. But the test being done just in my nose was nagative. The one I also did in my mouth later that day turned out positive.
So maybe it's just not (yet) up there.

 

[sinnergy]

Got infected on the first or second February.
Symptoms started Friday. Yesterday night war hard. Got one instance of mega chill that resulted in heavy dizzyness.
Today its already better (I'm In Europe, we're at Sunday already)

Will check my fever now. Feels like it's gone or down already.


Edit: fever down from 38.6°C to 37.5°C.
Maybe I'm lucky and already have the worst behind me. I'm just worried it will now spread in my lungs. Even tho that's less likely with Omicron. Anyways I have a pulse oximeter to measure my blood oxygen.

Good for you man ! Most people don’t t even had real flu in their lives .. that’s the problem , most don’t know .. so they can’t relate . People think they had flu but most of the time it’s a cold . If you have a real flu you are floored.

I had the flu , 8 years or so ago , and I was the second virus that was nasty in my Life . 41 degrees of fever in about half an hour time , ( you can get hospitalized with such a high fever )in bed for 5 days , cross eyed vision ,all kinds of pain in my body , in my arm which indicates heart failure , so I also went to the doctor.

So it seems for now with all the stuff we did it’s about the same as normal flu ..

As I had the Mexican flu 8 years ago. You can even die from flu.

 

[prinz_valium]

Good for you man ! Most people don’t t even had real flu in their lives .. that’s the problem , most don’t know .. so they can’t relate . People think they had flu but most of the time it’s a cold . If you have a real flu you are floored.

I had the flu , 8 years or so ago , and I was the second virus that was nasty in my Life . 41 degrees of fever in about half an hour time , ( you can get hospitalized with such a high fever )in bed for 5 days , cross eyed vision ,all kinds of pain in my body , in my arm which indicates heart failure , so I also went to the doctor.

So it seems for now with all the stuff we did it’s about the same as normal flu ..

As I had the Mexican flu 8 years ago. You can even die from flu.

I had the real flu once.
You're perfectly fine and then hit with a hammer. It's instantly getting real bad unlike covid that is slowly escalating if you have a serve case.

And that was 100 times worse than my covid right now (so far)
Knocked me out 2 weeks and I didn't even feel 100% fine again after 2 months. So similar to what some people experience with bad and long covid.


I 100% agree. Most of the time it's not the real flu.
It's either a cold or flu like infection. In Germany it's called "Grippe" and "Grippaler Infekt". Not at all the same.

 

[Chaplain]

 

[WoJ]

They did. Also, mandates and lockdowns are only as good as the people who comply.

Mask-wearing linked to 53% cut in Covid incidence, global study finds

Researchers said results highlight the need to continue with face coverings, social distancing and handwashing alongside vaccine programmes

www.theguardian.com

Surgical masks reduce COVID-19 spread, large-scale study shows

Researchers found that surgical masks impede the spread of COVID-19 and that just a few, low-cost interventions increase mask-wearing compliance.

med.stanford.edu

Association Between K–12 School Mask...

This report describes Arizona school associated COVID-19 outbreaks higher in schools without mask requirements than in schools with mask requirements.

www.cdc.gov

Pediatric COVID-19 Cases in Counties...

This report describes pediatric COVID-19 cases in counties with and without school mask requirements.

www.cdc.gov

Association of State-Issued Mask Mandates and Allowing ...

This report describes changes in COVID-19 case and death growth ...

www.cdc.gov

Trends in County-Level COVID-19 Incidence in Counties With ...

This report describes COVID-19 incidence in Kansas counties with and without mask mandates.

www.cdc.gov

Tennessee Areas Without Mask Requirements Have Higher Death Toll Per Capita | Department of Health Policy

www.vumc.org

Several of these studies have been either completely debunked, admitted extreme bias, or are observational versus running actual trials,with a control group. Observational studies that look for correlations are cute, but they aren't as good as cluster randomized control trials that actually control and test the variable in question. You have to have an equal baseline between two groups to see if the variable in question actually has an impact (in this case masks).

The Arizona study, which is what the cdc has relied on for their mask guidance, has been completely debunked. The study did not account for vaccination rates, community transmission at the time the study started and used different periods of time that schools were open. Some were open six weeks and some were open 3 weeks or less and pointed to as proof mask mandates work. It also included virtual schools in their population. It's a crap study and anyone who understands data should know that at this point. The fact that study is the basis for masking kids in schools is a joke.

The one referenced in the guardian, the authors admitted it was biased.

Those others I admittedly haven't read but appear to be observational studies. Which are not in the same league as cluster randomized control trials. The best CRT on masks and covid was out of Bangledesh and done prior to even delta. That study concluded cloth masks had a 2% reduction in Covid....but that wasn't statistically significant so your best case scenario (based on the actual science) is pre-delta cloth masks reduce less than 2%. The study itself states that reductions in covid due to cloth masks were statistically insignificant which means any reduction is just as likely to have occurred due to random factors as it was masks. With delta and omicron any benefit is likely gone.

Surgical masks were better- 11% reduction, but that number is likely reduced because of the transmissability of delta and omicron. And at this point do we think, as a society, it is worth masking entire populations, and kids for less than 11% reduction in spread, especially with vaccines available? Any sane person would say no.

Then there's the cdc study on masking from May 2020 that looked at studies on mask efficacy from studies performed from 1948 through 2018. That study concluded in a community setting cloth masks likely did nothing because in community settings proper mask usage is not likely to occur and touching ones face, adjusting the mask and not changing the mask after a couple hours of use you were likely to increase transmission.

The cdc also had another study on masking in schools in GA, which compared school districts with mask mandates versus those that didn't and found mask mandates on kids did nothing to curb transmission rates. It did find that adults and teachers masking in schools had some impact, but not kids.

At this point in the pandemic there is little quality (key word: quality) evidence to support ongoing masking beyond respirators.

Anecdotal, but yesterday we took my daughter to Disney on ice. The clown mayor of Columbus, OH put a mask mandate in place and the arena enforced it at the door. But after that people had their masks down and off. During the show 2/3 of people weren't wearing masks at all. Masks at this point are cosmetic theater.

Johns Hopkins just released a study saying lockdowns only reduced mortality by 0.2%. I admittedly haven't read the studies that support or challenge the value of lockdowns, but at face value this would imply there are still questions the value of lockdowns.

Cdc study may 2020: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/5/19-0994_article

Bangledesh mask study: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abi9069

critique of Arizona mask study: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/12/mask-guidelines-cdc-walensky/621035/

Critique of Georgia mask study: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/08/the-science-of-masking-kids-at-school-remains-uncertain.html

Johns Hopkins Study: https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20220204/lockdowns-covid-deaths-study

 

[sinnergy]

Spanish flu killed between 60 million - 100 million , in 1918, in a less connected world , what do you think COVID. would have done .. without measures .. you don’t need to be a rocket scientist, studies are not needed for this , a good set of brains will help .

Does is say that people in the governments all over the world got it wrong .. serious question. Because I look at it that they saved us a lot of grief .

 

[ntropy]

 

[DeaDPo0L84]

Someone should photoshop a cage around the kids since these idiots are essentially holding these kids hostage.

 

[poppabk]

Someone should photoshop a cage around the kids since these idiots are essentially holding these kids hostage.

I asked my kids when Virginia was going to allow parents to opt their kids out of wearing a mask and it turns out they don't really give a shit about having to wear a mask.

 

[pel1300]

I asked my kids when Virginia was going to allow parents to opt their kids out of wearing a mask and it turns out they don't really give a shit about having to wear a mask.

Thankfully your kids don't speak for all kids.

 

[sonicwebster]

Someone should photoshop a cage around the kids since these idiots are essentially holding these kids hostage.

Am I missing some context here, what are talking about children in cages.?