Whatever your belief about masks, there are two links here to survey. The first one is Fauci telling the mainstream press he opposes *science*, meaning, a randomized, controlled study to determine the actual effectiveness of wearing a mask. The second one is from the abstract of a paper published at the CDC website in the Journal of Emerging Infectious Diseases (May 2020).
Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday he opposes conducting a controlled study on the effectiveness of masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
…I would not want to do a randomized controlled study because that would mean having people not wear masks and see if they do better,” he said.
Fauci suggested he would never ask an individual to participate in a study that would involve not wearing a mask.
“I think that to do the study would be kind of difficult to do because then you’d have to tell people not to wear masks, and I’m not about to tell them that,” he said.
Here’s the link to the Journal of Emerging Infectious Diseases (May 2020).
[ “Nonpharmaceutical Measures for Pandemic Influenza in Nonhealthcare Settings—Personal Protective and Environmental Measures” ]
In our systematic review, we identified 10 RCTs that reported estimates of the effectiveness of face masks in reducing laboratory-confirmed influenza virus infections in the community from literature published during 1946–July 27, 2018. In pooled analysis, we found no significant reduction in influenza transmission with the use of face masks.
Disposable medical masks (also known as surgical masks) are loose-fitting devices that were designed to be worn by medical personnel to protect accidental contamination of patient wounds, and to protect the wearer against splashes or sprays of bodily fluids (36). There is limited evidence for their effectiveness in preventing influenza virus transmission either when worn by the infected person for source control or when worn by uninfected persons to reduce exposure. Our systematic review found no significant effect of face masks on transmission of laboratory-confirmed influenza.
And all the while Fauci is continually quoted in the media condemning Americans for their lack of adherence to “science.”
9:55 am on July 22, 2020
