Breaking news: masks found to be as effective as wearing a unicorn costume
Summary:
- The most rigorous and extensive review of scientific literature, conducted by the Cochrane review, concludes that neither surgical masks nor N95 masks have been shown to make a difference in reducing the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses.
- Masks may keep out some pathogens but their inner surface can also trap concentrations of pathogens that are then breathed back into the lungs, offsetting any theoretical benefits.
- Public health officials continue to recommend or mandate masks without proper evidence of their effectiveness or any cost-benefit analysis, and masks can cause social, psychological, and medical problems.
The most rigorous and extensive review of scientific literature, conducted by the Cochrane review, concludes that neither surgical masks nor N95 masks have been shown to make a difference in reducing the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses.
Whatever theoretical benefits there might be, in clinical trials the benefits have turned out to be either illusory or offset by negative factors.Oxford’s Tom Jefferson, the lead author of the Cochrane review, summed up the real science on masks: 'There is just no evidence that they make any difference. Full stop.'