Mask Mandate
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) came out with its latest policy about masks and our governor has mandated wearing them. But does it make any sense?
The best science the CDC can point to is a group of uncontrolled studies highlighting first such groups as 139 hairdresser clients, 382 sailors on the U.S.S. Roosevelt, 124 Beijing households, and 839 Thailand residents subject to contact tracing. All results come from observation followed by personal judgement, and none result from the mathematical disciplines used to evaluate complex environments. In the same article the CDC disparages the 2020 randomized controlled trial (RCT) in Denmark involving 4,862 participants, which found no benefit to wearing a mask to prevent infection.
The disciplines of a RCT divides participants into different groups on a randomized basis. Random assignment means that factors not specifically controlled can cancel each other out by appearing equally in both groups. One group receives the treatment (which in this case was the mask) and the other group does not. Researchers can isolate the one variable and are not able to introduce biases to produce a preferred outcome.
RCT’s are considered the highest standard for this type of research. Therefore, the most reasonable approach the CDC could take would be to use this study as one to which others would be evaluated. An especially valid approach, since the first four combined from their May scientific brief have less than half the participants of the Danish study.
Do Masks Work? https://www.city-journal.org/do-masks-work-a-review-of-the-evidence?wallit_nosession=1
Effectiveness of Adding a Mask Recommendation to Other Public Health Measures to Prevent SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Danish Mask Wearers: A Randomized Controlled Trial https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33205991/
Science Brief: Community Use of Cloth Masks to Control the Spread of SARS-CoV-2 https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/masking-science-sars-cov2.htm
Absence of Apparent Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from Two Stylists After Exposure at a Hair Salon with a Universal Face Covering Policy — Springfield, Missouri, May 2020 https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6928e2.htm
I saw the Twitter post discussing the same information.
I have a relative who is an ER/ICU doctor in Oregon. No doubt about it that the governor is a leftist Democrat. Agree there is little positive evidence that masks work.
However, in Oregon there are also other health issues contributing to the rise in hospitalizations. Yes, poor air quality with the fires (not all of Oregon is next to the ocean), also large immigrant population working in agriculture, lots of hippy-dippy types vaping all sorts of organic stuff (eye roll) - all of which cause lung irritation and inflammation which contribute to getting respiratory disease.
The government/hospital administration has also repeatedly failed to increase ICU/ER bed capacity. They have additionally reduced doctor hiring and tried to replace them with NPs who don’t know what they are doing. The hospital our relative works at is the only COVID approved hospital for southeastern Oregon and part of northern CA. Patients are coming from a huge distances and then find there are no beds and ER wait times are hours long. Doctors and nurses are getting PTSD from the working conditions.