Since so much of the recent articles are fear porn about corona and I wanted an objective set of articles and studies to peruse, I did a historical search for this period of time:
Jan 1 2015 - Jan 1 2018
This one seems to conclude that cloth masks do more harm than good.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4420971/
This one says masks are only effective if its tightly formed to your face, here’s a quote:”You’re more likely going to want to find a higher quality mask with swappable filters or, at least, a mask that is comfortably form fitting” Most people are just using some random cloth, i don’t see anyone with form fitting designs or swappable filters.
https://ellessco.com/blog/2016/10/wear-face-mask-flu#The_Final_Conclusion
This one says that normal masks aren’t good at stopping the spread of viruses, ,but the treatment they add to the masks (some kind of salt treatment) MAKES them good for this purpose.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170105160228.htm
This one says it’s largely inconclusive. Quote: “Overall, the evidence to inform policies on mask use in HCWs is poor” (HCW = health care worker)
https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/65/11/1934/4068747
Long story short: cloth makes are dangerous to your health.
https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/health/cloth-masks-%E2%80%93-dangerous-your-health
This one says n95 masks are one time uses and only work well if you never move your face and it fits like a condom (no seams or openings to your mouth).
https://www.cell.com/trends/biotechnology/fulltext/S0167-7799(17)30133-6
Same deal, you need it to fit tight, you need to replace them constantly, and you need to use a very specific kind.
https://www.oralhealthgroup.com/features/face-mask-performance-protected/
Same deal, masks are not conclusively effective for HCP (either N95 OR medical masks). Quote:”While it may seem that N95 respirators should better protect HCPs than MM against airborne infections in the workplace, this notion has not been validated by objective clinical evidence.”
https://bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12879-016-1494-2
Less scientific, but cuts to the point, tight fitting is needed.
http://share.sis.org.cn/diseases/2015/03/28/putting-on-a-mask-is-better-than-nothing-false/
Long story short: cloth masks suck, they actually increase the likelihood of respiratory illness. https://www.journalofhospitalinfection.com/article/S0195-6701(13)00280-6/pdf
Due to poor use of masks, discomfort, lack of tight fitting and that your eyes are exposed, no discernible difference could be found between wearing and not wearing one.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150422121724.htm
Meta Conclusion of these links:
All these studies say it isn’t effective unless you use the right kind of mask and replace it constantly and it fits like a glove. Why aren’t there Government programs to teach people how to put them on? Why aren’t there different sizes available in all stores? Why is there no PSA on how and when to dispose of one and how to know it fits and how to put it on??
Just cuz people are wearing a mask it doesn’t mean they’re wearing it properly. As a result, the fact that it’s mandatory but no one is checking if you are doing it properly, stinks like SHIT. It reeks of authoritarianism, not trying to protect people.
This feels like fear mongering on a global scale.
Further SEVERAL of these articles mention salt on the mask making it a virus killer. Why is no one mentioning this now??
Now how about psychological effects? Oxygen levels etc? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4748517/
Effects of prolonged use of masks: “Psychological effects are also important. Feelings of fatigue are common, as are feelings of anxiety and discontent”.
This article also states that communication is hindered with the use of the mask, making it harder to you know...relate to other humans. We are social creatures and wearing these long term is going to slowly break the fabric of our society, whatever is left of it.
I’m gonna wear a mask because where I am it is mandatory to buy food and other things. But never more than 30 mins a day..
The Cliffs Notes version is a face covering is only going to help stop spreading virus particles that get sprayed out when a person with the virus coughs, sneezes, speaks, or exhales.
If they’re coughing or sneezing they shouldn’t be out in public. Same thing if they know they have the virus but aren’t symptomatic.
Whats left is asymptomatics who don’t know they have the virus and would other wise unknowingly spread it. Which is a very small fraction of the population.
And even if they did, there’s the question of viral load, i.e. how much exposure does it take to actually get the disease? Contact tracing standards were less than 6’ away for 15 minutes, so it takes more than passing someone in a grocery store aisle.
Some exposure is necessary to develop herd immunity and masks slow that down. Since no one has developed a vaccine for any coronavirus yet, natural immunity may be the best we ever get.
But masks will be touted by the media as virtuous, and those who don’t wear them (aka Trump supporters) are evil. The message is “wearing a mask saves lives” and failure to do so is racist (or something).