This Study Could Be ‘Scientific Nail in the Coffin’ for Masks

According to a study done by a world-renowned medical database, masks don’t make any difference. A study of a masked elementary student /Getty Images

One of the most thorough and extensive studies of the effectiveness of masks revealed that they have almost no effect on spreading respiratory viruses.

The Study reviewed 78 randomized control trials—experiments that have long been considered “the gold standard” for medicine—which assessed the effectiveness of face masks against flu, COVID-19, and similar illnesses. It was found that masks were effective in fighting flu, COVID-19 and other illnesses. “probably makes little or no difference” No matter which type of mask, it is safe for everyone. N95 masks were not effective in filtering out airborne particles.

The Cochrane Library published the study on January 30, a well-respected medical database known for its high-quality evidence review. This study is a blow to the U.S. public-health establishment’s recommendations, which advised children as young as 2 years old to wear masks during the pandemic.

“This amounts to the scientific nail in the coffin for mask mandates,” Kristen Walsh, a clinical pediatrics professor in Morristown (New Jersey), said: “I just can’t wrap my mind around the fact that some schools are still actively forcing children to wear masks, much less children who need to see faces to learn.”

Although most Western countries are based in the West, Opted against masking kids—in part due to concerns about speech and social development—many blue school districts mandated face coverings for toddlers, citing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Both organizations maintain that the masks work well to curb COVID-19 in schools. However, the guidance was based on a lot of assumptions. weak studies Critics claimed that their results were biased by the small sample size and lack of controls. Many of the studies only compared areas with mandated masks with places without them. It was difficult to tell whether masks reduced COVID, or other factors. For example, COVID-cautious individuals were more likely to use masks.

The sorts of experiments Cochrane canvassed—in which subjects were chosen at random to receive masks—were designed to avoid that problem. They allowed researchers to distinguish the effects of masks by the caution levels of those wearing them, giving a better picture of how effective the masks are.

This is why the Cochrane review was created.

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