Good and properly worn KN95 masks decrease transmission. These KN95 masks were not generally available early on and if they were, kids and adults don’t wear them correctly. Those were the problems. The authors conclusions are self serving hindsight bias. A lot about transmission of COVID-19 was not known at the time. That kids were harmed by masks is hokum.
Did you read the study? They said even the best masks cover 80% at most, and that very few viral particles are necessary for spread. And many WERE talking about this at the time, thus the pushback on masks. As to your other point, you apparently don't believe facial expressions are essential for communication, relationship, and child development. Hmm...
I graduated from nursing school in Dec 2020 and completed my RN residency in 2021. I was masked 16 hours per day. The medical community knew that masking was only effective against droplet transmitted viruses. The masks should have come off the minute we learned that COVID was airborne, not spread by droplets. Unfortunately, the federal government is the largest payor in the American healthcare system so they call the shots, literally. This combined with the ideological capture of academia where our medical professionals are educated produced a medical community who went along with the junk science being pushed by their government controllers rather than risk their careers.
Nonsense. N95 masks, like 3Ms models, stop airborne transmission when a person is trained and fit tested for an N95 mask. Multiple studies have confirmed N95 efficacy.
but as source control for aerosolized viruses, none of the masks tested in this study do not achieve what govt bodies said they would achieve. The “my mask protects you, your mask protects me” mantra is BS.
All that study shows is that apparent mask filtration efficiency is driven by leakages at the mask-skin interface. That means the air leaks around the mask are the problem. Other studies have shown 78% efficiency on KN95 masks ,,even when moving head and talking.
There is a dose response effect to mask filtration. It is incorrect to assume that a less than 100% filtration won’t decrease transmission in a population. The author draws unwarranted and erroneus conclusions from the study.
Fit tested masks work well when worn correctly by the user.
The paper you cited states right at the top: "masks are, if correctly and consistently worn, effective in reducing transmission of respiratory diseases and show a dose-response effect."
But of course, as you admit, kids do not wear masks correctly or consistently - the were forced to wear cloth or surgical masks, which this study showed to be remarkably ineffective. And neither do adults, who were very rarely provided with N95s and never trained on how to perform a fit test or seal check to make them actually effective.
The study helps to fill the gap in logic when people insist that masks are "78% efficient" even though mask mandates (even of N95s) never achieved any reduction in transmission.
We must stop operating in a fantasy land, especially when it comes to kids. Even the study you cited admits to the negative impacts of masking for those with hearing impairments or medical conditions. There is plenty of evidence that children were impacted in speech development and socialization by forced masking policies, and health officials never recommended KN95s or N95s for children due to the risks of hypoxia (which is known even in adults).
When it was happening, I was so frustrated with organizations such as ASHA (American Speech and Hearing Association) not speaking out about the harms masking would have on language/social development. Their responses to my questions were infuriating! I would be curious about how they respond to these studies that show what many of us already knew, they don’t work!!
Your smoking with different masks on video is great!
Good and properly worn KN95 masks decrease transmission. These KN95 masks were not generally available early on and if they were, kids and adults don’t wear them correctly. Those were the problems. The authors conclusions are self serving hindsight bias. A lot about transmission of COVID-19 was not known at the time. That kids were harmed by masks is hokum.
Did you read the study? They said even the best masks cover 80% at most, and that very few viral particles are necessary for spread. And many WERE talking about this at the time, thus the pushback on masks. As to your other point, you apparently don't believe facial expressions are essential for communication, relationship, and child development. Hmm...
I graduated from nursing school in Dec 2020 and completed my RN residency in 2021. I was masked 16 hours per day. The medical community knew that masking was only effective against droplet transmitted viruses. The masks should have come off the minute we learned that COVID was airborne, not spread by droplets. Unfortunately, the federal government is the largest payor in the American healthcare system so they call the shots, literally. This combined with the ideological capture of academia where our medical professionals are educated produced a medical community who went along with the junk science being pushed by their government controllers rather than risk their careers.
Nonsense. N95 masks, like 3Ms models, stop airborne transmission when a person is trained and fit tested for an N95 mask. Multiple studies have confirmed N95 efficacy.
but as source control for aerosolized viruses, none of the masks tested in this study do not achieve what govt bodies said they would achieve. The “my mask protects you, your mask protects me” mantra is BS.
All that study shows is that apparent mask filtration efficiency is driven by leakages at the mask-skin interface. That means the air leaks around the mask are the problem. Other studies have shown 78% efficiency on KN95 masks ,,even when moving head and talking.
There is a dose response effect to mask filtration. It is incorrect to assume that a less than 100% filtration won’t decrease transmission in a population. The author draws unwarranted and erroneus conclusions from the study.
Fit tested masks work well when worn correctly by the user.
Better data below.
https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/cmr.00124-23
Having said that, the data on school masking is contradictory. Not surprising since kids generally don't wear masks properly.
The paper you cited states right at the top: "masks are, if correctly and consistently worn, effective in reducing transmission of respiratory diseases and show a dose-response effect."
But of course, as you admit, kids do not wear masks correctly or consistently - the were forced to wear cloth or surgical masks, which this study showed to be remarkably ineffective. And neither do adults, who were very rarely provided with N95s and never trained on how to perform a fit test or seal check to make them actually effective.
The study helps to fill the gap in logic when people insist that masks are "78% efficient" even though mask mandates (even of N95s) never achieved any reduction in transmission.
We must stop operating in a fantasy land, especially when it comes to kids. Even the study you cited admits to the negative impacts of masking for those with hearing impairments or medical conditions. There is plenty of evidence that children were impacted in speech development and socialization by forced masking policies, and health officials never recommended KN95s or N95s for children due to the risks of hypoxia (which is known even in adults).
No studies that show masks don’t work will stop blue politicians from mandating them.
Great article, Emily! Sadly, the negative impacts on child development that occurred during that time will be felt for years to come.
Absolutely. But we won't study them, because that would provide ammunition against masks.
When it was happening, I was so frustrated with organizations such as ASHA (American Speech and Hearing Association) not speaking out about the harms masking would have on language/social development. Their responses to my questions were infuriating! I would be curious about how they respond to these studies that show what many of us already knew, they don’t work!!
Your smoking with different masks on video is great!