https://off-guardian.org/2023/03/24/40-facts-you-need-to-know-the-real-story-of-covid/
PART VI: MASKS
Updated21. Masks don’t work. At least a dozen scientific studies have shown that masks do nothing to stop the spread of respiratory viruses.
One meta-analysis published by the CDC in May 2020 found “no significant reduction in influenza transmission with the use of face masks”.
A Canadian review from July 2020 found “limited evidence that the use of masks might reduce the risk of viral respiratory infections”.
Another study with over 8000 subjects found masks “did not seem to be effective against laboratory-confirmed viral respiratory infections nor against clinical respiratory infection.”
There are literally too many to quote them all, but you can read them: [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] Or read a summary by SPR here.
While some studies have been done claiming to show mask do work for Covid, they are all seriously flawed. One relied on self-reported surveys as data. Another was so badly designed that a panel of experts demanded it be withdrawn. A third was withdrawn after its predictions proved entirely incorrect.
The WHO commissioned its own meta-analysis in the Lancet, but that study looked only at N95 masks and only in hospitals. [For a full rundown on the bad data in this study click here.]
Aside from scientific evidence, there’s plenty of real-world evidence that masks do nothing to halt the spread of disease.
For example, North Dakota and South Dakota had near-identical “case” figures, despite one having a mask mandate and the other not:
In Kansas, counties without mask mandates actually had fewer Covid “cases” than counties with mask mandates. And despite masks being very common in Japan, they had their worst flu outbreak in decades in 2019.
Not only do masks not work, but it was widely known they did not work before 2020.
A 2016 literature review published in the Journal of Oral Health found:
there are no convincing scientific data that support the effectiveness of masks for respiratory protection.
(This study was quietly removed from the journal’s website in June 2020, because it was “no longer relevant in the current climate”.)
Another study, published in 2020 but carried out in 2019, found:
no significant effect of face masks on transmission of laboratory-confirmed influenza.
In his 2020 review, “Masks Don’t Work”, Dr Denis Rancourt cites studies from 2009, 2010, 2012, 2016, 2017 and 2019…none of which found any significant benefit at all from wearing a mask.
And, most tellingly, in their own report on influenza from 2019, the WHO itself noted that:
there is no evidence that [masks are] effective in reducing transmission
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Updated22. Masks are bad for your health. Wearing a mask for long periods, wearing the same mask more than once, and other aspects of cloth masks can be bad for your health. A long study on the detrimental effects of mask-wearing was recently published by the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Dr. James Meehan reported in August 2020 he was seeing increases in bacterial pneumonia, fungal infections, and facial rashes.
Masks are also known to contain plastic microfibers, which damage the lungs when inhaled and may be potentially carcinogenic.
Childen wearing masks encourages mouth-breathing, which results in facial deformities.
People around the world have passed out due to CO2 poisoning while wearing their masks, and some children in China even suffered sudden cardiac arrest.
Moreover, masks may actually increase the likelihood of respiratory disease, a trial of cloth masks from 2015 found that:
Moisture retention, reuse of cloth masks and poor filtration may result in an increased risk of infection.
While a new study published in July 2022 found that masks, especially those worn more than once, were breeding grounds for both bacteria and fungal microbes.
Another peer-reviewed paper on mask effectiveness, from April 2022, found:
While no cause-effect conclusions could be inferred from this observational analysis, the lack of negative correlations between mask usage and COVID-19 cases and deaths suggest that the widespread use of masks […] was not able to reduce COVID-19 transmission. Moreover, the moderate positive correlation between mask usage and deaths in Western Europe also suggests that the universal use of masks may have had harmful unintended consequences.
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Updated23. Masks are bad for the planet. Millions upon millions of disposable masks have been used per month for over a year. A report from the UN found the Covid19 pandemic will likely result in plastic waste more than doubling in the next few years., and the vast majority of that is face masks.
The report goes on to warn these masks (and other medical waste) will clog sewage and irrigation systems, which will have knock-on effects on public health, irrigation and agriculture.
A study from the University of Swansea found “heavy metals and plastic fibres were released when throw-away masks were submerged in water.” These materials are toxic to both people and wildlife.
Another study, published in 2022, found that:
disposable face masks and plastic gloves could pose an ongoing risk to wildlife for tens if not hundreds of years.
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