Popular Mask Effectiveness Studies That Ignore Real World Conditions
(And Demonstrate Even More Mask Ineffectiveness Upon Further Investigation)
Circulated articles state things like, “a cloth mask offers more protection than a surgical mask for people nearby.” With data gathered from participants putting a mask on for a few moments and coughing 5 times to establish said effectiveness. Upon further review, the study itself noted, “both surgical and cotton masks seem to be ineffective in preventing the dissemination of SARS–CoV-2 from the coughs of patients with COVID-19 to the environment.” Even though they came to that conclusion with what can easily be considered an inadequate amount of data (they’ve since retracted), what’s even more alarming is that the scientists found when test subjects coughed into the masks, even more virus particles ended up on the OUTSIDE of the mask than on the inside of the mask. It may come as a surprise, but that’s simply how viruses can travel in the real world.
Annals of Internal Medicine
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Yet again, another study positing the efficacy of masks by having participants breathe/cough into a collection apparatus. This time it was a G-II bioaerosol collecting device. To repeat, this on and off duration of mask use and direct collection of particles neglects how viruses travel in the real world and how the duration of mask usage makes them exceedingly less effective.
Nature
Medicine
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Frequently referenced hamster study with the dubious headline, “Surgical Masks Can Reduce Spread of Covid-19 virus by up to 75%”. To replicate “real-life situations” the lead researcher placed surgical masks between the cages of hamsters in an isolated facility. If this study replicates real-life situations to the researcher, we should all be seriously concerned by the type of social life he has.
Hong Kong University
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Researchers at Texas A&M declare that face masks prevented more than 66,000 infections in New York City in less than a month. The study makes hasty assumptions of universal consistency in mask quality, mask fit, duration of time worn, assumptions that the wearers aren’t touching their face, that their aerosols and droplets aren’t being deflected and sprayed all over their face, hair, clothes, and creating clouds of droplets from above, below, and through the sides of the mask. And it’s also assuming that the masks are effective in the first place, which the vast majority of real-world clinical trials show that they’re not. Lastly, their graph demonstrates a downward trend in infections prior to mandatory masking and doesn’t differentiate the effects from social distancing, shelter-in-place, etc.
PNAS
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Sexual contact carries some risk for exposure to infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
Annals of Internal Medicine
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Demonstrating the physiological and psychological damage caused by mask usage
The physiological impact of wearing an N95 mask during hemodialysis.
Journal of the Formosan Medical Association
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Respiratory consequences of N95-type Mask usage in pregnant healthcare workers.
Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control
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Carbon dioxide reâ€breathing with close fitting face respirator masks.
Anaesthesia
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Carbon dioxide rebreathing in respiratory protective devices.
Ergonomics
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Surgical mask induced deoxygenation.
Neurocirugia
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Protective Facemask Impact on Human Thermoregulation.
The Annals of Occupational Hygiene
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Amygdala Responsivity to High-Level Social Information from Unseen Faces.
The Journal of Neuroscience
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Rise in childhood mental health issues resulting from the social lockdown.
University of Oxford
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Mental health issues in children amidst COVID-19 pandemic.
The Canadian Medical Association Journal
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Effects of wearing N95 and surgical facemasks on heart rate, thermal stress and subjective sensations.
The International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health
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Immune cells become overactive when oxygen levels are deranged.
University of Edinburgh
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Stress and the Human Immune System.
Journal of Evolutionary Biology – Correction: Psychological Bulletin
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The Developmental Origins of the Social Brain.
Frontiers in Psychology
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Demonstrating health/immune system/covid-19 relationship and coronavirus susceptibility
Up to 650,000 people die of respiratory diseases linked to seasonal flu each year.
World Health Organization
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SARS-CoV-2 mutation
Cell
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Comorbidities the rule in New York’s COVID-19 deaths.
NY State Dept. of Health
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Characteristics, Comorbidities, and Outcomes Among 5700 Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19 in the New York City Area.
JAMA
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The State of US Health Burden of Diseases.
JAMA
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Spotlight on World Obesity Rates.
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
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FDA clears IND application for natural killer cell-based COVID-19 therapy.
Healio
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People with low NK cell counts had much higher rates of severe infections from COVID-19.
Medical Hypothesis
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Immune response to a 30-minute walk.
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise
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Sleep-deprivation reduces NK cell number and function.
Psychoneuroendocrinology
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The impact of stressful life events on natural killer cells.
Stress & Health
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Sleep deprivation effect on the immune system mirrors physical stress.
American Academy of Sleep Medicine
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The prevalence of stress in primary care.
JAMA Internal Medicine
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