Are masks safe and effective?

By Sandrine Perez

At the end of this article you’ll find 3 sources that speak to the fact that masks may be safe and effective at reducing the spread of coronavirus. Meanwhile, all of the following articles and videos have been shared in one of our Facebook groups in response to a community member’s inquiry. She wanted to know what the best rationale for not wearing a mask is:

Wearing a Mask Can Harm Your Health

Sorry Oregon, your mask is useless (according to the science)

Healthy People Wearing Masks, Should They or Shouldn’t They?

Video Testimonial by a Registered Nurse

Should healthy people or asymptomatic carriers wear a mask?

Commentary: Masks-for-all for COVID-19 Not Based on Sound Data

Masks Don’t Work: A review of science relevant to COVID-19 social policy

Blaylock: Face Masks Pose Serious Risks To The Healthy – Dr. Russell Blaylock received the Integrity in Science Award from the Weston A. Price Foundation in 2004. Also: Face masks pose serious risks to the healthy – Blaylock

Face It: The Evidence Proving the Effectiveness of Community Mask Wearing Doesn’t Exist; The WHO Agrees

New study questions the effectiveness of masks against SARS-CoV-2

FTC Shuts Down Dr. Brownstein’s Blog for Explaining How He was Curing COVID-19 Patients – Dr. Brownstein’s article about masks was censored on his own website, but included in the article.

A cluster randomised trial of cloth masks compared with medical masks in healthcare workers

Why Face Masks Don’t Work: A Revealing Review

Should you really wear a mask? A video by Del Bigtree The Highwire

Nonpharmaceutical Measures for Pandemic Influenza in Nonhealthcare Settings—Personal Protective and Environmental Measures

A Study on Infectivity of Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Carriers

Jogger’s Lung Collapses After Running With Face Mask, Doctor Advises Not To Cover Face While Exercising

Two Chinese boys drop dead during PE lessons while wearing face masks amid concerns over students’ fitness following three months of school closure

Two schoolboys collapse and die just six days apart in China while wearing face masks

More than 100 employees, patients at Children’s Hospital test negative after exposure to doctor with coronavirus

Dr. Anthony Fauci on Face Masks – 60 Minutes Video. Picture of Dr. Fauci with a mask on months later.

A manufacturer published the following warming on the box the masks come in:

Warning – The mask products shown above are ear loop masks. These products are not respirators and will not provide any protection against COVID-19 (Coronavirus) or other viruses or containments. Wearing an ear loop mask does not reduce the risk of contracting any disease or infection. User is solely responsible for the selection of appropriate personal protective equipment for the setting and application. Change immediately if contaminated. Single Use Only.

Recommendations published from the Journal of the American Medical Association known as JAMA: “Face masks should not be worn by healthy individuals to protect themselves from acquiring respiratory infection because there is no evidence to suggest that face masks worn by healthy individuals are effective in preventing people from becoming ill.”

One of our community members writes: “I’m looking for studies that support homemade cloth mask use, if there are any. Because if it’s being recommended, there should be good data to back it up. Maybe there isn’t, but I’m really trying to be fair about this and look hard for information that supports the mainstream narrative. And I’d like to feel confident about saying ‘there isn’t good data to support mask use’ if I want to push back against it in various situations.”

These were offered to her:

Masks and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) – this appears to be a reversal to the article linked to above from the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Wearing a mask can significantly reduce coronavirus transmission, study on hamsters claims

How masks helped Hong Kong control the coronavirus – someone in the community pointed out that this isn’t a study and that there could have been any number of other reasons why Hong Kong didn’t have as many deaths.