The Truth of Masks and Covid-19

Part 2 – Preventing Infection to those around the Mask Wearer

The CDC changed its position on mask wearing in June 2020. The CDC put forward masks not so much to prevent infection of the person wearing the mask, but to prevent infection in those near the mask wearer. The concept is simple enough, asymptomatic Covid-19 pts can shed virus and that masks will significantly reduce virus coming from their mouths and nose.

Quite simply, these data are minimal as well.

From a theoretic viewpoint, to work this way, a mask must filter virus or the droplets containing the virus from the person’s exhaled air. When a person exhales or coughs, the virus in aerosol form or droplets must not simply be re-routed by a mask, it must be trapped or filtered out.

To do so, the exhaled air must actually go through the mask and the mask have material capable of filtering out the aerosol or droplet. As many of you are aware, surgical masks mainly re-route the air you exhale. The vast majority of exhaled air doesn’t even go through the mask. This means that the virus cannot be filtered out; it is just re-directed. Second, surgical masks are not designed to filter airborne particles. So, even when exhaled air goes through the surgical mask, the airborne particles remain.

The data cited by the CDC justifying their recommendation change are observational and weak. The CDC actually cited a hair salon, in which two hair stylists were infected, all wore masks and no one became symptomatically ill with Covid-19. This story is the very definition of anecdotal. This hair salon wasn’t part of any study. People were not tested longitudinally to make sure they didn’t get asymptomatically infected. It is unknown how much virus the two infected stylists shed during the period they were infected and working. The CDC cites other observational data hospitals in in Massachusetts. But these data are low quality and are about protecting HCWs, not using masks in the community to reduce virus shedding from asymptomatic pts.

So, when you wear a surgical mask and eyeglasses, you notice that your glasses fog up. This means the air you exhale is simply being re-routed and not being filtered in any way. Further, the air you inhale is coming around the mask and not through. Again, nothing or very little is filtered.

I wish masks worked. I wish it were that easy. But they don’t work, or, to be scientifically more correct, if they do have some positive effect, it’s damn small.

You know what works? Hand-washing.

You know what also works? Time.

For those of you obsessed with Covid, those who have watched way too much TV and, for the first time in their lives, read about fomites, PPE, droplet precautions, infection rates, and the like, it is time…

Time for you to let Covid go.

Time for this obsession to end.

Covid is just another pandemic. Hardly the first and certainly not the last humans will face. If you’re worried, get tested a few times or have you family get tested a few times. If you live around Jersey, the odds are overwhelming that you’ll find you and yours are negative repeatedly.

No one has more respect for this disease than I. Few have battled this disease as I. But from my experiences, I learned that the virus has limitations, predilections and patterns. True knowledge is very powerful in facing this pandemic and helping end it. On the other hand, fallacies and fear have no place in this fight; they are being used for ulterior motives and to worsen the division of this great country.

It is time for truth to matter again and it’s time for healing to begin.

Basically, It's time for Americans to act like Americans.