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> Even the CDC was against mask use by the general public at first, It. Was. Not. The WHO and CDC both issued guidance that public use of personal protective

> Even the CDC was against mask use by the general public at first, It. Was. Not. The WHO and CDC both issued guidance that public use of personal protective equipment was a bad idea, for fundamental scarcity reasons. And in both cases the messaging was done poorly in a few spots and could have been interpreted as statement that masks don't work against covid. They were heavily criticized for this at the time, and the criticism was carried by the media. No expert ever told people that masks don't work, or that the public shouldn't wear them. They were telling people to save them for the health care workers! And getting to the point upthread: that bit of misinformation is, again, something being deliberately propagated by people with a political agenda.

deleted 6y ago
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dpeck 6y ago
Perhaps I’m just dense, but that’s exactly how I would read this tweet from late February: https://mobile.twitter.com/cdcgov/status/1233134710638825473?lang=en https://mobile.twitter.com/cdcgov/status/1233134710638825473... “ CDC does not currently recommend the use of facemasks to help prevent novel #coronavirus. Take everyday preventive actions, like staying home when you are sick and washing hands with soap and water, to help slow the spread of respiratory illness. ”
ceejayoz 6y ago
The US Surgeon General, in late February: > Seriously people- STOP BUYING MASKS! They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus... https://twitter.com/surgeon_general/status/1233725785283932160 https://twitter.com/surgeon_general/status/12337257852839321... It's not surprising people got "masks don't work" from that messaging.
- SturgeonsLaw 6y ago
  You left off the second half of that tweet in your quote: > but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!
DanBC 6y ago
The WHO and CDC were telling people that masks don't work because there is no good quality evidence to show that masks work, and there's plenty of evidence to show that masks do not work. Look at the most recent CDC mask advice. They're not saying "masks work", they're using much more cautious language: "masks may work". https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/about-face-coverings.html https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-si...
- brazzy 6y ago
  > there is no good quality evidence to show that masks work, and there's plenty of evidence to show that masks do not work. Bullshit. Most of all because it's not a binary issue at all. Even if masks reduce the number of particles you exhale and inhale only by 30%, that makes a huge difference for the population as a whole.
  - lukas099 6y ago
    > Bullshit. Most of all because it's not a binary issue at all. Parent comment doesn't claim it is binary, or rest on it being binary. Post good quality evidence to show that marks work.

deleted 6y ago

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dpeck 6y ago

Perhaps I’m just dense, but that’s exactly how I would read this tweet from late February: https://mobile.twitter.com/cdcgov/status/1233134710638825473?lang=en https://mobile.twitter.com/cdcgov/status/1233134710638825473... “ CDC does not currently recommend the use of facemasks to help prevent novel #coronavirus. Take everyday preventive actions, like staying home when you are sick and washing hands with soap and water, to help slow the spread of respiratory illness. ”

ceejayoz 6y ago

The US Surgeon General, in late February: > Seriously people- STOP BUYING MASKS! They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus... https://twitter.com/surgeon_general/status/1233725785283932160 https://twitter.com/surgeon_general/status/12337257852839321... It's not surprising people got "masks don't work" from that messaging.

SturgeonsLaw 6y ago
You left off the second half of that tweet in your quote: > but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!

DanBC 6y ago

The WHO and CDC were telling people that masks don't work because there is no good quality evidence to show that masks work, and there's plenty of evidence to show that masks do not work. Look at the most recent CDC mask advice. They're not saying "masks work", they're using much more cautious language: "masks may work". https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/about-face-coverings.html https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-si...

brazzy 6y ago
> there is no good quality evidence to show that masks work, and there's plenty of evidence to show that masks do not work. Bullshit. Most of all because it's not a binary issue at all. Even if masks reduce the number of particles you exhale and inhale only by 30%, that makes a huge difference for the population as a whole.
- lukas099 6y ago
  > Bullshit. Most of all because it's not a binary issue at all. Parent comment doesn't claim it is binary, or rest on it being binary. Post good quality evidence to show that marks work.