I can't resist correcting some of that, sorry! :) * WHO recommended that sick people wear (surgical) masks since February at home to reduce the chances of spre

I can't resist correcting some of that, sorry! :) * WHO recommended that sick people wear (surgical) masks since February at home to reduce the chances of spreading the virus in the household - if they can't fully isolate. (You can check this using archive.org - I don't have the link readily at hand, unfortunately) * Yes, PPE was a concern but also it was thought that there is no spread without symptoms initially. Which was the main reason why masks were not recommended for the wider population: * non-respirators don't really *protect* the wearer * respirators like N95 do but PPE is in short suply * if you have symptoms, wearing a mask helps, sure, but best to fully isolate as much as possible. * Opinion largely changed due to incoming evidence of presymptomatic spread - and yes, some campaigning by various groups like masks4all. I'm sure there were some people and groups that connected the PPE and "masks don't work and thats why they are not recommended" but it was certainly not a blatant lie - it was really thought they wouldn't help and isolation for the infected is much better. With presymptomatic (and therefore possibly asymptomatic) spread and the realization of millions infected everywhere, everyone wearing masks became a viable option. Aerosols are a whole other topic I won't get into (and I don't really have the expertise for it either!) but suffice to say from my understanding its not really as simple as "works" / "doesn't work". Yes there is a problem with science failing us here as well, as the bar for evidence is simply set too high and the processes are too slow to deal with a pandemic. This is true for medications too...