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In order to limit buying the CDC pushed the lie that masks would not significantly affect the chance of catching COVID in a non-hospital setting. Then when that

In order to limit buying the CDC pushed the lie that masks would not significantly affect the chance of catching COVID in a non-hospital setting. Then when that became too obviously wrong and PPE supply increased they changed their tune. This cost me a LOT of trust in the institution — that they would lie to manipulate mass behavior. Even early in the pandemic, the Asian countries which got the pandemic under control all required masks, and they have experience with coronaviruses. After the above fiasco I don’t trust the CDC or any U.S. local or federal government agency to say that COVID won’t spread on surfaces when they are motivated to say so to save significant money and resources by skipping disinfection protocols.

sempron64 6y ago
To add a source: >Who does not need PPE: CDC does NOT currently recommend the general public use facemasks. Instead, CDC recommends following everyday preventive actions, such as washing your hands, covering your cough, and staying home when you are sick. https://web.archive.org/web/20200325060652/https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/healthcare-supply-ppe-index.html https://web.archive.org/web/20200325060652/https://www.cdc.g... You can see why this was interpreted to mean “masks don’t help”. There is no implication they are a good idea.
collyw 6y ago
> In order to limit buying the CDC pushed the lie that masks would not significantly affect the chance of catching COVID in a non-hospital setting. Is it actually a lie? I don't believe there is conclusive evidence either way. (It certainly doesn't appear to have made much difference here where we have had a mask mandate for months).
packetlost 6y ago
I very distinctly remember them saying "there is no evidence to suggest wearing a mask reduces the chances of contracting COVID-19" which is extremely different from saying they don't work, especially in the early days when there was barely any evidence/data at all. Edit: actually, the CDC did recommend people who were either sick or caring for those who are sick wear masks and gives a clear reason as to why that's the recommendation: https://web.archive.org/web/20200324155703/https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/prevention.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fabout%2Fprevention.html https://web.archive.org/web/20200324155703/https://www.cdc.g...

sempron64 6y ago

To add a source: >Who does not need PPE: CDC does NOT currently recommend the general public use facemasks. Instead, CDC recommends following everyday preventive actions, such as washing your hands, covering your cough, and staying home when you are sick. https://web.archive.org/web/20200325060652/https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/healthcare-supply-ppe-index.html https://web.archive.org/web/20200325060652/https://www.cdc.g... You can see why this was interpreted to mean “masks don’t help”. There is no implication they are a good idea.

collyw 6y ago

> In order to limit buying the CDC pushed the lie that masks would not significantly affect the chance of catching COVID in a non-hospital setting. Is it actually a lie? I don't believe there is conclusive evidence either way. (It certainly doesn't appear to have made much difference here where we have had a mask mandate for months).

packetlost 6y ago

I very distinctly remember them saying "there is no evidence to suggest wearing a mask reduces the chances of contracting COVID-19" which is extremely different from saying they don't work, especially in the early days when there was barely any evidence/data at all. Edit: actually, the CDC did recommend people who were either sick or caring for those who are sick wear masks and gives a clear reason as to why that's the recommendation: https://web.archive.org/web/20200324155703/https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/prevention.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fabout%2Fprevention.html https://web.archive.org/web/20200324155703/https://www.cdc.g...