4 ms·
https://www.pnas.org/content/118/4/e2014564118 https://www.pnas.org/content/118/4/e2014564118 > Our review of the literature offers evidence in favor of widesp
by dannyw 5y ago
https://www.pnas.org/content/118/4/e2014564118 https://www.pnas.org/content/118/4/e2014564118
> Our review of the literature offers evidence in favor of widespread mask use as source control to reduce community transmission: Nonmedical masks use materials that obstruct particles of the necessary size; people are most infectious in the initial period postinfection, where it is common to have few or no symptoms (45, 46, 141); nonmedical masks have been effective in reducing transmission of respiratory viruses; and places and time periods where mask usage is required or widespread have shown substantially lower community transmission.
Are mask mandates partly about governments wanting to show that they are doing something? Certainly. Are non-N95 masks ineffective? The evidence says they have benefit.
- zpeti 5y agoI've repeatedly had that study linked to me when I say stuff like this. Quote from your link: > Direct Epidemiological Evidence. > Overall, evidence from RCTs and observational studies is informative, but not compelling on its own. Both the Australian influenza RCT and the Beijing households observational trial found around 80% efficacy among compliant subjects, and the one SARS household study of sufficient power found 70% efficacy for protecting the wearer. However, we do not know whether the results from influenza or SARS will correspond to results for SARS-CoV-2, and the single observational study of SARS-CoV-2 might not be replicated in other communities. None of the studies looked specifically at cloth masks.
- jcranberry 5y agoSo if it has a history of working with other viruses, why would you think this is a crowd control exercise and not attempting something which has worked before?
- macinjosh 5y agoWe should not looking for just any benefit and then if we see some, no matter how small, force everyone in society to do it. There are tradeoffs. For me as a parent masking young kids is unconscionable. Masks _scare_ my 18 month old daughter and she loses out on all the social skill building that comes with reading people's expressions.
- dannyw 5y agoI agree wit you; masks should not be worn in schools.