Study findings reveal mask mandates DON'T prevent coronavirus infections, hospitalizations and deaths
By zoeysky // 2021-09-19
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A study published in The Southern Medical Journal (SMJ) has found that a county-wide mask order in Texas did not reduce Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) hospitalization rates or deaths.

Coronavirus cases continued to increase despite mask orders

The SMJ study has been peer-reviewed and reviewed by the US Army Institute of Surgical Research. Researchers have looked at data before and after mandates were imposed at both the state level on July 3 and in Bexar County on July 5. According to the authors of the study, the control period was defined as June 2 to July 2. The post mask order period was July 8 to August 12, with a five-day gap to "account for the median incubation period for cases." Meanwhile, longer periods of seven and 10 days have been used for hospitalization and ICU admission or death, respectively. The authors add that data were reported on a per-100,000 population basis using data from respective census bureau–reported populations. The researchers studied the daily average number of coronavirus cases, hospitalizations, ICU visits and deaths, along with the number of patients on ventilators. Findings show that mask mandates did not reduce any of these metrics. According to the scientists, all of the measured outcomes "were higher on average in the post mask period as were covariables included in the adjusted model." "There was no reduction in per-population daily mortality, hospital bed, ICU bed, or ventilator occupancy of COVID-19-positive patients attributable to the implementation of a mask-wearing mandate," the research team concludes.

Previous study shows similar results on mask mandates

An earlier study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also shown that "there was no statistically significant difference" in the spread of coronavirus among children in schools where masks are optional compared to schools where students are required to wear masks. In the CDC study, scientists have examined an estimated 90,000 elementary school students in 169 schools in Georgia from November to December 2020. Other studies present conflicting data. For example, a large-scale analysis from Bangladesh, which is currently in preprint and under peer review at the journal Science, suggests that wearing masks can help reduce the spread of coronavirus. Stephen Luby, a professor of medicine at Stanford University and co-author of the study, says the Bangladesh study provides proof from a randomized, controlled trial that educating people on the benefits of wearing masks "increases the use of face coverings and prevents the spread of COVID-19." But others challenge the Bangladesh study, saying that it doesn't represent a "statistically significant difference" in the efficacy of cloth masks compared to surgical masks. Martin Kulldorff, a public health researcher from Harvard Medical School, explains that based on the confidence intervals, both cloth and surgical masks could be at zero or only 20 percent efficacy. (Related: More studies show face masks are USELESS against the coronavirus.) Mask mandates should also be reconsidered, especially since there are no outbreaks in European schools. Several European nations have exempted students from mask mandates, such as the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Switzerland and the U.K.

Why force people to wear masks?

Given the result of the SMJ study, it doesn't make sense to force people, especially young children, to wear masks that are ineffective at preventing the spread of coronavirus. This could be the reason why many citizens are starting to resist measures that require them to wear face coverings while attending local gatherings and public meetings. Not a lot of people realize that mask mandates fall out of the bounds of science even if data has found that they can help curb the spread of coronavirus. Most of the debate concerning the pandemic and preventive measures can all be traced to the fact that public health officials tend to overstep the boundaries of science. Instead of making public health recommendations based on undeniable scientific evidence, the state has abused the power of the law to force citizens into following practices that do not make sense or are ineffective. While state-enforced "non-pharmaceutical interventions" like lockdowns and masks mandates may have helped curb the spread of coronavirus, many studies like the SMJ study suggests that they are not 100 percent effective. Instead of forcing people to wear masks, it might be better for those in power to respect every citizen's freedom to decide if they want to wear masks or get vaccinated. Sources include: SHTFPlan.com NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov FEE.com
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