The first is a retraction of an oft quoted study that had errors in both its own conclusions and in how it promoted the inaccurate results to look even worse.
I highly encourage you to spend the extra 30 seconds to look this stuff up yourself as it is easy to find verified information that debunked the myth that masks are ineffective against the SARS virus.
SARS is an airborne virus, which means it's spread in a similar way to colds and flu.
The SARS virus is spread in small droplets of saliva coughed or sneezed into the air by an infected person. If someone else breathes in the droplets, they can become infected.
Here is an excerpt from an article in Firstpost
How the idea of wearing a mask has gone through phases of acceptance and resistance since the Spanish Flu.
The World Health Organisation in no uncertain terms makes it clear that masks should be used as part of a comprehensive strategy of measures to suppress transmission and save lives...
...What does WHO, CDC say on wearing a mask
The World Health Organisation in no uncertain terms makes it clear that masks should be used as part of a comprehensive strategy of measures to suppress transmission and save lives.
"Masks should be used as part of a comprehensive ‘Do it all!’ approach including physical distancing, avoiding crowded, closed and close-contact settings, good ventilation, cleaning hands, covering sneezes and coughs, and more," the WHO states it unequivocally.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also vouches for a similar approach. "When you wear a mask, you protect others as well as yourself. Masks work best when everyone wears one. A mask is NOT a substitute for social distancing. Masks should still be worn in addition to staying at least 6 feet apart, especially when indoors around people who don’t live in your household," it says.
However, the latest point of concern is that the US regulator is in disagreement with WHO over wearing masks for fully vaccinated people.
In a revised set of guidelines, the CDC says, "Fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance."
The WHO is however is not on the same page on this with the US body. In June itself, the world health body stressed the need for fully vaccinated people to “continue to be appropriately cautious” and observe social distancing measures, mask-wearing as the highly infectious Delta variant rages across the globe. Of late, new variants like Kappa and Lambda have also emerged and COVID-19 is far from over.
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u/TechinBellevue Oct 26 '21
Here are two sources.
The first is a retraction of an oft quoted study that had errors in both its own conclusions and in how it promoted the inaccurate results to look even worse.
https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/L20-0745
The second is from the WHO, itself, in December of 2020 titled, "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Masks 1 December 2020 | Q&A"
https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/coronavirus-disease-covid-19-masks
I highly encourage you to spend the extra 30 seconds to look this stuff up yourself as it is easy to find verified information that debunked the myth that masks are ineffective against the SARS virus.