So far, most studies found little to no evidence for the effectiveness of cloth face masks in the general population, neither as personal protective equipment nor as a source control. By contrast, there is mounting evidence to show that mask-wearing is injurious to physical and mental health and hinders children’s development.
1) A May 2020 meta-study on pandemic influenza published by the US CDC found that face masks had no effect, neither as personal protective equipment nor as a source control
Read more...wwwnc.cdc.gov2) A Danish randomized controlled trial with 6000 participants, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in November 2020, found no statistically significant effect of high-quality medical face masks against SARS-CoV-2 infection in a community setting.
Read more...acpjournals.org3) A large randomized controlled trial with close to 8000 participants, published in October 2020 in PLOS One, found that face masks “did not seem to be effective against laboratory-confirmed viral respiratory infections nor against clinical respiratory infection.”
Read more...journals.plos.org4) A February 2021 review by the European CDC found no significant evidence supporting the effectiveness of non-medical and medical face masks in the community. Furthermore, the European CDC advised against the use of FFP2/N95 respirators by the general public.
Read more...ecdc.europa.euThere appears to be no reason to wear a face mask other than to follow guidelines. With evidence showing harm caused by mask-wearing, the reader is advised to reconsider complying with the current mask mandates.
