Just when you thought that The Science (TM) couldn't get any lower, it reached a new low today. The latest pro-mask study, a preprint which has yet to even be peer-reviewed (though will probably be pal-reviewed at some point), is a classic example of cherry-picked junk science not even worth the paper it is printed on.
The ever-insightful Ian Miller of Unmasked does an excellent job of taking it down here. In a nutshell, the so-called "systematic review" study took 1732 mask studies, and only looked at a whopping....13 of them. That is less than 1% of all of the studies done to date, so why did they disregard over 99% of the evidence that they found? Probably because it wasn't exactly flattering to the pro-mask side, that's why. And the 13 studies they did include, with a combined sample size of only 243 people, of course yielded implausibly (and laughably) high estimates of mask effectiveness. This clearly has "cherry picking" written all over it.
And that's before we even get into the obvious fatal flaws in at least some if not all of those 13 studies (lack of generalizability, not done in real world conditions, no comparison group, and of course small sample size). Also, all studies after July 2020 (!) were arbitrarily excluded, because reasons. This is apparently what passes for The Science (TM) these days, and it has gotten increasingly desperate now as the narrative has thoroughly collapsed by now. We are now seeing naked Lysenkoism without so much as even the pretense of scientific integrity anymore.
We recently noted how the same Ian Miller so thoroughly debunks, debones, slices, dices, and juliennes the pro-mask arguments, and lays waste to their utterly scorched remains for good. And check out the latest new study from Josh Stevenson about masks for kids as well, likely the very best one yet. Spoiler alert: masks STILL don't work.
A recent Australian study confirmed via experiment that surgical masks (and by extension, cloth masks as well) are utterly useless against aerosolized viruses, as are even N95s unless they are properly fit-tested and NO mistakes are made. The latter, of course, does NOT apply to the general population, as Germany unfortunately learned the hard way when their general N95 mandate failed so spectacularly to contain or control their Covid outbreak.
Masks didn't work in 1918, and they clearly didn't work in 2020 or 2021 either. So anyone who thinks they will somehow work in 2022 or beyond, clearly has their head in an anatomically impossible position. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is a functional definition of either insanity or Lysenkoism (same difference).
UPDATE: Looks like masks may be even worse than we thought. From the Foegen Effect to the various questionable chemicals and microplastics in the masks (as well as in the Covid tests and disinfectants too), these things may very well be exacerbating, perpetuating, or even causing Long Covid as well (to say nothing of the jabs). Plus there is also the issue of bacteria and mold growing on the masks, as well as impaired O2/CO2 exchange. An excellent article that makes such a case can be found here. For all of the times that the TSAP had ever foolishly advocated masks to any extent back in 2020 before belatedly changing our stance, we certainly do apologize.
2023 UPDATE: Still further evidence against masks, especially for kids, can be found here as well.
