This isn’t about health
If it was about health the school cafeteria wouldn’t serve margarine or pop tarts
This isn’t about science.
If it was about science we would be following the RCT studies on masks.
RCT studies are the cream of the crop
Sorry but editorial articles are not science.
What do the studies show?
MacIntyre CR, Seale H, Dung TC, Hien NT, Nga PT, Chughtai AA, Rahman B, Dwyer DE, Wang Q. A cluster randomised trial of cloth masks compared with medical masks in healthcare workers. BMJ Open. 2015 Apr 22;5(4):e006577. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2014-006577. PMID: 25903751; PMCID: PMC4420971.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25903751/
"This study is the first RCT of cloth masks, and the results caution against the use of cloth masks. This is an important finding to inform occupational health and safety. Moisture retention, reuse of cloth masks and poor filtration may result in increased risk of infection. Further research is needed to inform the widespread use of cloth masks globally. However, as a precautionary measure, cloth masks should not be recommended for HCWs, particularly in high-risk situations, and guidelines need to be updated."
A study on the CDC website
90,000 kids
Masking kids not effective- their recommendations Masking staff and good ventilation helpful
HEPA and UVGI ventilation systems- do Maumee schools have these? If not why if we are even concerned about COVID?
A recent study concluded that cloth masks are only 9.8% effective. Let me repeat that 9.8% effective.
If a student got a 9.8% on a test- would that be acceptable? No, it would be a failure.
(This study Experimental investigation of indoor aerosol dispersion and accumulation in the context of COVID-19: Effects of masks and ventilation
Physics of Fluids 33, 073315 (2021); https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0057100)
Children are not even compliant with masking. I have emailed you a study that shows adults are NOT able to take masks off properly without contaminating themselves or the area around them.
Can masks be helpful? Absolutely! A study shows with health care workers wearing n95 masks without a break is most effective. Let's properly fit test each child with an N95 mask and make sure they are wearing them properly!
Are kids wearing n95 mask continuously! Not they are wearing cloth masks which they touch every 20 seconds, contaminating the masks and the area around them.
What about the chemicals in the other masks? What about masks that are not cleaned properly? What about the mental health and learning consequences of mask wearing?. Unfortunately I don’t have time to touch on these subjects but this should also be considered.
Teaching. The word “doctor” is derived from the Latin, docco, which means “to teach.”
That is why I am here to help teach and share the studies.
If you are truly interested in high quality studies, including studies form the CDC, I urge you to read the studies I sent you in your email.
We all want our kids to have a safe school year. Let masks be optional or mandate fit tested n95 masking.
Thank you for your time and dedication to keeping our children safe mentally and physically.
End of the speech.
It's tough to see policies that don't work or could cause harm. It's hard to stand up. But standing up and basing it all on SCIENCE is ok. Do no harm
What was awful to see was the superintendent masked the entire time during the school boars meeting and then seen the next week at a huge function unmasked in a room of hundreds of people indoors. Then, he is going into schools the next day. This is not science. This is not protecting our children. Consistency and the ability to pivot and admit when wrong is very important. Treating so much more anxiety in the past year has put a strain on me mentally. It's so hard to see the negative consequences daily of this pandemic. I keep up on the studies more than most of my colleagues. Hopefully, these studies are helpful.
Warmly,
Dr. Jen
More studies:
90,000 kids
Masking kids not effective
Masking staff and good ventilation helpful
HEPA and UVGI ventilation systems
Studies: Jacobs JL, Ohde S, Takahashi O, Tokuda Y, Omata F, Fukui T. Use of surgical face masks to reduce the incidence of the common cold among health care workers in Japan: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Infect Control. 2009 Jun;37(5):417-419. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2008.11.002. Epub 2009 Feb 12. PMID: 19216002.
"Face mask use in health care workers has not been demonstrated to provide benefit in terms of cold symptoms or getting colds. A larger study is needed to definitively establish noninferiority of no mask use."
Aiello AE, Perez V, Coulborn RM, Davis BM, Uddin M, Monto AS. Facemasks, hand hygiene, and influenza among young adults: a randomized intervention trial. PLoS One. 2012;7(1):e29744. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0029744. Epub 2012 Jan 25. PMID: 22295066; PMCID: PMC3266257.
"Masks alone did not provide a benefit, suggesting that single personal protective interventions do not protect against incidence of ILI or influenza."
Mask and hygiene- not masks along helpful.
MacIntyre CR, Seale H, Dung TC, Hien NT, Nga PT, Chughtai AA, Rahman B, Dwyer DE, Wang Q. A cluster randomised trial of cloth masks compared with medical masks in healthcare workers. BMJ Open. 2015 Apr 22;5(4):e006577. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2014-006577. PMID: 25903751; PMCID: PMC4420971.
"This study is the first RCT of cloth masks, and the results caution against the use of cloth masks. This is an important finding to inform occupational health and safety. Moisture retention, reuse of cloth masks and poor filtration may result in increased risk of infection. Further research is needed to inform the widespread use of cloth masks globally. However, as a precautionary measure, cloth masks should not be recommended for HCWs, particularly in high-risk situations, and guidelines need to be updated."
Bundgaard H, Bundgaard JS, Raaschou-Pedersen DET, von Buchwald C, Todsen T, Norsk JB, Pries-Heje MM, Vissing CR, Nielsen PB, Winsløw UC, Fogh K, Hasselbalch R, Kristensen JH, Ringgaard A, Porsborg Andersen M, Goecke NB, Trebbien R, Skovgaard K, Benfield T, Ullum H, Torp-Pedersen C, Iversen K. Effectiveness of Adding a Mask Recommendation to Other Public Health Measures to Prevent SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Danish Mask Wearers : A Randomized Controlled Trial. Ann Intern Med. 2021 Mar;174(3):335-343. doi: 10.7326/M20-6817. Epub 2020 Nov 18. PMID: 33205991; PMCID: PMC7707213.
"The recommendation to wear surgical masks to supplement other public health measures did not reduce the SARS-CoV-2 infection rate among wearers by more than 50% in a community with modest infection rates, some degree of social distancing, and uncommon general mask use. The data were compatible with lesser degrees of self-protection."
MacIntyre CR, Chughtai