Why Masks Don't Work in Schools
If cloth/surgical masks are ineffective and kids have been safe in school this whole time, then masks were not necessary.
What can masks do? Part 1: The science behind COVID-19 protection
October 14, 2021
"The public should not rely on typical cloth or surgical masks to offer them much time beyond 15 minutes in a shared space with potential sources, even if others are also wearing masks. Wearing a non–fit-tested respirator allows about an hour of time inside a shared space even if no one else is wearing a mask or respirator."
The Case Against Masks at School
January 26, 2022
Imposing on millions of children an intervention that provides little discernible benefit, on the grounds that we have not yet gathered solid evidence of its negative effects, violates the most basic tenet of medicine: First, do no harm. The foundation of medical and public-health interventions should be that they work, not that we have insufficient evidence to say whether they are harmful.
What can masks do? Part 2: What makes for a good mask study — and why most fail
October 15, 2021
It is time to lower the unrealistic expectations about masks—or any single intervention. Public health messaging needs to be focused on many interventions, starting with those at the top of the hierarchy. Masks offer very limited source control and personal protection and should not be considered a replacement for vaccination or equivalent to interventions such as limiting time and the number of people in a shared space or improving air movement.
The Time to End Los Angeles’ General Mask Mandates is Now
February 11, 2022
Mask mandates for children are the most egregious. COVID-19 is less of a threat to children than accidents or the common flu.
Infection = Time + Concentration
The filtration and fit of the mask is only half of the story. The rest is based on how long an infected person can be in a classroom with an uninfected person.
For cloth and surgical masks, it is mere minutes. ACGIH created this table before Delta (2X more contagious than original strain) and Omicron (2-3X more contagious than Delta).
What this means is a cloth or surgical mask protects you for mere minutes, making the wearing of masks in a classroom for 7 hours per day entirely pointless.
This table has been revised below for Omicron, or you can calculate it at the website prepared by indoor climate expert Asit K Mishra linked here:
What the CDC Says About Surgical Masks
Face Seal Fit
Loose-fitting
Filtration
Does NOT provide the wearer with a reliable level of protection from inhaling smaller airborne particles and is not considered respiratory protection
Leakage
Leakage occurs around the edge of the mask when user inhales
Studies & Data
Evidence on Masking Children in School
Age-dependency of the Propagation Rate of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Inside School Bubble Groups in Catalonia, Spain
November 2021
In Spain, the use of masks in the school for students older than 6 is mandatory. Therefore, young children between 3 and 5 years are not required to use masks in schools.
The low values of R* we obtained for preschool period (3–5 years), with students not wearing masks inside the bubble group.
Minimal transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from paediatric COVID-19 cases in primary schools, Norway, August to November 2020
January 7, 2021
Use of face masks is not recommended in schools in Norway. We found that with the IPC measures implemented there is low to no transmission from SARS-CoV-2–infected children in schools. This finding strengthens national guidelines to adjust IPC measures according to the community transmission level [18], rather than closing primary schools for on-site teaching.
COVID-19 Mitigation Practices and COVID-19 Rates in Schools: Report on Data from Florida, New York and Massachusetts
May 21, 2021
We find higher student COVID-19 rates in schools and districts with lower in-person density but no correlations in staff rates. Ventilation upgrades are correlated with lower rates in Florida but not in New York. We do not find any correlations with mask mandates. All rates are lower in the spring, after teacher vaccination is underway.
Two New CDC Studies on Masking in School
September 25, 2021
Two studies in MMWR claim to provide evidence that policies mandating masking children in school lowers rates of sars-cov-2 spread among children due to school. Both suffer from limitations that preclude causal claims. I will review both here.
The CDC's Latest Study on Masks is Purposeful Misinformation
February 7, 2022
The CDC posted this graphic, which will be used to inform public policy, local school boards, politicians and corporate executives, and purposefully included a result that was not statistically significant.
That’s misinformation.
It’s an intentional attempt to deceive the public by utilizing a result that did not meet the bare minimum requirements to be “significant” in order to push an agenda.
Preliminary Results of North Dakota School Mask Study
February 13, 2022
The latest update from our Fargo, ND K-12 masks study now w/crossover
FPS district 🔵 mask mandate, 11,346 students
WF district 🟡 masks optional, 12,208 students
Same municipality & county
Y axis: % students actively + for covid
vertical green line = FPS 🔵 went masks optional