Here's Why the Science Is Clear That Masks Work [View all]

[LetMyPeopleVote]

This study shows that masks work

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https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/10/opinion/masks-work-cochrane-study.html?unlocked_article_code=FH-hfGqGGESEjVtmzQtG0HyN_bKNtpLnTpMRzuMZ0IDGWx3mM6sYXTKcOHrv28WBukHFuq6zX5FPuetlLWqLxZQ2fhbEGc7mJaqcG47WgZ3zXOyjyvUlitHS3qoybv8sqmfgHwebr2fpm4V0EwRMtdEjohCQjYGu4mqcehKTD1fxJARrUTb_zkBlDsogj3Nnu7lOuzHWC_BDFYMOX7NSEinooYFn7bhgqDnmqtdf1A9LLBI4t2bpoA7F2NQUGQqcsy9X817svs3nm5OLp9ufWc69tYUyplVInJsV8Ja7SgygK0kx2vGl2BVZH-coYIN248UTb36RwTVqlDQzlNrt7lSISg&smid=tw-share

The debate over masks’ effectiveness in fighting the spread of the coronavirus intensified recently when a respected scientific nonprofit said its review of studies assessing measures to impede the spread of viral illnesses found it was “uncertain whether wearing masks or N95/P2 respirators helps to slow the spread of respiratory viruses.”

Now the organization, Cochrane, says that the way it summarized the review was unclear and imprecise, and that the way some people interpreted it was wrong.

“Many commentators have claimed that a recently updated Cochrane review shows that ‘masks don’t work,’ which is an inaccurate and misleading interpretation,” Karla Soares-Weiser, the editor in chief of the Cochrane Library, said in a statement.

“The review examined whether interventions to promote mask wearing help to slow the spread of respiratory viruses,” Soares-Weiser said, adding, “Given the limitations in the primary evidence, the review is not able to address the question of whether mask wearing itself reduces people’s risk of contracting or spreading respiratory viruses.”......

“Mask mandates, social distancing, the other shutdowns we had in terms of even restaurants and things like that — if places like New York City didn’t do that, the number of deaths would have been much higher,” he told me. “I’m very confident of that statement.”

So the evidence is relatively straightforward: Consistently wearing a mask, preferably a high-quality, well-fitting one, provides protection against the coronavirus.