The Kansas Mask Study. Of all the studies Naomi could have chosen to support the mask hypothesis, she went with arguably the most embarrassing study put forth (Cowger et al Boston School Mask close second). As a recap of the study, it's clearly data dredged it's way to comparing two semi-arbitrary time frames (July 3-9 vs Aug 17-23), and despite the non-mask counties having lower total cases per 100K residents than mask states (12 vs 16), they find a way to spin it using rate of change.... of July 3-9 vs Aug 17-23. (good takedown explanation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIsveu3t3BE)
I love that she used the Kansas Mask Study as her evidence against Cochrane Review, because it was the very study that finally flipped my mind to actually examine these claims.
Had they said no-mask counties increased by 23%, or 53%, or even 72%, I might have just moved on. But they said 100%. When you are trained in the art of bullshit detection and skepticism, a big round nice number like 100% is almost certain to come from bullshit.
So, I went to the now defunct Kansas Corona Dashboard a few weeks after this was published in 2020. I downloaded the datasets, dumped into a pivot table, got a list of non-mask vs mask counties, matched to population, and replicated the study. (and backed all of this up). What did I find?
Masked counties had 42,999 cases in a population of 1,967,853 (2.2% ) and non masked counties 24,232 cases for 945,461 people (2.6%). Statistically insignificant.
Yet this study said the masked counties would decrease by 6% every 21 days and unmasked counties increase by 100%? I ran this on 12/15/2020 - 4 months since the study period - what happened?
And Naomi says this study shows that "In the months that followed, COVID rates decreased in all 24 counties with mask mandates and continued to increase in 81 other counties that opted out of them."
NO. It does not say that!
I'm really disappointed because I love the history of science and have read several of Naomi's books, but this is negligence to even read a study before quoting it in Scientific American.
Don't even get me started on the Health Affairs "study" she used as her second counter point to Cochrane. Again, an absolutely absurd study (claimed that the decease in cases between April 8 - May 15 2020 must be because of the masks! And my rain dances I perform every April cause the rain to come!).
To choose *these* two studies as defense of masks.... it almost feels like Naomi is "blinking" to us like the POW held captive by the enemy. Is there her way of sending a coded message to the scientific community held capture by the mask that it's bullshit?
On her homepage she links to a video of a quartet playing music inspired by her works.... in masks.... including the people playing the Oboe and Flute *facepalm*
If my glasses stream up when I wear a face mask I'm guessing air from my nose and throat escapes into the room. It's not really a challenging problem.There is no air-tight seal around most face coverings. If they "worked" comparative experiments would show it
When did we consent to journals and Cochrane reviews ruling our lives with their edicts?
I have had it up to here with the gazillion journal articles by busybodies in universities and research groups which lay down the law on this, that or the other.
How about just get out of our lives?
In regard to masks to protect against what exactly? How ludicrous that people were compelled to wear masks against the respiratory ailments that have been part of our lives since time immemorial.
Here’s the news people - we’re all breathing in and out the same air…does this come as a surprise to you? Are there really people who think a mask is going to protect them?
OK, so there’s a ‘killer virus’ (except there wasn’t…) But if there was a ‘killer virus’ being trapped by the piece of cloth across your face, the deadly virus would be on the outside, ready to be handled by you when you take it off.
And how often were people changing these grubby masks?
Honestly!!!! It’s too ridiculous to even think about!!!! And yet there we were, being ordered to wear these things at risk of being choked by policemen, and thrown in the slammer.
When is this entire ‘Covid’ debacle going to be called out for once and for all?!?! It’s been four years of this madness now!!!!
Naomi Oreskes is a woke historian of science who believes in everything big business/govts claim is "the science"
Be it covid, climate, nutrition..everything.
She has probably never had an original thought in her life..and as someone else in the thread has pointed out..this is based on her work and is just sad their brains have gone.. https://vimeo.com/542226106
I am deaf/hard of hearing and communication is hell in masks
HCW and immunocompromised suffer terrible skin issues on cheeks ➕ glasses and hearing aids join the general confusion around our ears
Environment - casual disposal damages our planet
The outside of masks is a petri dish and shouldn’t be touched..
So Australia should move away asap when we have the option to protect ourselves with good barriers in our nose and throat and good air cleanliness as a base line to end the pandemic
And…. TGA ALLOWS GOOD
.......... antiviral nasal sprays........
with proven high viral load removal such as Viraleze and Enovid to be bought in Australian pharmacies- available DAY1 of infection or to protect in all social situations.
It is a no brainer and probably a sop to Pfizer to allow “MONOPOLY” PAXLOVID to make them $22b profit. The only other AV treatment drug being snake oil Lagevrio not rec by WHO, US FDA, EU EMA but strangely still given to elderly in Australia by nurse practitioners.
Will Australians have to wait for HEPARIN antiviral nasal spray to go for speedy approval by TGA - HEPARIN SULPHATE used in Melbourne trials commenced Sep 23 is a PFIZER SCHED4 DRUG after all so TGA will likely give it the softly softly treatment
Virus particles can still penetrate most face coverings due to size - even n-95s are often not sealed to people's faces. I think Gøtzsche's comment gets to the bottom of it....if most people cannot wear the mask correctly (because it's uncomfortable, it hinders breathing or whatever), then it should not be used as a public health measure in the population - people can wear them if it makes them feel better, but to make masks mandatory was scientifically baseless.
Scientific American has become American Scientism
#Facts
That’s astonishing that another scientist suggested to a scientific establishment to lower their standards. I think it is indicative of all that
is wrong with the science around the so called health measures during covid .
Indeed, I think it's indicative of how covid broke people and allowed fear to prevail.
Lower the standards because the "answers were wrong"..
The Kansas Mask Study. Of all the studies Naomi could have chosen to support the mask hypothesis, she went with arguably the most embarrassing study put forth (Cowger et al Boston School Mask close second). As a recap of the study, it's clearly data dredged it's way to comparing two semi-arbitrary time frames (July 3-9 vs Aug 17-23), and despite the non-mask counties having lower total cases per 100K residents than mask states (12 vs 16), they find a way to spin it using rate of change.... of July 3-9 vs Aug 17-23. (good takedown explanation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIsveu3t3BE)
I love that she used the Kansas Mask Study as her evidence against Cochrane Review, because it was the very study that finally flipped my mind to actually examine these claims.
Had they said no-mask counties increased by 23%, or 53%, or even 72%, I might have just moved on. But they said 100%. When you are trained in the art of bullshit detection and skepticism, a big round nice number like 100% is almost certain to come from bullshit.
So, I went to the now defunct Kansas Corona Dashboard a few weeks after this was published in 2020. I downloaded the datasets, dumped into a pivot table, got a list of non-mask vs mask counties, matched to population, and replicated the study. (and backed all of this up). What did I find?
Masked counties had 42,999 cases in a population of 1,967,853 (2.2% ) and non masked counties 24,232 cases for 945,461 people (2.6%). Statistically insignificant.
Yet this study said the masked counties would decrease by 6% every 21 days and unmasked counties increase by 100%? I ran this on 12/15/2020 - 4 months since the study period - what happened?
And Naomi says this study shows that "In the months that followed, COVID rates decreased in all 24 counties with mask mandates and continued to increase in 81 other counties that opted out of them."
NO. It does not say that!
I'm really disappointed because I love the history of science and have read several of Naomi's books, but this is negligence to even read a study before quoting it in Scientific American.
Don't even get me started on the Health Affairs "study" she used as her second counter point to Cochrane. Again, an absolutely absurd study (claimed that the decease in cases between April 8 - May 15 2020 must be because of the masks! And my rain dances I perform every April cause the rain to come!).
To choose *these* two studies as defense of masks.... it almost feels like Naomi is "blinking" to us like the POW held captive by the enemy. Is there her way of sending a coded message to the scientific community held capture by the mask that it's bullshit?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rufnWLVQcKg
For sure, the blindspot is incredible…
On her homepage she links to a video of a quartet playing music inspired by her works.... in masks.... including the people playing the Oboe and Flute *facepalm*
https://histsci.fas.harvard.edu/people/naomi-oreskes
Omg Michael, that is hilarious. 😂😂🤡🤡
If my glasses stream up when I wear a face mask I'm guessing air from my nose and throat escapes into the room. It's not really a challenging problem.There is no air-tight seal around most face coverings. If they "worked" comparative experiments would show it
What about society accepting that you had to wear a mask while standing in a restaurant, but you could take it off while sitting down?! 🤡
I suppose voices explaining the truth were successfully suppressed. How this came about is fascinating.
When did we consent to journals and Cochrane reviews ruling our lives with their edicts?
I have had it up to here with the gazillion journal articles by busybodies in universities and research groups which lay down the law on this, that or the other.
How about just get out of our lives?
In regard to masks to protect against what exactly? How ludicrous that people were compelled to wear masks against the respiratory ailments that have been part of our lives since time immemorial.
Here’s the news people - we’re all breathing in and out the same air…does this come as a surprise to you? Are there really people who think a mask is going to protect them?
OK, so there’s a ‘killer virus’ (except there wasn’t…) But if there was a ‘killer virus’ being trapped by the piece of cloth across your face, the deadly virus would be on the outside, ready to be handled by you when you take it off.
And how often were people changing these grubby masks?
Honestly!!!! It’s too ridiculous to even think about!!!! And yet there we were, being ordered to wear these things at risk of being choked by policemen, and thrown in the slammer.
When is this entire ‘Covid’ debacle going to be called out for once and for all?!?! It’s been four years of this madness now!!!!
Naomi Oreskes is a woke historian of science who believes in everything big business/govts claim is "the science"
Be it covid, climate, nutrition..everything.
She has probably never had an original thought in her life..and as someone else in the thread has pointed out..this is based on her work and is just sad their brains have gone.. https://vimeo.com/542226106
Masking again in the news today
https://reflectionsipc.com/2024/01/26/does-universal-masking-in-hospitals-prevent-healthcare-associated-sars-cov-2-infection/
I am deaf/hard of hearing and communication is hell in masks
HCW and immunocompromised suffer terrible skin issues on cheeks ➕ glasses and hearing aids join the general confusion around our ears
Environment - casual disposal damages our planet
The outside of masks is a petri dish and shouldn’t be touched..
So Australia should move away asap when we have the option to protect ourselves with good barriers in our nose and throat and good air cleanliness as a base line to end the pandemic
And…. TGA ALLOWS GOOD
.......... antiviral nasal sprays........
with proven high viral load removal such as Viraleze and Enovid to be bought in Australian pharmacies- available DAY1 of infection or to protect in all social situations.
It is a no brainer and probably a sop to Pfizer to allow “MONOPOLY” PAXLOVID to make them $22b profit. The only other AV treatment drug being snake oil Lagevrio not rec by WHO, US FDA, EU EMA but strangely still given to elderly in Australia by nurse practitioners.
Will Australians have to wait for HEPARIN antiviral nasal spray to go for speedy approval by TGA - HEPARIN SULPHATE used in Melbourne trials commenced Sep 23 is a PFIZER SCHED4 DRUG after all so TGA will likely give it the softly softly treatment
Virus particles can still penetrate most face coverings due to size - even n-95s are often not sealed to people's faces. I think Gøtzsche's comment gets to the bottom of it....if most people cannot wear the mask correctly (because it's uncomfortable, it hinders breathing or whatever), then it should not be used as a public health measure in the population - people can wear them if it makes them feel better, but to make masks mandatory was scientifically baseless.