Originally Posted by
alsbos
Personally, I can't say I feel strongly either way. But I can't help but assume that the CDC (which is directly over seen by the President and a Covid task force personally overseen by Pence) would be a more credible source than Dr Gold. I took a quick look, and I can't find any publications of any kind by Dr Gold, and I don't see any evidence of her having experience with this particular topic. I'm not sure why she's writing an article on it.
From Mike Pence “If your local officials, in consultation with the state, are directing you to wear a mask, we encourage everyone to wear a mask in the affected areas. And where you can’t maintain social distancing, wearing a mask is just a good idea,” Pence said. “And it will, we know, from experience, will slow the spread of the coronavirus.”
The CDC has several citations regarding the effectiveness (purported) of masks. Gold's article has no citations. A few abstract are pasted below. Some of these papers are new. Some are old (pre-covid). They are published by many different countries.
Abstract
The surge of patients in the pandemic of COVID-19 caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 may overwhelm the medical systems of many countries. Mask-wearing and handwashing can slow the spread of the virus, but currently, masks are in shortage in many countries, and timely handwashing is often impossible. In this study, the efficacy of three types of masks and instant hand wiping was evaluated using the avian influenza virus to mock the coronavirus. Virus quantification was performed using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Previous studies on mask-wearing were reviewed. The results showed that instant hand wiping using a wet towel soaked in water containing 1.00% soap powder, 0.05% active chlorine, or 0.25% active chlorine from sodium hypochlorite removed 98.36%, 96.62%, and 99.98% of the virus from hands, respectively. N95 masks, medical masks, and homemade masks made of four-layer kitchen paper and one-layer cloth could block 99.98%, 97.14%, and 95.15% of the virus in aerosols. Medical mask-wearing which was supported by many studies was opposed by other studies possibly due to erroneous judgment. With these data, we propose the approach of mask-wearing plus instant hand hygiene (MIH) to slow the exponential spread of the virus. This MIH approach has been supported by the experiences of seven countries in fighting against COVID-19. Collectively, a simple approach to slow the exponential spread of SARS-CoV-2 was proposed with the support of experiments, literature review, and control experiences.
Abstract
We identified seasonal human coronaviruses, influenza viruses and rhinoviruses in exhaled breath and coughs of children and adults with acute respiratory illness. Surgical face masks significantly reduced detection of influenza virus RNA in respiratory droplets and coronavirus RNA in aerosols, with a trend toward reduced detection of coronavirus RNA in respiratory droplets. Our results indicate that surgical face masks could prevent transmission of human coronaviruses and influenza viruses from symptomatic individuals.
Conclusions: The arrestance of airborne vegetative cells and endospores by surgical masks worn by simulated contagious patients supports surgical mask use as one of the recommended cough etiquette interventions to limit the transmission of airborne infectious agents.
Abstract
We assessed the in vivo efficacy of surgical and N95 (respirator) masks to filter reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-detectable virus when worn correctly by patients with laboratory-confirmed acute influenza. Of 26 patients with a clinical diagnosis of influenza, 19 had the diagnosis confirmed by RT-PCR, and 9 went on to complete the study. Surgical and N95 masks were equally effective in preventing the spread of PCR-detectable influenza.
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