Boosters

Back to boosters. Israel opens them up to all ages if they had the second dose 5 months ago. Also sounds like you wont get a vaccine passport if you only have had 2 doses in certain circumstances. Something going on over there !

The request was to provide two studies, the 1st two are specific to SARS-COV2 and both conclude that masks aren't particularly effective. Admittedly they're not all specific to SARS-COV2. But do provide some overall context as to the general effectiveness of wearing an unsealed piece of cloth over your face when dealing with an airborne virus. I didn't write the studies or the conclusions.

1. medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.05.18.21257385v1.full-text

"Conclusions Mask mandates and use are not associated with slower state-level COVID-19 spread during COVID-19 growth surges. Containment requires future research and implementation of existing efficacious strategies."

2. swprs.org/face-masks-evidence/

"Conclusion

Face masks in the general population might be effective, at least in some circumstances, but there is currently little to no evidence supporting this proposition. If the coronavirus is indeed transmitted via indoor aerosols, face masks are unlikely to be protective. Health authorities should therefore not assume or suggest that face masks will reduce the rate or risk of infection."

First one - there's a link to an updated version:

COVID-19 mitigation requires further research and use of existing efficacious strategies, most notably vaccination.

It's a pre-print, feel free to look at the absolute sh*tstorm in the comments section, where scientists question the validity of methods and results.

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Second one:

this is not a study, it's a link collection. The site, 'Swiss Policy Research' is a conspiracy website, that has claimed that Qanon was an FBI operation, promoted Hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin, etc.

First link in the list:

"Nonpharmaceutical Measures for Pandemic Influenza in Nonhealthcare Settings"

-> nothing to do with Covid, a deliberate attempt to confuse and mislead

Second link from the list:

Danish study - incidentally, the methodology and validity was questioned in the first study you linked to.

Quote from the Danish study:

Limitation: Inconclusive results, missing data, variable adherence, patient-reported findings on home tests, no blinding, and no assessment of whether masks could decrease disease transmission from mask wearers to others.

Third link:

Facemask against viral respiratory infections among Hajj pilgrims: A challenging cluster-randomized trial

This did not look into Covid, but into rhinovirus, parainfluenza and influenza.

Fourth link:

Not a study. Quote: Additional high-quality studies are needed to assess the relevance of the use of medical face masks in the COVID-19 pandemic

Fifth link:

An opinion piece, not a study, that tries to draw conclusions from pre-covid research, like the unrelated other studies you linked to above.

6 - Flu again

7 - Opinion piece - not a study - from the earliest days of Covid, before more data about mask effectiveness was available

8 - about masking in hospitals

9 - from 2015, about masks for health care workers (third time this study is brought up...)

10 - a conspiracy minded hygienist tries to discredit virologist and epidemiologist recommendations from the Robert Koch Institute, the hospital she works in discredits her statements. Not a study, no research.

So, in summary - one contested pre-print, and lots of deliberate misinformation and obfuscation.

Just reading the first paper, the conclusion is that masks stops the jet of droplets from propagating forward, the masks leak and only stop large droplets. No data to say it prevents the spread of covid that I could see.

What would be the difference between influenza, why do you feel what applies to influenza won't apply to SARS-COV2.

Assuming that you're not just trolling and really don't know: completely different viruses, completely different mechanism of spreading (clusters and super spreaders for Covid), Covid is 16x as lethal, different seasonality, ...

Can you share some of the studies you have seen which prove masks do work?

Here's one in addition to the long list that @[Deleted User] posted above:

I mean in terms of masks, covid is more difficult to contain than influenza, so if a mask doesnt work for influenza, why would it work for SARS-COV2?

As they say, in for a penny, in for a pound.

Exactly. We've had what, 95% uptake in the adult population? Not sure why any of them would be of a different opinion about a top up.

Wouldn’t jump for it but will take my doctors advice