CDC says cloth masks don't work on Covid.

 

The Mask Narrative.

Well, it appears there will be some red faces out there today. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control in the USA, for all you read-until-offended types) has finally admitted (on January 14th 2022) that cloth masks do not prevent COVID-190 infections. From their website right at the top (emphasis mine):

Summary of Recent Changes

• Added information to present similar content for masks and respirators
• Clarified that people can choose respirators such as N95s and KN95s, including removing concerns related to supply shortages for N95s
• Clarified that "surgical N95s" are a specific type of respirator that should be reserved for healthcare settings
• Clarified that some types of masks and respirators provide more protection to the wearer than others

Oh? Some are better than others? Tell me more, CDC.

Key Messages:

• Masking is a critical public health tool for preventing spread of COVID-19, and it is important to remember that any mask is better than no mask.
• To protect yourself and others from COVID-19, CDC continues to recommend that you wear the most protective mask you can that fits well and that you will wear consistently.
• Masks and respirators are effective at reducing transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, when worn consistently and correctly.
• Some masks and respirators offer higher levels of protection than others, and some may be harder to tolerate or wear consistently than others. It is most important to wear a well-fitted mask or respirator correctly that is comfortable for you and that provides good protection.
• While all masks and respirators provide some level of protection, properly fitted respirators provide the highest level of protection. Wearing a highly protective mask or respirator may be most important for certain higher risk situations, or by some people at increased risk for severe disease.
• CDC's mask recommendations provide information that people can use to improve how well their masks protect them.

Don't beat about the bush, Lucy, just say what you mean!

Choosing a Mask or Respirator for Different Situations

Masks and respirators (i.e., specialized filtering masks such as "N95s") can provide different levels of protection depending on the type of mask and how they are used. Loosely woven cloth products provide the least protection, layered finely woven products offer more protection, well-fitting disposable surgical masks and KN95s offer even more protection, and well-fitting NIOSH-approved respirators (including N95s) offer the highest level of protection.

Whatever product you choose, it should provide a good fit (i.e., fitting closely on the face without any gaps along the edges or around the nose) and be comfortable enough when worn properly (covering your nose and mouth) so that you can keep it on when you need to. Learn how to improve how well your mask protects you by visiting CDC's Improve How Your Mask Protects You page.

A respirator has better filtration, and if worn properly the whole time it is in use, can provide a higher level of protection than a cloth or procedural mask. A mask or respirator will be less effective if it fits poorly or if you wear it improperly or take it off frequently. A respirator may be considered in certain situations and by certain people when greater protection is needed or desired.

Okay then. The cloth mask has long been targeted as essentially useless, suitable only for making sure you don't accidentally spit on anyone. They only block most droplets of water when you are "speaking moistly" as the Prime Minister once said. They can't filter aerosols at all. The COVID-19 virus transmits as an aerosol, not just droplets.

Let's say that one again.  The COVID-19 virus transmits as an aerosol, not just droplets. That's the link to the NIH (National Institutes of Health in the USA) article for doctors and so forth. Here's what it says:

4. Airborne aerosols and respiratory viruses transmission

Respiratory viruses may be transmitted through indirect contact, direct contact person-to-person, large droplet spray, airborne aerosol, or a combination of all of these. Disease-carrying aerosols contain substances < 5 μm, while infectious disease physicians traditionally consider large droplet sprays to contain substances > 5 μm at close range (6.6 feet or < 2 m). It is generally believed that droplets and aerosols >5 μm settle within 6 feet away from the infected person who produces them, due to gravity (Duguid, 1946; Morawska et al., 2009; Asadi et al., 2019). Nevertheless, the use of 5 μm as a definite for these definitions is not supported by novel aerosol science, and the creation of a false dichotomy between what is considered an aerosol and what has considered a droplet undermines the notion of transmission (Klompas et al., 2020; Prather et al., 2020). The route of virus exposure is crucial to understanding transmission. Aerosols and droplets sprayed on the body and its mucous membranes, a kind of contact transmitter, while aerosols particles are inhaled by the respiratory system (Dhand and Li, 2020). This distinction now follows disease severity, infectious dose, and control strategies. At a close range, both inhalation and contact transmission pathways are possible, but in a longer range, when the droplets have settled rapidly transmission through the inhalation pathway is important. According to aerosol science, the aerosol size is not 5 μm, so an aerosol > 5 μm is inhalable and extends over 6 feet. Also, the aerosols may be formed through the resuspension of static aerosols or settled dust (Duguid, 1946; Prather et al., 2020). The virus is found in saliva or respiratory fluid, which varies in size from aerosols and droplets from 0.2 μm to 100 μm. In general, these aerosols particles and drops are produced through breathing, speaking, and talking with aerosols, coughing, and rapid drops accompanied by coughing (Dhand and Li, 2020; Heyder et al., 1986).

Translation: Your cloth mask doesn't do shit.
The CDC finally, on January 14th 2022, admitted it. 

 

So, what does this mean? Will the CDC finally back off the mask bullshit and admit it was all theater? Of course not! Don't be silly. No, what they're going to do is double and triple down, and start specifying N-95 respirators for toddlers and everybody else. You can see it in their recommendations sheet.

 

Full disclosure, The Phantom was a fan of masks back in March 2020. Let's activate the Wayback Machine and remember this:

Lately we've seen the various cabinet ministers and the Prime Minister out there on TV saying that wearing a mask is the wrong idea. The reason they state for this claim is that the mask "gives people a false sense of security."

Translated from Official Speak: You people are too stupid to live. This is all far too complicated for your feeble minds to comprehend. Just shut up and do what you're told.

And this one too.

While the federal government is telling us we are a bunch of racists and we shouldn't wear masks to curb the spread of COVID-19, otherwise known as the Kung Flu, the Wuhan Flu, the Chinese Communist BioWeapon Flu, the Bat Flu, and etc... the Premiere of Ontario is saying we need to be making masks right here in Ontario instead of begging China for them.

Unfortunately, Doug Ford's promise to make masks in Ontario came to nothing. 2022 and we still import everything from China.

Unfortunately, I was right at the time and Health Canada was lying. What we knew at the time was A) the virus was spread like the flu, in droplet form and B) might randomly kill you. Some people died, some people didn't even get sick. Also C) you could catch it again and again, because it was a novel disease and our immune systems couldn't fight it. Everybody remember that? "Fatal disease! You might die! Stay home!" But the message from Health Canada was don't wear a mask for this potential fatal droplet borne disease, because we don't have enough masks.

But then they made masks mandatory, as I predicted at the time. And they did it right about the time that "The Science" was saying that the COVID-19 transmission was aerosol, and cloth masks, procedure masks etc. wouldn't work. N-95 at a minimum to prevent airborne transmission. So yes, lying first that masks wouldn't work, then doing a 180 and lying that they would.

But then they've been lying that the "vax" would work, and they've been lying that other medicines won't work when we've SEEN them work in India, Japan, South America, and etc.

Consistent lying is the connecting thread, as far as I can see. So all you Karens out there, doing your little best to enforce every single government policy on all us unwashed, uncooperative peasants, just know that Big Brother does not have your back. You are swinging in the breeze, baby.

Update: The cost of mask mandates, illustrated.

 

https://twitter.com/i/status/1483997718217326592

 Welcoming the removal of face coverings in schools, political commentator Sophie Corcoran breaks down as she recalls her experience of wearing a mask in the classroom.

This girl is -pissed- about what they did to her in school. If faced with a public health official, I think she might take a swing.

Upperdate: Via Blazing Cat Fur, Global News has the Ontario Health Minister on TV DEMANDING that the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPSO) make doctors shut the fuck up about vaccines and alternative treatments of COVID-19.

CPSO replies that they are currently "investigating" 40 physicians with an eye to making them STFU.

More than 40 physicians are currently being investigated by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) for promoting unproven treatments for COVID-19 or sharing unverified information about its vaccines, Global News can reveal.

The revelation comes after Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott publicly urged the CPSO to crack down on a group of doctors accused of spreading unverified medical information about the vaccines, after the situation was brought to light in a Global News investigation.

During a press conference on Wednesday morning to update Ontarians on the province’s fight against the Omicron variant, Elliott labelled the reports “extremely concerning.”

“At a time when it’s never been more important for Ontarians to have confidence in the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, this is unacceptable,” she said.

In other news, the federal government is looking at a vaccine mandate while from around the world the evidence piles up that the vaccines are ineffective at best, they are possibly worse than useless, and the side-effects reporting is massively fudged. Also, the majority of people in hospital this week with COVID-19, including ICU, are double-vaxed. Just so we're all clear what's going on.

Uppity Upperdate January 25th, 2022 five days later: Bari Weiss on the Bill Mahar show basically reads my blog post on national TV. The Normies are restless.