What does it even mean to say that masking works for individuals but not for a population? That is such a nonsensical statement, especially coming from someone who once claimed to be "Mr. Science."
I thought the same thing. If I’m being very charitable, the only thing I can figure out is this: he’s saying that masks are efficacious, but not effective. So, they work when used absolutely correctly, under certain fixed conditions, which are largely not the circumstances in which most American (who are still trying to use them) find themselves. If that’s not what he meant, then I certainly agree with Dr. Prasad; there’s no evidence, and he never ran any kind of good quality trial to generate evidence.
And there is also no evidence that they are efficacious. There is evidence that N95s cause one to breath 1-2 orders of magnitude of organic volatiles over levels considered safe, though.
Fauci did not advocate for RCT because he knew that they would prove that the narrative of masking was false. He could not let the public know that masking was stupid. Plus it let the government see who was controllable and who wasn't. The fear and propaganda was very good. The unmasked could be demonized and blamed for everything, pretty much like the Nazi propaganda against the Jews in the 1930's.
I strongly suggest "Serious Adverse Events - An Uncensored History of AIDS" by Celia Farber, first published in 2006. The damage Fauci caused to AIDS research and advancement of science is unparalleled in modern history. Last three years speak for themselves, he is not interested in facts and science.
The Fauch suffers from a common flaw that self promoters often cannot detect: He has utterly no awareness of nor concern about his presentation of self. This disorder will smell like arrogance but it’s actually something worse.
So, we are back to the pre-COVID scientific consensus (an oxymoron but…) which was: masks have not been shown to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses (not even contamination during surgery!) and lockdowns are not an option as they will cause far more damage than they will prevent (Sweden has higher COVID deaths but lower excess deaths per capita than its hardline nordic neighbours, and the consequences of this 3 years long mass hysteria, stupidity and hatred is likely not anywhere near over). Tragic that this little (intellectually) man, with a largely overblown reputation and ego and totally disproportionate powers (for anybody), who presents himself as The Science (he is a physician, not a scientist; no MSc or PhD; a clinical immunologist is an ersatz of an immunologist) is still considered a reference by mainstream medias, hardline Democrats and gullible people in general.
Yes, the CDC can't not mandate anything but they do put our their opinions which is, "The CDC suggests everyone wear masks." Citizens, business owners all look to the CDC for guidance. If the CDC suggests it, we must do it, and thus the grocery store, the nail salon, the hospital, offices all take that "suggestion" as gospel truth and run with it to the inth degree.
I’m not sure it’s sad to witness. It’s what these bureaucrats crave, power, but can’t elected to gain that power. So they gain it through regulation and the appearance of being above the fray as in “I am Science.” What kind of BS statement is that?
the good Dr. Fauci must suffer from cognitive dissonance. If an intervention works at the individual level then it has to work at the population level. He is therefore talking complete nonsense, but gets away with it because he states his views with such confidence that it seems unassailable until one starts to think about what he actually said.
I became a paid subscriber to comment on this, because, although Vinay does not appear to engage in his own comments section, I'm hoping he will read this, because I think there is a hole in the masking-efficacy debate.
Putting aside "community masking" inefficacy, is it possible that in the case where somebody whose attendance was vital to a *mission-critical* event, which might require air travel and which cannot be easily rescheduled, and which costs six figures and months of planning, that wearing an N95 respirator properly and carefully could DELAY possible Covid transmission IN ADVANCE of the event such that this hypothetical VIP could carry out important duties?
This is the scenario I never see talked about here. Imagine you're an astronaut, and missing a launch is not an option. What do you do? Although Fauci's comments about "invidividuals" is ass-covering to the extreme, there is a question in it that needs a response.
The problem with the debate as it is talked about here, is that all the emphasis is on mortality or hospitalization numbers, and whether community masking makes any difference to the numbers as they shake out.
But that is not what is on the mind of many people, who have to make a decision about how to ensure to the best of their ability to be (1) well and (2) present for something important, partly because of the policy restrictions of the venue/company/organization. I would argue that most people in this situation are not demanding to "never catch Covid", as I feel is the narrative mission of those pushing back on the wayward PH institutions, but rather to TEMPORARILY AVOID Covid for something that would cause enormous problems if they caught it... then.
Fauci: “works for individual, not population” sounds like a deliberate tactic to distract and confuse the listener. If masking worked at the individual level, then the positive effect would be seen at population level assuming all behave as the “successful and compliant individual”. I have a big request for Prasad: Can you partner with a liquid-aerosol-particle physicist to create an animation cartoon showing what exactly goes wrong with masking?
Fauci who is 5'7" and weighs 135 is ALWAYS the thinest person in any room. When he had to stand between Trump and Pence he looked so scared fearing what would happen if they leaned in!. Yet he refuses to admit that the BMI used by the CDC is fraudulent. Why did over one million die of Covid? They were obese and they didn't know it. I filed last year an FOIA with the CDC and they refused to respond to my question: Why in 1985 they gave up the HAMWI formula and invented a BMI whereby a 5'6" female at 185 pounds is NOT obese. Shop Buy Eat REPEAT. 65% of the US population is obese-- not 42%. And almost all are eating disordered. Body and Mind damaged. The WHO says a 35 inch waist is obese. The average American female has a 38.7 inch waistline. 100 mil have fatty liver disease. 86 mil have metabolic syndrome. We are not well.
Language is powerful. Several posters here are saying that Dr. Semmelweis "conducted a randomized clinical trial" in his historic investigations of childbed fever in the early 19th century. That is FALSE. Glib verbiage use is exactly the sort of BS production process that can create endless labyrinths of confusion, chaos, and even critical loss of focus in our assorted ongoing discussions relevant to the persisting COVID disaster. That Semmelweis did discover an infection prevention measure is totally beside the point here but he did NOT perform a RCT per the widely accepted meaning of that label --- viz. there were no control groups, there was not randomization. An excellent article by Persson, cited below, gives an exegesis of what Semmelweis *actually* did.
What does it even mean to say that masking works for individuals but not for a population? That is such a nonsensical statement, especially coming from someone who once claimed to be "Mr. Science."
I thought the same thing. If I’m being very charitable, the only thing I can figure out is this: he’s saying that masks are efficacious, but not effective. So, they work when used absolutely correctly, under certain fixed conditions, which are largely not the circumstances in which most American (who are still trying to use them) find themselves. If that’s not what he meant, then I certainly agree with Dr. Prasad; there’s no evidence, and he never ran any kind of good quality trial to generate evidence.
And there is also no evidence that they are efficacious. There is evidence that N95s cause one to breath 1-2 orders of magnitude of organic volatiles over levels considered safe, though.
Fauci did not advocate for RCT because he knew that they would prove that the narrative of masking was false. He could not let the public know that masking was stupid. Plus it let the government see who was controllable and who wasn't. The fear and propaganda was very good. The unmasked could be demonized and blamed for everything, pretty much like the Nazi propaganda against the Jews in the 1930's.
I strongly suggest "Serious Adverse Events - An Uncensored History of AIDS" by Celia Farber, first published in 2006. The damage Fauci caused to AIDS research and advancement of science is unparalleled in modern history. Last three years speak for themselves, he is not interested in facts and science.
Also, The Real Anthony Fauci is eye opening.
The Fauch suffers from a common flaw that self promoters often cannot detect: He has utterly no awareness of nor concern about his presentation of self. This disorder will smell like arrogance but it’s actually something worse.
So, we are back to the pre-COVID scientific consensus (an oxymoron but…) which was: masks have not been shown to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses (not even contamination during surgery!) and lockdowns are not an option as they will cause far more damage than they will prevent (Sweden has higher COVID deaths but lower excess deaths per capita than its hardline nordic neighbours, and the consequences of this 3 years long mass hysteria, stupidity and hatred is likely not anywhere near over). Tragic that this little (intellectually) man, with a largely overblown reputation and ego and totally disproportionate powers (for anybody), who presents himself as The Science (he is a physician, not a scientist; no MSc or PhD; a clinical immunologist is an ersatz of an immunologist) is still considered a reference by mainstream medias, hardline Democrats and gullible people in general.
His legacy is hugely tarnished indeed, but his family and heirs won’t complain with all the $ he got from this. Be nice to “Sackler” the guy.
Yes, the CDC can't not mandate anything but they do put our their opinions which is, "The CDC suggests everyone wear masks." Citizens, business owners all look to the CDC for guidance. If the CDC suggests it, we must do it, and thus the grocery store, the nail salon, the hospital, offices all take that "suggestion" as gospel truth and run with it to the inth degree.
I’m not sure it’s sad to witness. It’s what these bureaucrats crave, power, but can’t elected to gain that power. So they gain it through regulation and the appearance of being above the fray as in “I am Science.” What kind of BS statement is that?
the good Dr. Fauci must suffer from cognitive dissonance. If an intervention works at the individual level then it has to work at the population level. He is therefore talking complete nonsense, but gets away with it because he states his views with such confidence that it seems unassailable until one starts to think about what he actually said.
I became a paid subscriber to comment on this, because, although Vinay does not appear to engage in his own comments section, I'm hoping he will read this, because I think there is a hole in the masking-efficacy debate.
Putting aside "community masking" inefficacy, is it possible that in the case where somebody whose attendance was vital to a *mission-critical* event, which might require air travel and which cannot be easily rescheduled, and which costs six figures and months of planning, that wearing an N95 respirator properly and carefully could DELAY possible Covid transmission IN ADVANCE of the event such that this hypothetical VIP could carry out important duties?
This is the scenario I never see talked about here. Imagine you're an astronaut, and missing a launch is not an option. What do you do? Although Fauci's comments about "invidividuals" is ass-covering to the extreme, there is a question in it that needs a response.
The problem with the debate as it is talked about here, is that all the emphasis is on mortality or hospitalization numbers, and whether community masking makes any difference to the numbers as they shake out.
But that is not what is on the mind of many people, who have to make a decision about how to ensure to the best of their ability to be (1) well and (2) present for something important, partly because of the policy restrictions of the venue/company/organization. I would argue that most people in this situation are not demanding to "never catch Covid", as I feel is the narrative mission of those pushing back on the wayward PH institutions, but rather to TEMPORARILY AVOID Covid for something that would cause enormous problems if they caught it... then.
Ironically, Fauci makes Trump look like the biggest truth teller ever.
Fauci: “works for individual, not population” sounds like a deliberate tactic to distract and confuse the listener. If masking worked at the individual level, then the positive effect would be seen at population level assuming all behave as the “successful and compliant individual”. I have a big request for Prasad: Can you partner with a liquid-aerosol-particle physicist to create an animation cartoon showing what exactly goes wrong with masking?
Fauci who is 5'7" and weighs 135 is ALWAYS the thinest person in any room. When he had to stand between Trump and Pence he looked so scared fearing what would happen if they leaned in!. Yet he refuses to admit that the BMI used by the CDC is fraudulent. Why did over one million die of Covid? They were obese and they didn't know it. I filed last year an FOIA with the CDC and they refused to respond to my question: Why in 1985 they gave up the HAMWI formula and invented a BMI whereby a 5'6" female at 185 pounds is NOT obese. Shop Buy Eat REPEAT. 65% of the US population is obese-- not 42%. And almost all are eating disordered. Body and Mind damaged. The WHO says a 35 inch waist is obese. The average American female has a 38.7 inch waistline. 100 mil have fatty liver disease. 86 mil have metabolic syndrome. We are not well.
Sadly Fauci’s historical legacy will be what MSM decides to make it.
Is Cochrane in trouble?
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02741-z
Language is powerful. Several posters here are saying that Dr. Semmelweis "conducted a randomized clinical trial" in his historic investigations of childbed fever in the early 19th century. That is FALSE. Glib verbiage use is exactly the sort of BS production process that can create endless labyrinths of confusion, chaos, and even critical loss of focus in our assorted ongoing discussions relevant to the persisting COVID disaster. That Semmelweis did discover an infection prevention measure is totally beside the point here but he did NOT perform a RCT per the widely accepted meaning of that label --- viz. there were no control groups, there was not randomization. An excellent article by Persson, cited below, gives an exegesis of what Semmelweis *actually* did.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369848609000314#:~:text=Although%20Semmelweis%20would%20not%20have,not%20realised%20at%20the%20time.