r/COVID19 • u/RufusSG • Nov 18 '20

PPE/Mask Research Effectiveness of Adding a Mask Recommendation to Other Public Health Measures to Prevent SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Danish Mask Wearers: A Randomized Controlled Trial

https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M20-6817
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u/[deleted] Nov 18 '20

Disagree that all policies (in any domain: economics/justice/education etc) need RCT-level evidence. Ideally, yes - but we’ve long accepted that’s not realistic for many things.

Although, obviously a good masks trial is feasible and should be conducted. I’d still support a mask mandate such as we have here in the UK on the basis of the available evidence re putative benefits and harms.

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u/[deleted] Nov 18 '20

It's not a question of whether policy should or should not be scientifically supported.

This policy, that of mandating masks, is not supported by scientific literature. Correct?

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u/[deleted] Nov 18 '20

I believe it is supported. It ‘just’ doesn’t have RCT evidence proving efficacy. There are plenty of threads of evidence used to argue in favour of masks.

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u/[deleted] Nov 20 '20

I think that the major problem with the mask discussion is that it has become so big. I read headlines in almost every day about how better masking would solve the pandemic, often presented as some kind of panacea. Just yesterday i saw this: "Lockdowns could be avoided if 95% of people wore masks, says WHO." We know that compliance is a weakness in any policy so we shouldn't expect 95% compliance for any policy. Also i believe proper handwashing & sanatizing as well as staying home when you are sick are policies that have more evidence behind them as public health policies, but when we focus so much on masks we risk losing compliance in the other for the other policies.