The question is not “how well do masks work”. The question is “how well does THIS mask work HERE”.
I collaborated on this post with @dr.risahoshino , a highly respected and knowledgeable pediatrician in NY. We lay out for you the science, rationale, and critical thinking behind the decision to wear a mask. Mask wearing is highly recommended because it is an easy and convenient way to reduce your risk. Is it 100% effective? No. No one has ever claimed that. It is a LAYER of risk reduction that can be done while still performing all of our usual life activities – there is no loss of functionality or quality of life with a mask (if you complain, that is most likely a mindset issue).
The concept of risk reduction isn’t new. We wear a seatbelt even though it is not a guarantee that it will save your life. We don’t say “seatbelts don’t work”! Seatbelt + sturdy car frame + airbags = very low risk. That is the argument here! Vaccine (immunity) + masks + social distancing + healthy living = very low risk.
Like with everything I post about, context is everything. There are SO many masks available to purchase and each one of them falls on a SPECTRUM of efficacy. If someone says a mask doesn’t work, follow up with: which kind of mask are you talking about? What environment is the proposed use? If you send your child to school double masked or with an N95 you know that they will be more protected than with a single layer cloth mask. So if you say they don’t work you probably aren’t considering all your options carefully enough.
Can we please stop saying that masks don’t work and shift our energy to focusing on how they can help us and by how much?