If masks don't help in stopping the spread of germs, disease and viruses, why have the medical community been using them for over a century. Seems if "the science" showed that it didn't, doctors and nurses would have stopped using them decades ago? Why has the flu suddenly become almost dormant since people started wearing masks?
Ya masks clearly help. We've long suspected masks help reduce spread of airborne disease because we have a theorized mechanism (they stop droplets from being aerosolized), and we have observational studies (mask use seems to lower spread in areas that use masks). The biggest criticism of masks and their proposed effects in stopping COVID spread have been the lack of randomize clinical trails which for various reasons are hard to conduct on a large enough sample to mean anything. But recent data from a large study in Bangladesh paints a very clear picture that large scale masking is effective.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02457-y
Then there should be clear distinct data showing this is the case - but there isnt. *IF* surgical masks were correctly and people didnt touch their faces every 5 seconds - yeah maybe - but wearing a dirty bandanna over your face doesnt do much. You cant expect people to wear masks all day correctly - it is not realistic and is de-humanizing and annoying. I'm not going to do it and Im not interested in have school kids do it. You get vaxd if you want, if your scared - you stay home. Most of us are ready and able to get back to normal.
You are still mixing up two different scenarios. One is whether or not the mask will prevent the virus from getting from the air to your nose or throat. This part is very difficult to study in a controlled environment as there are many different conditions. But remember that it is not the virus by itself that gets into your nose, it is a water droplet with a viable virus attached. Even if one droplet gets by your mask, there are many factors that impact the process before you are actually infected.
But the real value of the masks is when an infected person, who is spreading the virus, is wearing a mask. There have been many studies (I have not had a chance to read the latest one posted above) that clearly show that far fewer water droplets will become airborne if the infected person is wearing a mask. This reduces the ability of an infected person to infect others in a significant way.
So if a kid comes to school, is infected but doesn't know it, if he or she is wearing a mask, far less other kids will be at risk. If the other kids are wearing a mask, it is even better. Of course if all the kids are vaccinated, you wouldn't have to worry about any of this.
Also, it protects the people in the school, like teachers, maintenance, administration, guidance, cafeteria workers, etc. from getting the disease who are at a significantly larger risk of health issues if they get the disease.
Listen, if masks didn't work, the medical community would have stopped wearing them a half century or more ago. An industry that has progressed as much as the healthcare industry has in it's technology and knowledge, has science backing up that masks work. Thinking otherwise, is simply sticking your head in the sand because you want to believe in "freedoms".
Just get the vax and mask up. It's very little sacrifice to help America and your fellow citizens. It's a sacrifice, yes, but compare it to the other sacrifices we make when our country is threatened.
Look at the liberties that were "lost" after 9/11. The sacrifices made by the military and their families since then. The sacrifices made to fight Communism after WWII. The unreal sacrifices during the two World Wars.
And people b!tch about wearing a mask. Unreal.