So, two things today, in order of occurance.
Thing One: Today was “Haul Trash to the Dump Day”. I know, it takes so little to make me happy.
The attendant was wearing his “Trump 2020” hat, and I told him that I liked it. The conversation was the same I get every time the subject comes up, and I’ll sum it up for you in bullet points.
- Did you ever expect to live in a Third World country?
- I’m praying for Trump and the country as hard as I can.
- These idiots won’t stop until there’s a civil war, and then we won’t be able to stop.
Thing Two: I finally get around to checking my email, and from The Mailing List That Shall Not Be Named I get this gem (URL shortened to hopefully avoid Big Tech censorship). Money Quote:
- The first randomized controlled trial of more than 6,000 individuals to assess the effectiveness of surgical face masks against SARS-CoV-2 infection found masks did not statistically significantly reduce the incidence of infection
- Among mask wearers, 1.8% ended up testing positive for SARS-CoV-2, compared to 2.1% among controls. When they removed the people who did not adhere to proper mask use, the results remained the same — 1.8%, which suggests adherence makes no significant difference
- Among those who reported wearing their face mask “exactly as instructed,” 2% tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 compared to 2.1% of the controls
- 1.4% tested positive for antibodies at the end of the month-long study compared to 1.8% of controls
- 0.5% in the mask group and 0.6% tested positive for one or more respiratory viruses other than SARS-CoV-2
So the science says mask fetishes are likely just that-mask fetishes. Politicians, as they are wont to do, have botched the response to Wuflu and have probably, as they are wont to do, made things worse. Government-approved scientists are as useful as the politicians. Because they are politicians first and scientists second.
So if you feel better wearing a mask, feel free to wear one. I will stick to washing my hands and staying away from obviously sick people.
