The Masking Tape of Covid-19

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By: Amanda Spradlin , 4/18/2021

INTRODUCTION

Over a year ago when Covid-19 hit, mask mandates were put in place to prevent the passing of the virus among people in public places. Today, with vaccines available and being administered, we are still wearing masks. While the controversary around masks and vaccination becomes more complex, the media continues to mislead. Politicians are still propagating their own agendas, and any company or individual with a social platform has joined a campaign to comply with mandates and vaccinate. Extensive measures have been taken to ensure mask wearing and social distancing, and to encourage vaccination. In this article, I provide a different perspective on the situation and I report some information you probably have not already heard.

MASKS

The CDC has repeatedly supported and encouraged the use of wearing masks as a preventative measure to limit the transmission of Covid-19. As a result, many mandates were implemented across the US. On the other hand, there are many reputable researchers who have advised against it. For example, Dr. Denis G. Rancourt, is a formerly tenured Professor from the University of Ottawa and currently a researcher for the Ontario Civil Liberties Association. He published his findings with enormous amounts of scientific data and evidence, clearly detailing how real science finds that wearing masks will only do more harm than good (Rancourt, 2020.) However, his review was then retracted by the website host, ResearchGate.net, without any explanation. Rancourt responded on his blog by saying,

“This is censorship of my scientific work like I have never experienced before.”

Infectious disease expert and former Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Dr. Lisa Brosseau, wrote an opinion piece on wearing masks and in her review, she described them as simply useless (Diamond, 2020). In agreeance with Rancourt’s findings, her viewpoint stems from the fact that SARS viruses like Covid-19 are made of particles small enough that can be transmitted through masks. Moreover, when interviewed about her paper by Infection Control Today, Brosseau shed great light on the fact that out of all the reference material listed for the CDC’s mask recommendations, none of them have anything to do with masks, or the performance of masks, or any type of actual research-based study on how they prevent virus transmission.

From another perspective, researchers at the University of Lille in France found that when people wear masks, they tend to get closer to others and not maintain a 6-foot safe social distance between one another (Cartaud et al, 2020). Consequently, their findings suggest that mask wearing gives people a false sense of being protected when they are not. Thus, disease spreads just as rapidly regardless of mask wearing. Again, this information correlates directly with the findings of Rancourt and Brosseau. The only thing all research I have independently reviewed agrees upon is that social distancing and staying away from each other as a means of slowing the spread is the most successful and effective preventative measure that can be taken in attempt to combat Covid-19 transmission.

By observing Spain, researchers at NYU are using financial support from Health & Welfare Funds to also focus on mask wearing, but not for medical benefit or health reasons. Instead, they are more interested in how they can increase “voluntary adoption of social welfare-enhancing behavior” (Barcelo´ & Sheen, 2020). The goal of their study is to determine best practices that can be offered or recommended to governments and policymakers, to develop effective programs aimed at improving “public compliance.” This bares the question; how important is compliance, when society is being told by lawmakers to do something that no one can confirm is either beneficial or detrimental to the health and well-being of individuals and society? Are we supposed to believe that what they deem is best for us, actually is best for us, all the time? Even if scientific evidence and real physical experience conflicts those statements? Look at the state of Michigan, for instance. At the onset of the pandemic and throughout 2020, Governor Whitmer went all out on imposing nearly 200 executive orders, shutting down the state and implementing social distancing measures and mask mandates. Yet, today, the state of Michigan is experiencing the worst surge in Covid cases throughout the entire country. As it currently stands, now in mid-April 2021, Michigan is nearing its case count record which was previously reached back in November 2020. How did Michigan rise to such a high rate of illness in November, and how is it heading back to that level again now, if mask mandates work? Furthermore, if it is worse now than it was in the beginning, why have all the crucial executive orders that were so important and necessary before, since been rescinded?

All in all, when it comes to wearing masks the science does not actually support their use, but most of society does. Is this because we have all been told, over and over, day in and day out for over a year that they are beneficial? Or is this because we do ‘feel’ safer with our mouths and noses covered, whether they serve a real purpose or not? The government mandates are senseless. They are not supported by science and they are recklessly giving people a fictitious sense of protection. Providing false hope only increases risk and does not protect anyone or prevent anything. Still, we all must continue to wear them, at least for the time being, because it is legally “mandatory” in most public places not only in the US, but across the globe. Realistically, we shouldn't be so worried about wearing masks and perhaps we should be more concerned with social distancing efforts if we want to do something that could make an impact in slowing the spread, according to science.

MEDIA

The media has poorly reported the actual findings relating to Covid-19 and the adverse effects of the vaccines. Johns Hopkins made a news release back in July of 2020 showing how Covid-19 cases and deaths in Federal and State prisons were drastically higher than those associated with the general population by 5% (jhsph.edu). To compare, for around every 500 people in general population that becomes infected, over 3,000 inmates become infected. Consequently, releasing inmates back into the public is very risky and poses a new transmissible threat. Nevertheless, the media has continued to report numbers day by day, but none of them have yet to separate the case count of inmates versus general population. They have broken cases down by demographic and age range, but not by this impactful criterion. Why?

Another thing that sticks out like a sore thumb is that several news anchors and media personalities across the nation have contracted the virus over the past year. A simple Google search will provide you with a comprehensive list. Still, none of the networks have stopped reporters from going live on scene at breaking events or big news locations. They have not refrained from interviewing community members or adapted their broadcasts to become more virtual than in-person. Aside from having a few in-studio anchors work from home, I am not seeing them practice what they have been preaching to us throughout this whole pandemic. The same goes for entertainment television. As a specific example, the CBS show NCIS: New Orleans was one of the first to incorporate mask wearing into the plot line. On one hand, this action shows obedience of the mandates, portrayed by characters of the show. On the other hand, the actors and actresses clearly depict a problem, as most removed their masks when back at the office or speaking directly in proximity with characters of co-workers.

VACCINATION

Where is Tiffany Dover?

Nurse, Tiffany Dover, is a health care professional that received a Covid-19 vaccine on live television shortly after they became available (Hoots, 2020). Unfortunately, Tiffany fainted on camera, and while a few skeptical statements and images have been posted by the hospital she works at claiming she is fine, she has since gone mute online. The hospital has privatized their social media accounts and has since refused to comment any further on the incident. Rumors range from the idea that she has signed a non-disclosure agreement, perhaps she has experienced a permanent disability, or that she is allegedly, (knock on wood), already dead. No matter what the truth is, her mysterious public disappearance after such an event is questionable, at the very least. Massive amounts of people on Instagram are begging her to just post a short live video, or a picture of her holding a cell phone or newspaper showing the current date, just so they can confirm that she is okay. As of right now, these requests have been completely ignored. Tiffany, if you are out there, I hope you are well and will share your experience when you are able. Thank you for your courage and bravery.

#tiffanydover

The latest news that was released about the vaccines involves the current pause of the Johnson & Johnson vaccination, which is manufactured by Janssen. Again, the media is misleading about the actual information. All mainstream media and social outlets have reported, posted, and shared on social networking sites, that the pause is due to just 6 unique cases of blood clots in vaccine recipients of that kind. What they are not saying, is that there are over 75,000 filed reports with the Center for Disease Control’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, deriving collectively from all types of available vaccines (CDC.gov, 2021). While none of these reports can be validated and as the system clearly states, “should not be solely used to determine effectiveness of any vaccine,” the mere existence of so many suggest that the vaccines are not as safe as they claim to be, at least not for everyone. Moreover, in review of the adverse events that have been reported, although they are inconclusive and still ongoing, there are several instances that state, “SIRS from vaccine administration is the likely cause of this event.” SIRS is an acronym in the medical field to describe what is known as sudden inflammatory response syndrome. It is nearly identical to sepsis and causes organ failure (Al-Khafaji, 2020). The only difference is that sepsis stems from an existing infection, and SIRS stems from a noninfectious insult to a bodily system. In other words, it can happen naturally and progressively in sick patients, or it can happen instantly, in healthy people, as a reaction when injected with a foreign substance.

On the financial spectrum, Charles Kenny, the Director of Technology and Development and Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Development, reported on the lack of available information concerning the worldwide rollout of vaccines. According to Kenny, the contractual arrangements established for the procurement of vaccinations, made exclusively by governments and international agencies, are not being made public or even available to officials on an internal basis (Kenny, 2021). This poses several threats to the global effort in combatting the virus by means of vaccination. To start, worldwide demand for vaccinations far outweighs the available supply. Without full transparency, nobody outside of each specific vaccine manufacturer’s sales department can attest to where the available vaccines are really going. Why does this matter?

Well, we all have seen how different emerging strains of the disease have crossed continents so easily already. No place on Earth is immune or safe from Covid-19. Now, consider this hypothetical example: If Asia has a greater need for vaccinations, but Europe can pay more for them, who do you think China is more likely to sell to? This could lead to a surplus of supply in wealthier nations and leave poorer nations in scarcity. Potentially, this could have dire consequences globally because it only increases the risk of mutation and heightens the dangerous threat of more emerging strains.

Recently, the world collectively reached the milestone of over 1 billion vaccine doses being administered (Lawler, 2021). David Lawler, World Editor at Axios News, has reported that China, the US, Europe, and India are the top 4 largest producers and exporters of vaccines globally. The biggest deviation, as observed in the chart below, is the number of vaccines being exported by each region. While the US is the second largest producer of the vaccine, it is also the last exporter, relinquishing a mere 1% of its supply to other needing nations. All other nations are much more balanced in this aspect. To contrast, China has exported 48%, while Europe and India have both exported 36%. In addition, the US leads with the highest amount of its population already vaccinated at 23%, while China, the leading producer and exporter, comes in second with only 21% of its population already being vaccinated.

What is the science, data consensus, or reasonable explanation to justify this much of a gap in exports and lack of participation in global aid from the US? Isn’t it counter-productive to be selfish when we are all facing this same challenge and must cooperate with one another to eventually, somehow, overcome this virus? Not to mention, when the New England Journal of Medicine examined multiple polls with various language, they found that anywhere from 25-33% of Americans are not willing to get vaccinated at all, regardless of race and ethnicity, for various reasons (SteelFisher et al, 2021). This presumes that the US has a whole segment of a pie, at least ¼, readily available. Sharing is caring, right? Why won’t the US sell a piece, or even a slice, to another place that is starving, in desperate need and has a desire for it? Why aren’t we helping the less fortunate when we can?

CONCLUSION

To summarize, how can anyone honestly tell us that anything we are doing right now is safe? The science on wearing masks conflicts against the social narrative. The vaccines were made extremely quick, with hardly any prior testing, and are still actively in the timely process of research, development, and observation. There are several stages of creation and we have not been in this fight long enough for any long-term effects, if any, to be determined yet. Some things cannot be rushed. What seems safe today could result in a delayed reaction, after a latency period or dormancy time of several years. So, isn’t it possible that what we think could protect us from Covid-19 now, could make us more susceptible to other mutations, more emerging strains, or even a whole different virus, later on? Isn’t it possible, that in attempting to vaccinate with so little knowledge of this novel virus to begin with, that we could have triggered the mutations that have already caused new strains to emerge? Realistically, anything is possible but most importantly, discussions focused on the key issues outlined in this article need to continue. As the saying goes, ‘the world is watching,' and transparency and truth are what most of us are looking for.

References

• Al-Khafaji, Ali H. (2020, January 27). How are sepsis and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) differentiated? Medscape, WebMD. https://www.medscape.com/answers/169640-99167/how-are-sepsis-and-systemic-inflammatory-response-syndrome-sirs-differentiated
• Barcelo´ J, Sheen GC-H (2020) Voluntary adoption of social welfare-enhancing behavior: Mask-wearing in Spain during the COVID-19 outbreak. PLoS ONE 15(12): e0242764. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0242764

• Cartaud A, Quesque F, Coello Y (2020) Wearing a face mask against Covid-19 results in a reduction of social distancing. PLoS ONE 15(12): e0243023. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0243023
• CDC.gov. (2021). The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) Results. https://wonder.cdc.gov/controller/datarequest/D8;jsessionid=9F9B45D04552B21048823042B40C

• Diamond, Frank. (2020, April 25). Cloth masks are useless against Covid-19. Infection Control Today, Vol. 24, No. 5. https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/cloth-masks-are-useless-against-covid-19
• Hoots, Mary Francis. (2020, December 29). Fact Check: CHI Memorial nurse who fainted after COVID-19 vaccination 'doing fine'. https://www.wrcbtv.com/story/43111315/fact-check-chi-memorial-nurse-who-fainted-after-covid19-vaccination-doing-fine

• Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. (2020, July 8). COVID-19 Cases and deaths in Federal and State Prisons significantly higher than in U.S. population. https://www.jhsph.edu/news/news-releases/2020/covid-19-cases-and-deaths-in-federal-and-state-prisons-significantly-higher-than-in-u.s.-population.html
• Kenny, Charles. (2021, February 10). Release COVID-19 vaccine contracts. https://www.cgdev.org/blog/release-covid-19-vaccine-contracts

• Lawler, David. (2021, April 15). Where the world's coronavirus vaccines are coming from and going to. https://www.axios.com/countries-producing-most-coronavirus-vaccines-bda9794a-619d-4b8f-a620-b563421d4459.html
• Rancourt, D. G. (2020, August 14). Masks don't work: A review of science relevant to covid-19 social policy. https://www.rcreader.com/commentary/masks-dont-work-covid-a-review-of-science-relevant-to-covide-19-social-policy

• SteelFisher, Gillian K., Blendon, Robert J., and Caporello, Hannah. (2021, March 3). An uncertain public — encouraging acceptance of Covid-19 vaccines. New England Journal of Medicine. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2100351