LMK5 said:
OaktownBear said:
Eastern Oregon Bear said:
BearForce2 said:
Japan had 98% mask compliance and peaked at 6,500 cases a day. The US had much lower mask compliance and peaked at 250,000 cases a day. I'd say wearing masks helped.
As I said on the other thread, this reading of the curve is moronic. Masks don't eliminate Covid. Like almost everywhere Japan saw a seasonal increase in Covid. The difference is their baseline was lower. We had 24 times the deaths per capita. Again, if masks eliminated almost every case, but they bottomed out at 2 cases and then increased to a measly 50, they would draw a really scary looking curve. None of which means anything related to the effectiveness of masks. The scientific and statistical illiteracy among some Cal grads is soul crushing.
Every year we see a gigantic spike in flu cases after we increase our flu vaccines. The above argument is the same logic as saying flu vaccines cause flu.
So then what statistical tool would you use to gauge the effectiveness of masks? There must be a more scientific argument than "you gotta believe."
1. There are tons of scientific studies that use complicated statistical analysis looking similarly situated examples where you can somewhat control for variables. You and BF ignore these preferring to look at charts of data posted in Twitter to make arguments that you should see in less than 5 seconds are clearly flawed.
2. There is a century worth of data showing that masks help prevent the spread of the vast majority of disease . As I said, next time you need surgery or go to the dentist for that matter, please tell them not to wear a mask if you are so convinced of this. While you are at it, please tell them not to wash their hands too because people in Japan didn't maintain a constant Covid rate despite washing their hands at a consistent rate.
3. The mechanism for masks reducing the spread of disease are easily tested and explained. We know the disease spreads through droplets and we know masks limit the spread of droplets.
4. I'm not searching the web for complex studies that you will just say TL/DR and mick in favor of a graph that to anyone with a brain doesn't say that masks don't work. You are way too smart to look at a graph showing a seasonal increase in COVID in a country that has had very few deaths per capita and say it shows masks don't work. You have from the beginning wanted to believe absolutely no measure works. You can find some reasonable studies on some measures that have been taken aren't effective. On masks you are being willfully ignorant. There is no point trying to convince you. The only point is to respond so that people who may take too cursory a look at the above see it's stupidity.
5. For goodness sake it is a stupid piece of cloth. How hard is it? If you can't breathe you need to go to the doctor because you obviously have a serious underlying condition