Community News
To Mask, or not to Mask – Will masking remain a personal choice in Ontario?
BY SIMONE J. SMITH
“There is no specific evidence to suggest that the wearing of masks by the mass population has any particular benefit.” ~ Health Emergencies Program Executive Director Mike Ryan (WHO)
I am sorry readers, unfortunately we are here again. I can’t even tell how many articles I have written in the last three years, how many unnecessary debates I have had over this topic, and how many research studies have come out that discuss this redundant topic. The mask debate is back in full swing and several countries have decided to re-implement mask mandates, and at this point it is worth asking, how effective are masks really?
Let’s jump into this; first of all, surgical masks were designed to keep medical personnel from inadvertently infecting patients’ wounds, not to prevent the spread of viruses. It is important that we know that public-health officials’ advice in the early days of COVID-19 was consistent with that understanding. Then, on April 3rd, 2020, CDC changed its guidance and stated that the general public should hereafter wear masks whenever sufficient social distancing could not be maintained.
After that mask mandates were implemented in almost all world countries and in most places where masks were not obligatory, their use in public spaces was recommended. These mandates and recommendations took place despite the fact that most randomized controlled trials carried out before and during the COVID-19 pandemic concluded that the role of masks in preventing respiratory viral transmission was small, null, or inconclusive.
Despite these blaring researchable facts, the world has slowly begun to implement mask mandates. In Australia, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk warned that citizens should brace for a “fourth wave” by masking and taking booster shots. Professor Adrian Esterman, Chair of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at the University of South Australia, echoed her call.
“The onus is now on the other states and territories to follow Queensland’s lead and upgrade their health advice, and if necessary, re-impose some public health measures, like face mask advice.”
Discussions in: Germany, Spain, the UK and other places in Europe have also been underway in recent weeks about whether to re-impose mask mandates ahead of the coming winter.
I came across a profoundly important study conducted by German physician Dr Zacharias Fögen to find out whether mandatory mask use influenced the COVID-19 case fatality rate from August 1st, 2020, to October 15th, 2020. What he discovered is something that he calls the Föegen Effect. This is the idea that deep re-inhalation of droplets caught on facemasks might make COVID-19 infection more likely or more severe.
“The fundamentals of this effect are easily demonstrated when wearing a facemask and glasses at the same time by pulling the upper edge of the mask over the lower edge of the glasses. Droplets appear on the mask when breathing out and disappear when breathing in.”
According to Zacharias, “In the Foegen effect, virions (because of their smaller size) bypass the bronchi and are inhaled deep into the alveoli, where they can cause pneumonia instead of bronchitis, which would be typical of a virus infection.
Furthermore, these virions bypass the multilayer squamous epithelial wall that they cannot pass into in vitro and most likely cannot pass into in vivo. Therefore, the only probable way for the virions to enter the blood vessels is through the alveoli.”
He continues to explain that wearing masks could end up increasing your overall viral load because, instead of exhaling virions from your respiratory tract and ridding your body of them, those virions are caught in the mask and returned.
I didn’t want to rehash old reports that I have written, so I continued to dig to find out what else was being said about the issue. I came across an article by Jeffrey H. Anderson who writes about several trials conducted over the past few years, each of which found that cloth masks and surgical masks offer very little to no benefit at all.
In Canada, advocacy groups like Ontario School Safety and others are calling for mask mandates children ahead of a predicted winter uptick of COVID cases, and last week, Ontario’s health minister said it’s a “personal choice” to wear a mask Tuesday, one day after the province’s top doctor urged everyone to do so in all indoor spaces.
A masked Sylvia Jones defended the majority of her Progressive Conservative colleagues who did not wear masks in the legislature — including Premier Doug Ford. “Personal choice is important here, and we should not be passing judgment on people who wear a mask or not wear a mask,” she said outside the legislature while wearing a mask.
Also last week, Ontario’s top doctor “strongly recommended” Ontarians mask up once again in all indoor settings, including schools and childcare centres, in an effort to help overwhelmed children’s hospitals.
Dr. Kieran Moore stopped short of mandating masking but had previously said he would recommend masking in certain indoor settings if hospitals began cancelling surgeries.
“What we are facing is a triple threat,” said Dr Moore. “All three are actively circulating across Ontario in all of our communities. This is different from COVID. This is about protecting our children. Please, parents, grandparents, siblings, if you have respiratory symptoms, you must mask around those that are vulnerable.”
Masking may help decrease the risk at a community level, but I’m very concerned about protecting our children right now and it’s best that we protect them through masking in a home environment and in any social situation.”
Dr Moore said this threat (flu season) requires “collective action” to protect the most vulnerable in the province.
Here comes the fun part. Something that I notice about our health professionals and government officials is that they are unable to practice what they preach, and once they get caught, they always have a valid excuse. Dr Moore is taking some heat after appearing at a public event without a mask after recommending public masking in indoor settings days earlier.
He was spotted with no mask on in a video taken at a busy indoor gathering last Thursday evening. Thursday night’s Toronto Life event was celebrating the ’50 most influential Torontonians,’ where Moore placed 12th. The magazine said he was influential for “keeping COVID-19 under control.” The video captured Moore watching a performance with a drink in hand while next to several other attendees who were also not wearing masks.
I want to remind everyone that it was just on Monday that he had “strongly recommended” Ontarians mask indoors in an effort to help overwhelmed children’s hospitals.
In a statement sent to CityNews, the Ministry of Health said Dr Moore evaluates the risk of each situation, including private events.
“He follows many layers of protection, including screening daily for symptoms of any respiratory infection, practicing good hand hygiene, staying up to date on immunizations, masking when necessary and distancing, when possible,” a Ministry spokesperson said.
“Dr. Moore continues to encourage everyone to use their best judgment on when it’s appropriate to wear a mask, particularly around the most vulnerable, including young children.”
Premier Doug Ford, who appeared without along with most of his cabinet in Queen’s Park this week, downplayed the significance of footage posted online, saying masking is a personal choice for the people of Ontario after enduring two-and-a-half years of a pandemic.
Well, you heard it people, it is a personal choice. I hope that we don’t see changes to this in a few weeks, but I guess we are just going to have to hold our breath.