Every Lie Has a How and Why

The recent "85% who wear masks get covid" claims are nonsensical. I was interested in trying to lay out a step by step of how this line/lie made it to a nationally televised town hall last week. How does that even happen?

Anyway, here's the link to my take on it.


https://theskepticalgambler.blogspot.com/2020/10/every-lie-has-how-and-why.html


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Quote: redietz

The recent "85% who wear masks get covid" claims are nonsensical.

The CDC study involved 154 case patients who tested positive and 160 control participants who tested negative. 14.4% of the case patients reported ‘Often’ wearing a mask. 70.6% of them reported ‘Always’ wearing a mask. 85% of the case patients either often or always wore a mask, 14 days before the onset. 3.9 percent of the case patients ‘Never’ wore a mask and 3.9% ‘Rarely’ wore a mask fourteen days before the onset. See Page 1261.

Less than 8% of the case patients who never or rarely wore a mask, caught the disease.

85% vs. 7.8%

Positive results were eleven times higher for the case patients who often or always wore a mask, 14 days before the onset, than for patients who rarely or never wore a mask.

Wearing a mask* does not protect YOU. Anybody who claimed otherwise was wrong, nor would the CDC or any health authority disagree with that statement, except perhaps to claim a minimal protection.

Plenty of people continue to assume it protects them of course.

I advocate masks. Does that seem like a contradiction?

*PS, I should have said a 'typical' mask

Quote: odiousgambit

Wearing a mask* does not protect YOU. Anybody who claimed otherwise was wrong, nor would the CDC or any health authority disagree with that statement, except perhaps to claim a minimal protection.

Plenty of people continue to assume it protects them of course.

I advocate masks. Does that seem like a contradiction?

*PS, I should have said a 'typical' mask

I agree
Just wearing a mask is not going to cut it
You have to go for the whole program which is wear a mask, socially distance, wash your hands, avoid crowds, use common sense.

Those seeking medical care are pr9ñe to give g9od answers. Giving good answers alwayes screws up accuracy.

Tanko -- LOL. See, this is what I mean. Jesus, man, you couldn't have mangled the questions the study asked and the implications worse than you did. Step back, take a deep breath, and actually read what the people who did the study say about their study. There is actually a better piece than the one below with more reaction from the study authors. I will dig it up and post it later.


https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/16/politics/fact-check-trump-cdc-masks-85-percent/index.html

Quote: redietz

..you couldn't have mangled the questions the study asked and the implications worse than you did. Step back, take a deep breath, and actually read what the people who did the study say about their study.

I did something better. I read the study.

This is what I wrote:

"The CDC study involved 154 case patients who tested positive and 160 control participants who tested negative. 14.4% of the case patients reported ‘Often’ wearing a mask. 70.6% of them reported ‘Always’ wearing a mask. 85% of the case patients either often or always wore a mask, 14 days before the onset. 3.9 percent of the case patients ‘Never’ wore a mask and 3.9% ‘Rarely’ wore a mask fourteen days before the onset."

Which is exactly what is said in the CNN article.

The study also found that, of the 154 participants who tested positive, a total of 85% said they had worn a mask either "always" (70.6%) or "often" (14.4%) over the 14 days prior to the onset of their illness.

What exactly did I mangle?

Quote: Tanko

I did something better. I read the study.

This is what I wrote:

"The CDC study involved 154 case patients who tested positive and 160 control participants who tested negative. 14.4% of the case patients reported ‘Often’ wearing a mask. 70.6% of them reported ‘Always’ wearing a mask. 85% of the case patients either often or always wore a mask, 14 days before the onset. 3.9 percent of the case patients ‘Never’ wore a mask and 3.9% ‘Rarely’ wore a mask fourteen days before the onset."

Which is exactly what is said in the CNN article.

The study also found that, of the 154 participants who tested positive, a total of 85% said they had worn a mask either "always" (70.6%) or "often" (14.4%) over the 14 days prior to the onset of their illness.

What exactly did I mangle?

I view the study as meaningless
Just a mask is meaningless
Just a mask won't do jack
If that is all you are doing, probably catch it

I do a lot more then a mask and I probably won't get it and I get out. Visiting White Sands tomorrow. Excited

Quote: Tanko

The CDC study involved 154 case patients who tested positive and 160 control participants who tested negative. 14.4% of the case patients reported ‘Often’ wearing a mask. 70.6% of them reported ‘Always’ wearing a mask. 85% of the case patients either often or always wore a mask, 14 days before the onset. 3.9 percent of the case patients ‘Never’ wore a mask and 3.9% ‘Rarely’ wore a mask fourteen days before the onset. See Page 1261.

Less than 8% of the case patients who never or rarely wore a mask, caught the disease.

85% vs. 7.8%

Positive results were eleven times higher for the case patients who often or always wore a mask, 14 days before the onset, than for patients who rarely or never wore a mask.

Your last three lines are a complete mangle filled with false implications and conclusions.

https://news.yahoo.com/trump-repeats-inaccurate-claim-masks-194453508.html

This is the clearest summary I read, and please note the inclusion of commentary by the doctors who designed, executed, and wrote about the study. Why would you think you are qualified to draw idiosyncratic conclusions as compared to their statements regarding what the study was about?

This is what Tom Nichols was talking about in his "Death of Expertise." People think they are all experts.

More on mask wearing:

https://www.newsweek.com/if-95-percent-americans-wear-masks-100000-lives-can-saved-january-1-ihme-report-1534433#:~:text=Researchers%20at%20the%20University%20of%20Washington%27s%20IHME%20said,wear%20masks%20in%20the%20coming%20cold%20weather%20months.