The Great VIRAL Debate is now underway, with the opening statements from our eminent debaters, Drs Tim Anderson and Denis Rancourt (linked below!). We’ve published their opening statements as separate articles, and this linking piece allows us to feature both participants equally in our ‘featured’ slot. The question they are debating is as follows: SARS-COV-2 …
Dr Piers Robinson is our Chair. Off-Guardian is your host. The proposition to be debated is: SARS-COV-2 merits suppression measures in order to combat the virus rather than the herd/community immunity approach Dr Rancourt delivers his opening statement, arguing against the proposition: The events of COVID-19 can be analysed by unembedded critical commentators following different …
Dr Piers Robinson is our Chair. Off-Guardian is your host. The proposition to be debated is: SARS-COV-2 merits suppression measures in order to combat the virus rather than the herd/community immunity approach Dr Anderson delivers his opening statement in support of the proposition: I ask readers to reflect a little on health systems and the …
Tomorrow (Sat Oct 10) we launch the first round of our Covid19 debate featuring Drs Tim Anderson and Denis Rancourt. The global response to COVID-19 has been dominated by national and international responses involving unprecedented attempts to suppress and eliminate the virus. The responses have been controversial, however, and some scientists have questioned their wisdom …
Patrick Corbett I was on the bus the other night with my wife. There were only 3 of us not wearing masks on our public transport, which mandates mask wearing but with medical exemptions. Across the aisle was an attractive, healthy looking young woman, perhaps mid 20s wearing a mask. She was pregnant, I’d guess …
Kit Knightly The dentistry journal Oral Health Group has removed a research paper from its website which found masks do not work to halt the spread of disease. They claim the paper is “no longer relevant in the current climate”. The article – “Why Face Masks Don’t Work: A Revealing Review” – has been used …
[T]he hard but just rule [of science] is that if the ideas didn’t work, you must throw them away.
— Carl Sagan1
As Americans turn against each other over mask mandates, many scientists are speaking out, including former professor of physics at the University of Ottawa, Denis Rancourt, PhD, who just released a paper compiling seven studies on the science surrounding the effectiveness of masks.
See also: “Do Masks and Respirators Prevent Viral Respiratory Illnesses?“
A health professional told me back in March that face masks were ineffective but that respirators (the N95) were. Because of the source, I thought there must be validity to this. However, it seemed counterintuitive.
As of two days ago, Boris Johnson’s government announced it will henceforth be illegal to use public transportation in the UK, without wearing a mask.
But do masks actually do anything to prevent the spread of this disease? Or respiratory diseases in general?
