CDC Says Face Masks are Voluntary, not Essential

Last updated on January 3, 2023

CDC turned OCD

CDC changed their position on face masks as a way to prevent coronavirus, right after they received their $153 billion stimulus check. Previously all their doctors, including their Director, said masks weren’t necessary, and advised against them. They claim their new policy of advising masks is because “new evidence” showed the coronavirus may have asymptomatic carriers. Let’s take a look.

On April 1, the Director of CDC, Dr. Robert Redfield talked to NPR.

He said about 25% of positive tests for COVID-19 may be asymptomatic. (No link to any research, and I have not seen this number confirmed anywhere, including the CDC site. I’ve seen his number copied a lot in the media, though.)

On April 3, the CDC did an about-face on the mask issue, after they got their stimulus package!

We now know from recent studies that a significant portion of individuals with coronavirus lack symptoms (“asymptomatic”) and that even those who eventually develop symptoms (“pre-symptomatic”) can transmit the virus to others before showing symptoms.

CDC calls it a “voluntary public health measure.” They know the masks don’t do anything, so there is no research cited. Yet somehow the media translated this as a new law or order! And then the state Governors did the same!

Face masks are like add-ons to your Amazon order: maybe helpful, never essential!

CDC says:

It is critical to emphasize that maintaining 6-feet social distancing remains important to slowing the spread of the virus.

THAT’S the essential part: stay away from sick people, wash your hands, stay home if you’re sick. Same advice you’ve always known.

The CDC goes on to list several studies that say the virus is asymptomatic, meaning people who don’t show symptoms may be carriers. Sadly, there are no links to those named studies, however, (WHY?), so I, dear reader, have looked them up for you.

Do you believe these half-assed studies of asymptomatic virus the CDC is leaning on?

1. Transmission of 2019-nCoV Infection from an Asymptomatic Contact in Germany. A businesswoman may have given it to 2 other people, but there is still no viability. Just very mild cases.
2. SARS-CoV-2 Viral Load in Upper Respiratory Specimens of Infected Patients. 2 Chinese

   

   families were traced. It appeared that some of them might have been asymptomatic. Report says it was similar to the flu, and there was no real proof. They said they need better data. :)

3. Asymptomatic cases in a family cluster with SARS-CoV-2 infection A Chinese mom, dad, and kid. They were all positive but only Dad showed symptoms. No idea who got it first. Apparently, we should be worried that some people who have the virus don’t get sick.
4. PresumedAsymptomatic Carrier Transmission of COVID-19 Chinese family of 5. Some got sick, others didn’t. Main patient tested negative, positive, negative.- called a false-negative result. Notice the title: presumed.
5. Asymptomatic and Presymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infections in Residents of a Long-Term Care Skilled Nursing Facility This is in Kings County, Washington.. This one was complicated, and some of the residents refused to cooprerate. :) The study says the findings “do not quantify” who gave it to who, but they conclude that older people, in a nursing home, may not show symptoms – maybe as many as 50%. And they don’t know whether this would apply to younger people on the outside.
6. Presymptomatic Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 — Singapore, January 23–March 16, 2020. MMWR Morbidity and mortality weekly report. 2020;ePub This was done on 157 patients in Singapore. 10 of them were probably presymptomatic (as opposed to asymptomatic.) Findings were not conclusive, but it appears that 6.4% were presymptomatic.)
7. Substantial undocumented infection facilitates the rapid dissemination of novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV2). This starts off scary: they think 86% of all cases in China before Jan 23 have been undocumented! They set up a computer model to make some guesses. There is nothing in this report at all about asymptomatic cases!

There you go. I hope scientists and  statisticians will draw their own conclusions. There is some possible evidence that a small percentage of people may be asymptomatic. Dr. Redfield’s prediction of 25%, however, is nowhere to be found.

Can you get coronavirus through your eyes?

But even as Public Health has embraced masks as a cure, they left out another mucus membrane – your eyes!

NPR says, Nah, not likely.

When I worked as a set painter in  the studios, all the old-timers used to say, “If you don’t have the tools, don’t take the job.” Clever, eh?

The studios were super strict with having a rubber respirator for spray painting. (Did I ever bother to change the filter? No, and it got very hard to get enough oxygen!) Of course, we wore the paper filter masks, too.

And the other thing we HAD to have was plastic goggles. Like these. Because you’re not always talking, but your eyes are always open to catch whatever.