I have a new article in the New York Times discussing lack of randomized trials for masks for source-control for COVID. In my newsletter, I discuss what this debate/debacle reveals, not just about COVID denialism, but also about our public health response.https://zeynep.substack.com/p/on-randomized-trials-and-medicine …
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Oh, man, it's going this now, no? No no having a confidence interval that large doesn't show "mask usage may increase the likelihood of infection." It says the study was statistically underpowered so the measurements couldn't be narrowly pinpointed. It's a CONFIDENCE INTERVAL.pic.twitter.com/N8vxKz2ABH
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And seriously, the reporting on this is, predictably terrible. This below is the NYT. Why this weird "both sides" framing? No, it's not just the critics that are noting these limitations. The study itself is well-written and IT'S THE AUTHORS THEMSELVES NOTING THESE LIMITATIONS.pic.twitter.com/UfAIDDngDm
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Look, the Danish study is weak and statistically underpowered. Too short, only measures impact of "recommending" rather than wearing masks, testing method has a false positive issue plus not measuring source-control. Okay, though. This is described in the paper. Not much to see.
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No word on fit in the paper if I read paper correctly. Interesting that the sole purpose of paper was to ascertain 50% reduction in transmission.
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It’s interesting and also pitiful that 8 months or more into this public health crisis we still cannot (or will not) provide N95 masks to everyone. American shipyards could produce three merchant ships a day almost 80 years ago. We can’t even get decent masks.
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What a waste of resource. All the issues could have been foreseen.
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More importantly, the study didn’t randomize or control one’s environment. So exposure - the other person wearing a mask - was likely equal in both groups. The estimated effect of wearing a non-N95 mask on your own infection is quite low.
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I wonder if there will soon be a Tufecki piece on best mask options / guidance for self-protection? Trying to figure out how to advise my parents who live in a part of the country with many anti-maskers and have been shocked by how hard good info is to come by.
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N95/KN95... They are certified and with a lot of research and science backing their efficacy. It's the right thing for an elderly person around people who are not masked.
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