The Mask Bully strikes again! Today, I will be hypnotizing the masses explaining why the recommendations for masks change.
One of the women who said I was bullying people was concerned about the validity of information from the CDC because of their changing stances. She claimed that “CDC has been flip floppy as Faudci [sic] on this. They conveniently change their information based on whatever narrative they are supposed to spew out.”
I understand that it can be shocking to see such a startling change, but this isn’t a conspiracy; it’s just how science works.
As we learn more and gain more evidence, we refine our views.
I understand that it can be shocking to see such a startling change, but this isn't a conspiracy; it's just how science works. Click To TweetFor several years in the early 20th century, the recommendation for diabetics was essentially a starvation diet. With the discovery of insulin, this changed. Doctors no longer recommend under-nourishing diabetics because we know have better ways to treat patients based on new information.
Courtesy of Wellcome Images CC BY-SA 2.0
Doctors didn’t realize that handwashing was a good idea until the mid-1800s.
Mercury had a variety of medical uses until doctors realized that patients were suffering from mercury poisoning.
And the list goes on and on.
When it comes to the novel coronavirus, we made lots of scientific progress in a short period of time.
Why Did They Advise Against Masks?
Initially, the recommendation was that the general public didn’t need to wear masks. The stance made sense at the time based on the available information.
- The available data on the efficacy of masks in preventing disease transmission was uncertain.
- Based on the data available at the time, they didn’t have reason to believe that masking would prevent the wearer from catching the novel coronavirus.
- They didn’t know how contagious the novel coronavirus was, and they didn’t know how prevalent it would become.
- They didn’t know how prevalent pre-symptomatic/asymptomatic spread would be.
- There was concern about a supply shortage for health care workers.
What Changed?
We have more information now.
- We have data that shows that masks can be effective in reducing the transmission of the novel coronavirus.
- We have data that suggests that masks may even be beneficial to the wearer.
- We now know that the novel coronavirus is highly contagious, and we have a much better understanding of how it is spread.
- There’s a mixed understanding of how prevalent symptomless spread is, but it’s enough to consider that even people who feel healthy should wear a mask out of caution.
- We know that cloth masks work well enough to reduce community spread so stronger protection can be reserved for healthcare professionals.
Additional Explanations
There are a lot of helpful explanations for why the recommendations on masks have changed. I do want to remind people that when a lack of data is referenced, it is describing the situation about a year ago. We now have more data.
“Scientists Failed to Use Common Sense Early in the Pandemic” by Naomi Oreskes, 11/1/2020
“Face masks: what the data say” by Lynne Peeples, 10/6/2020
“Top health officials have changed their minds about face mask guidance — but for good reason” by Holly Yan, 7/20/2020
“Still Confused About Masks? Here’s the Science Behind How Face Masks Prevent Coronavirus” by Nina Bai, 6/26/2020
“Factbox: What the WHO recommends on face masks” by Reuters Staff, 6/5/2020
“Why 15 US states suddenly made masks mandatory: America’s 180 on masks explained.” by Lili Pike, 5/29/2020
“Why scientists are changing their minds and disagreeing during the coronavirus pandemic” by Christina Farr, 5/23/2020
“Understanding Changing Guidance on Mask Use”, 4/24/2020
“Why There Are So Many Different Guidelines For Face Masks For The Public” by Huo Jingnan, 4/10/2020
“Q&A: Why did recommendation on wearing face masks change?”, 4/8/2020
Conservatives Who Supported Wearing Masks
As for the claim that masks are for a certain agenda, there are conservatives who conceded that masks may have some benefit.
Though they aren’t exactly shining endorsements (and some contain some misleading statements), it still shows that masking isn’t just a “liberal” thing.
And right now that [the CDC guideline] is saying wear a mask, and that’s okay with me. That’s good. Those guidelines are good. I’m not stopping them from saying it. I do say this, originally people were saying don’t wear a mask. People that we all respect were saying don’t wear a mask because, look, you know, it’s got certain drawbacks and they say don’t wear a mask. Now they’re saying wear a mask. I’m okay. And it does evolve. You know, I mean, the thought process evolves.
Former President Trump
As for the claim that masks are for a certain agenda, there are conservatives who conceded that masks may have some benefit.Though they aren't exactly shining endorsements (and some contain some misleading statements), it still… Click To TweetWe’re asking everybody that when you are not able to socially distance, wear a mask, get a mask. Whether you like the mask or not, they have an impact. They’ll have an effect. And we need everything we can get. …I view it this way: Anything that potentially can help — and that certainly can potentially help — is a good thing. I have no problem. I carry it. I wear it. … I’m getting used to the mask, and the reason is — think about patriotism. Maybe it is. It helps. It helps. Now, we have experts that have said, in the recent past, that masks aren’t necessarily good to wear. You know that. But now they’ve changed their mind. If they change their mind, that’s good enough for me.
Former President Trump
I believe that you should wear it, even if there’s a 1% chance it helps. You know, when you look at Dr. Fauci and others — and this isn’t a knock, because this is just the way it — if you look, early on, they were all saying, don’t wear a mask. Don’t wear a mask. That didn’t make total sense to me, but don’t wear a mask. Now they’re all saying, wear a mask. My attitude is, it probably helps. Give it a shot, because we have to win this thing. So, it’s not a question of pride. It’s not a question of anything. We have to win this. So, when you’re in a certain situation, I think you should wear a mask.
Former President Trump
Senator Mitch McConnell encouraged mask-wearing in May 2020.
Mike Pence said “wearing a mask is just a good idea.”
Senator Mitt Romney has a lot to say about masks and the response to COVID-19.
Even in July 2020, a poll showed that 58% of Republicans supported mask requirements.
This is not a matter of people flip-flopping to accomplish a certain agenda (unless that agenda is protecting public health). Conservatives and liberals alike recognized the benefit of masks as more information became available.
Rather than criticizing people for changing their stance, we should celebrate the rapid developments in scientific discovery and support people who are willing to change their opinions when provided with reputable evidence.
This is not a matter of people flip-flopping to accomplish a certain agenda (unless that agenda is protecting public health). Conservatives and liberals alike recognized the benefit of masks as more information became available. Click To Tweet
