Then we have the WHO, who are actually less useful than the CDC.
"The World Health Organization's (WHO's) newly updated COVID-19 prevention and control guidelines purport to protect healthcare workers, patients, and the community, but some experts say they may encourage risky behavior by propagating long-disproven ideas about how viruses spread.
Nor does the document fully recognize that N95 respirators offer better protection against the virus than medical, or surgical, masks. Rather, it says the Guideline Development Group (GDG) "considered the evidence for particular respirators versus medical masks and agreed that the strength of this evidence was insufficient to recommend one mask over another except in some specific conditions."
Masks are good as source control for coughing and sneezing, but if a virus is truly airborne, as we think this coronavirus is, while it's useful, it's not adequately protective. David Michaels, PhD, MPH
Brosseau said, "There's so much laboratory and workplace research that shows how much better a respirator works than a mask. Medical masks and respirators don't have the same filters, and medical masks leak through their filters a lot. They may be similar in capturing large particles, but in small particles, medical masks are very leaky, so it doesn't really matter how it fits on your face, many of the small particles are still going to exit through the filter and around the facepiece."
Michaels agreed, saying, "Masks are good as source control for coughing and sneezing, but if a virus is truly airborne, as we think this coronavirus is, while it's useful, it's not adequately protective."
January 26, 2024