Thanks for the detailed reply, Roger. It made me do some extra research. I hope my disagreement with
some of what you wrote does not come across as disrespectful.
The problem, Mince, is that "Science" has no definitive answer to this pandemic.
Science never has definitive answers on anything. But what it does have on each subject is tons of evidence pointing in one direction and little evidence pointing in the other. Science-sceptics jump on the former to rationalise their unfounded beliefs and ignore the latter: it's called cherry picking.
You would think that something as simple as the wearing of masks would be universally accepted. It is not.
Yes, studies on wearing masks are not perfect: many are not peer-reviewed, some are underpowered, and some find correlations without determining the true cause-and-effect. But the studies are leaning in the same direction: wearing masks save lives.
A large number of experts believe that masks actually add to the problem.
I would be interested to read your sources on this claim of 'large number'.
When the material becomes moist (almost immediately), they reckon it allows the virus to spread more easily.
Again, your source would interest me. The only one I could find has since been retracted because its statistical measures were unreliable:
Seongman Bae et al in
Effectiveness of Surgical and Cotton Masks in Blocking SARS-CoV-2.
The University of Iowa found that the growth rate of coronavirus slowed down after masks were made compulsory in 15 US states and the District of Columbia. Virginia Commonwealth University studied 198 countries and found lower death rates in those with compulsory mask-wearing. The Beijing Research Centre for Preventive Medicine found that if people wear face masks at home before they develop symptoms, it prevents transmission 79 per cent of the time. The Royal Society found that overall the use of cotton masks lowered the risk of infection by 54 per cent and the use of paper masks by 39 per cent.
In the end, nobody really knows
By "nobody really knows", do you mean "scientists haven't a clue" or "no scientist is 100% sure but most are 99% sure"?
all sorts of guesswork is in place
I won't infer from that that you believe science is guesswork. But the reason the pandemic has run rampant in the USA is that those in power are basing their decisions on money and politics before science, and then when science turns out to be correct and thousands die, they shake their heads and say, "Gee, who could have known?"
And some Americans are doing the same. Every day I read articles on Americans who think the coronavirus a hoax, only to say, "I think I made a mistake" just before they die, or articles on teenage Americans having to deal with the trauma of having killed their grandparents because going to a party was more important than protecting their loved ones, or Covid orphans whose parents and grandparents did not socially distance and all died. And their belief that the pandemic is a hoax, or that one party won't make a difference, or that social distancing is unimportant is supported in part from statements suggesting that science is wrong.
The soundest advice remains the original one---stay apart and wash your hands regularly.
Oh, and drink copiously at home.
I agree on social distancing and washing hands.
But given the recommendations from the University of Iowa, Virginia Commonwealth University, Beijing Research Centre for Preventive Medicine, and the Royal Society, I would also place the wearing of masks in that
soundest advice category.
