The Gateway Pundit
written by Jim Hoft
Wednesday September 13, 2023
The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) has released a statement challenging the effectiveness and ethicality of mask mandates for respiratory viruses, including COVID-19. The AAPS argues that not only are these mandates ineffective in stopping the spread of respiratory viruses, but they also pose potential health risks and infringe upon individuals’ rights to informed medical consent.
AAPS is a non-partisan professional association of physicians in all types of practices and specialties across the country, created in 1943.
“The AAPS statement of Patients’ Freedoms provides that patients have the right to be informed about the risks and benefits of any medical intervention, and have the right to refuse medical treatment,” according to the press release.
“The use of masks and other face coverings, as a public health measure or otherwise, are a type of medical intervention to which the above informed consent rights apply.”
“Government recommendations and mandates regarding face coverings have been contradictory, provided to the public as authoritative without evidence, are in conflict with the available data, and neglect to mention any potential harm from use of coverings or masks,” the association added.
In challenging the effectiveness of masks in preventing the spread of respiratory viruses like COVID-19, the AAPS cited a Cochrane systemic review. The review found no clear evidence suggesting that medical or surgical masks were effective in reducing respiratory viral infections among healthcare workers when compared to N95/P2 respirators.
The AAPS statement also delved into the potential harm that can result from prolonged mask usage. Drawing on over 60 studies and reports, it listed several areas of concern:
- Prolonged use of mask is not a neutral event and in fact can cause harm. “Prolonged use of N95 and surgical masks by healthcare professionals during COVID-19 has caused adverse effects such as headaches, rash, acne, skin breakdown, and impaired cognition in the majority of those surveyed.”
- Findings indicate that wearing the N95 mask for 14 hours significantly affected the physiological, biochemical, and perception parameters in a negative fashion.
- The possibility that masks hinder the acquisition of speech and language in children exists. “Overall, the research to date demonstrates that the visible articulations that babies normally see when others are talking play a key role in their acquisition of communication skills. Research also shows that babies who lip-read more have better language skills when they’re older. If so, this suggests that masks probably hinder babies’ acquisition of speech and language.”
- Experimental data has shown “carbon dioxide content in inhaled air rises on average to 13,000 to 13,750 ppm no matter whether children wear a surgical or an FFP2 mask. This is far beyond the level of 2,000 ppm considered the limit of acceptability and beyond the 1,000 ppm that are normal for air in closed rooms. This estimate is rather on the low side, as we only measured this after a short time without physical exertion.”
- Society requires facial recognition as a most basic component of interaction and communication. Studies in individuals with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) have shown that “Poor face perception in AMD is an important domain contributing to impaired social interactions and quality of life”. Voluntary masking with no gain contributes to societal alienation.
The Association concludes by stating that individuals should be empowered to make their own health decisions, including the choice to wear a mask or not, based on the available evidence and their own risk assessment.
“As masking mandates are contrary to the fundamental medical principle of informed consent, all masking mandates currently in place must be rescinded, and no future mandates should be imposed,” the association concludes.
“Furthermore, since masking mandates for viral illnesses provide no clear benefits, while creating potential for harm, individuals should be empowered to choose to not observe such mandates that are either currently in existence or that may be imposed in the future,” it added.
🚨👇THIS IS HAPPENING NOW IN CANADA👇🚨
🚨👇THEY'RE STARTING TO BEAT THE MASK DRUMS AGAIN👇🚨
Doctors wear the face mask during surgeries to protect the patient from their spit or buggars falling on them and contaminating the area. The mask does not protect us from an airborne virus. (emphasis mine)
If new COVID cases continue to rise, Dr. Fauci tells @JonKarl that there might be recommendations for people to wear masks in crowded indoor settings but "certainly not federal mandates."
"I would be extremely surprised if we would see that." https://t.co/Ed9gMSu7DB pic.twitter.com/RKa1zlfQd4— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) September 10, 2023
The Washington Examiner
written by Julia Johnson, Politics Reporter
Sunday September 10, 2023
Former White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci predicted Sunday that federal recommendations for masking may be given as COVID-19 cases continue to rise, but not federal mandates.
In an appearance on ABC's This Week, Fauci told Jon Karl he would be "extremely surprised" if a federal mask mandate were put in place.
"I can see that if we get a significant uptick in cases that you may see the recommendation that masks be used under certain circumstances and indoor crowded settings, but I don't see there'd be certainly not federal mandates," he said.
"There may be local organizations that may require masks, but I think what we're gonna see mostly are, if the cases go up that there might be recommendations, not mandates. There's a big difference there," Fauci continued.
Karl also pressed the former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director at the National Institutes of Health on the efficacy of masking in retrospect. Asked about new studies indicating that the practice of masking may not have been effective in containing the COVID-19 virus, Fauci claimed some studies are being misconstrued.
He pointed to a study by the Cochrane Library examining the "Physical interventions to interrupt or reduce the spread of respiratory viruses." According to Fauci, the study has been "quoted a lot and causing a lot of confusion."
In the study, it was reported, "Wearing masks in the community probably makes little or no difference to the outcome of influenza‐like illness (ILI)/COVID-19 like illness compared to not wearing masks." But, following media coverage of the examination, the Cochrane Library said in a statement that results were ultimately inconclusive and that saying it "shows that 'masks don't work'" is "inaccurate and misleading."
Fauci cited the examination, further claiming it is "absolutely not the case" that masks don't work.
"There are a number of studies that show that masks actually do work," he added.
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The Washington Examiner
written by Misty Severi, Breaking News Reporter
Sunday September 2, 2023
Former White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci defended masking again on Saturday as COVID-19 cases rise in a late summer surge in the United States, urging citizens to listen to health officials.
Fauci said he is concerned people will not listen to recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as cases rise in cities such as Houston, Texas. The country saw a 19% increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations and an 18% increase in deaths in the last week, according to the CDC.
“I am concerned that people will not abide by recommendations,” Fauci told CNN. “I would hope that if we get to the point that the volume of cases is such and organizations like the CDC recommends, CDC does not mandate anything, recommends that people wear masks, I would hope that people abide by that recommendation and take into account the risks to themselves and their families.”
The comments come after he played down the seriousness of the two new strains of the coronavirus, claiming there would not be a "tsunami" of new cases like the country saw during the pandemic. Fauci was the face of the federal response to the pandemic during former President Donald Trump's and President Joe Biden's administrations.
Fauci also commented on the effectiveness of masks, stating that masks as a whole are effective on an individual basis. The comment was in response to a study that came out earlier this year, questioning the effectiveness of masks.
“When you’re talking about the effect on the pandemic as a whole, the data is less strong,” Fauci said. “But when you talk about an individual basis of someone protecting themselves … There’s no doubt that there’s many studies that show that there is an advantage.”
According to the CDC, there were 15,067 hospitalizations from the coronavirus from Aug. 13 to Aug. 19, 2023. Some businesses are requiring employees and guests to wear masks again as cases rise.
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