The Conservative Cave
Current Events => General Discussion => Topic started by: Ralph Wiggum on August 27, 2021, 06:19:44 PM
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Via the Clay & Buck show (in the time slot formerly occupied by the late great Rush Limbaugh):
CLAY: We bring in, from New York Magazine, David Zweig, and he wrote a great piece — I believe it came out on Friday — looking at all of the data surrounding masks in schools and whether or not they work. David, I thought it was a fantastic piece. I appreciate you making the time to come on with us.
Let’s start here. The biggest study on masks that has been done in the United States for kids was, I believe — as you focused on — a 90,000 group in Georgia which showed if there was no real strong value to masking children. Explain what that study showed, and thanks for coming on with us
DAVID: Thanks for having me. Yeah, the interesting thing about mask requirements for students is that after I did a really deep dive into the topic — and I’ve spoken with at least a dozen, if not two dozen experts on the issue — there are is no concrete evidence that mask requirements produce a benefit.
And as you noted, one of the only studies — according to the CDC it was the only study when it came out in May — where they actually looked at comparing schools that had a mask mandate with schools that didn’t have a mask mandate… And this is something, what’s essentially called like a cohort study where you’re actually studying comparing with and without.
And this is the only one that did it. And they found that there was no statistically significant difference. And that’s sort of like jargon within statistics saying that unless you have a larger sample size, that they couldn’t find a real benefit. And my angle on this was, “Look, if 90,000 students is not enough to see a benefit of this particular intervention, then that shows that if at best there is a benefit, it’s most likely very marginal.”
BUCK: And so, David — it’s Buck here — when they talk about “the data…” They’ve often spoken at different points the pandemic as though science is settled, obvious, clear, anyone who challenges the dictates of say the CDC or any number of other bodies or organizations is anti-science and being reckless, they will say that we know this works.
Is there something…? This is just… I see it all the time, right? “We know masking kids works,” even though as you point out, well, actually the biggest study that you can find shows that it doesn’t. Do they have some counter-study that is in any way serious? Do they even have data is basically what I’m asking? What do they show us?
DAVID: (chuckles) Yeah, so, it’s funny. I reached out to the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics, which sort of echoes the CDC’s guidance, and I said, “Hey, I’m writing an article for New York Magazine on this. I haven’t been able to find anything. What did you base your guidance on?” And the AAP sent me nothing. And the CDC sent me two links to something about vaccines and something else that is irrelevant.
And like I said a minute ago, I’ve reached out to numerous experts. And every time I reach out to someone who’s a real pro-mask mandate for children, they can’t send me anything. What they send is a study… One of them sent me a study that was done in Massachusetts where everyone was wearing a mask, and this is the problem.
FYI, liberals: New York Magazine is NOT a conservative publication.
https://www.clayandbuck.com/new-york-mags-david-zweig-cant-find-proof-masking-kids-works/