I'll begin with a  paradox , thusly stated: As Dr. Shira Doron, an epidemiologist at Tufts Medical Center,   puts it , “It is simultaneously true that masks work and mask mandates do not work.”   Further: To start with the first half of the paradox: Masks reduce the spread of the Covid virus by preventing virus particles from traveling from one person’s nose or mouth into the air and infecting another person. Laboratory studies have repeatedly demonstrated the effect. Given this, you would think that communities where mask-wearing has been more common would have had many fewer Covid infections. But that hasn’t been the case. In U.S. cities where mask use has been more common, Covid has spread   at a similar rate   as in mask-resistant cities. Mask mandates in schools also seem   to have done little   to reduce the spread. Hong Kong,   despite almost universal mask-wearing , recently endured one of the world’s worst Covid outbreaks. More: The main explanation seems to be that the ex

    From  Worldometer  (new  COVID-19 deaths yesterday):          DAY    USA    WORLD     Brazil      India      South Africa June     9    1093     4732         1185       246       82 July    22     1205     7128         1293      1120     572 Aug    12     1504     6556        1242        835     130 Sept     9     1208      6222       1136       1168       82 Oct     21     1225      6849         571        703       85 Nov    25      2304    12025        620        518      118 Dec     30      3880    14748       1224       299      465 Jan      14       4142    15512         1151        189       712                  Feb      3       4005    14265       1209       107      398           25       2414    10578        1582        119      144 Mar     2        1989      9490       1726       110      194           31       1115      12301        3950       458       58 April   6         906     11787         4211        631       37 May    4         853     13667         3025     37

There remains considerable confusion about masks.  Much of the following comes from a recent article in Time magazine: The problem began at the very beginning when the Federal government urged the populace not to wear those N95 masks, for there was a shortage in the operating room. Then President Donald Trump willfully refused to wear a mask. Many Republicans followed suit by avoiding masks in public. This attitude was partially fostered by some Republican governors. At least 24,000 people in the U.S. died during the previous flu season beginning in 2019. As of April 1 of this year, the current flu season has killed fewer than 500 , and only one child. No doubt social distancing and hand washing made a difference. HOWEVER, AND THIS IS STARTLING!!! Any mask, even the surgical one, DOES NOT SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE WEARER'S CHANCES OF CONTRACTING COVID-10 or the flu. What a mask does is PREVENT A SICK PERSON FROM TRANSFERRING RESPIRATORY DROPLETS INTO THE AIR.   You would hope that

From  Worldometer  (new  COVID-19 deaths yesterday):          DAY     USA     WORLD     Brazil       India    South Africa June     9    1093     4732         1185       246       82 July    22     1205     7128         1293      1120     572 Aug    12     1504     6556        1242        835     130 Sept     9     1208      6222       1136       1168       82 Oct     21     1225      6849         571        703       85 Nov    25      2304    12025        620        518     118 Dec     30      3880    14748       1224       299     465 Jan      14       4142     15512        1151         189     712                  Feb      3       4005    14265       1209       107     398           25       2414    10578         1582        119     144 Mar     2        1989    9490         1726        110     194           31         1115   12301          3950       458      58 April   6         906   11787           4211         631      37 May    4         853   13667          3025      3786