Is mask wearing working.

[HeresMe]

So does mask wearing work, cases went down without masks, but cases are going up despite masks.

Does it make a difference who knows.

Yes.

I've randomly read an article on a news site that it is probably reducing people's viral load so people are getting less sick.

Yes, it reduces the cases by quite a lot, and is also potentially reducing viral load so people catch it like a "glancing blow" and it is very mild as RedRum has said above.

Cases are going up because people are partying without them, not because they don't work when people do wear them.

But cases are going up now despite masks.

You can't blame pubs as if there was a spike it would have been in July.

OP if you look at government figures it is younger people including those still at school who are catching it.

No.

OP if you look at government figures it is younger people including those still at school who are catching it.

The figures today showed very few people of schlll age catching it.

School age

No - it just makes it easier for the govt to introduce more restrictions

Research coming out of France linking it to viral dose (lower in mask-wearing communities) and consequent milder disease

@scaevola

Research coming out of France linking it to viral dose (lower in mask-wearing communities) and consequent milder disease

That’s really interesting.

I mean that genuinely, @scaevola! That it might not be all about infection rates but severity

Kids now back at school. No masks.

but cases are going up despite masks.

They could have gone up even more without them.

Given we cannot run two realities side by side its impossible to tell.

People fishing out a mask of dubious quality, applying to face, having a fidget, sticking out a nose, removing, shoving in a pocket until next time.
I'm not convinced.

Plus masks have made shops more complacent and people more lax on keeping their distance.

Masks don't seem to be the magic solution in places like Spain either.

Most transmissions are in the home (no masks), the workplace (normally no masks) or events/parties (no masks). To be honest I'd be amazed if mask-wearing in shops/trains was found to have a significant effect

@HeresMe

I imagine it has had a marginal difference in shops, but difficult to say.

You could argue that we shouldn’t bother washing our hands, as cases were shooting through the roof when we were all told to sing happy birthday whilst we washed them back in March.... But it is still a good idea to, as it likely stops even faster growth.

Look at the data for Massachusetts in the US. There is really good compliance with mask wearing and our cases are really down except for a few communities with dense housing situations. It doesn't sound like the UK is really doing mask wearing enough yet to have a big impact on transmission.

Was mask wearing still being enforced at the start of the latest increases in Spain etc?
It's obvious that the correct type of masks used correctly help prevent the spread and transmission.
I saw perhaps the winner of the Darwin award for wtfuckery on here the other day though. Masks don't work in the UK because there isn't any Covid to transmit and therefore their efficiency is negligent.

Aren't cases largely going up because of testing being more widespread?

No idea but cases would've gone up regardless with schools reopening & the relaxation of rules prior to now.