Masks Ineffective in Preventing COVID Among Children: New Study

A recent Finnish study published in the BMC Public Health journal on April 21 has found that mask mandates for school children during the COVID-19 pandemic did not have a significant impact on infection rates, The Epoch Times reports.

The research was conducted in three Finnish cities with similar baseline COVID-19 incidences between August and September 2021: Helsinki, Turku, and Tampere.

While Helsinki and Tampere followed the national recommendation of mask usage for children aged 12 years and above, Turku implemented the mandate for children aged 10 and above.

The study analyzed the effect of masks on two groups of children, those aged 7-9 years and those aged 10-12 years.

The younger group was not subject to mask mandates, while the older group had to wear masks. The researchers concluded, “According to our analysis, no additional effect was gained from mandating masks, based on comparisons between the cities and between the age groups of the unvaccinated children (10–12 years versus 7–9 years).”

The Finnish study cited other research, including a Spanish study on mask mandates in schools, which concluded that masking was not associated with a decrease in COVID-19 incidence or transmission.

The Epoch Times report also cited an April 13 UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) report confirming it could not find evidence to confirm whether N95 or similar medical-grade masks protect clinically vulnerable individuals from becoming severely ill from COVID-19.

The news outlet also noted a review of thousands of primary studies on face covering effectiveness failed to find any information on the protective capabilities of N95 or similar respirators, even though they are considered highly efficient in filtering airborne particles.

It also referenced a systematic review of 2,168 studies examining the adverse effects of mask-wearing during the pandemic revealing that many people experienced health issues such as headaches and itching as a result.

Headache was identified as the “most frequent symptom” among mask users, with a prevalence of 62 percent for general mask use. Shortness of breath was reported by 33 percent of users.

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