136 Comments

Woah - this is by far the most comprehensive collection of scientific studies and summaries I have ever read on COVID in a single article, bar none. Even our own agencies that exist to protect us or 'reputable' news outlets that have a mission to reports facts don't share these details in this fashion.

A must read.

Sadly, I fear I'll have to further truncate this for those who can't be bothered to read beyond a few words in a headline.

Excellent work on this post Jessica!

Expand full comment

Thanks! This felt important to write, for a range of reasons. I think a lot of people will appreciate just having a big, solid block of articles telling them in very clear terms that they're not crazy, that the real experts *do* still have their back, and these medical pundits the mainstream media keeps dragging out are a joke. It's nice to have something to show, even if we might need to trim it down even a little more.

Expand full comment

Agreed, this is fantastic. LongCovidLearning.org takes a similar approach: part "narrative" laying out as clearly and simply as possible what the conclusions are, and part "backing that up" with summaries of some of the most significant scientific papers that lead to those conclusions. It's another good resource to show your friends and family, both to try to protect those we love *and* find the strength to maintain our precautions (and our conviction that we're making sound choices grounded in real science). And if others can't handle a "big read," there are bite-sized cards for sharing on social media that summarize some of the most significant science. It's great to see multiple well-reasoned approaches to this incredibly challenging topic. Well done, Jessica!

Expand full comment

"Real experts" 🤣🤣🤣

Expand full comment

Stellar work, thank you Jess!

Expand full comment

Thanks! I thought a comprehensive roundup of recent research was important.

Expand full comment

This is really fantastic. If you're aware of any studies that could expand "masks work" to "masks work and aren't harmful," that would be really helpful. I've only recently become aware of how prevalent the "masks are harmful" beliefs are among educators and others who believe that masks (not infection or other pandemic harms) have affected kids' socio-emotional development, language development, and educational attainment. People who are otherwise well versed and believe in science and equity think that the medical and educational viewpoints are at odds and contradict each other. The AAP statement alone isn't sufficient to counteract those beliefs.

Expand full comment

True, that myth is probably a whole post on its own. I'll make plans to cover it.

Expand full comment
Comment removed
November 27, 2022
Comment removed
Expand full comment

Titanium dioxide particles frequently present in face masks intended for general use require regulatory control

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35169246/

Expand full comment

Brave effort Sharebear, but I wouldn't expect any acknowledgement from the delusional clowns on this thread.

If anyone does respond it'll probably be to tell you that Marianna Spring or some other clueless neo-Marxist lunatic "has already debunked all that".

Expand full comment

I work in Industrial settings where hazards are immediately dangerous to life and health (IDLH). In other words, airborne hazards that will kill you. My job is to protect workers. I would be criminally liable for their harm. The limitations of the masks as PPE are very important to understand

Expand full comment

Based on data from the CDC, counties with mask mandates over the Omicron wave fared no better (or even performed worse) than counties with NO mask mandate.

https://twitter.com/justin_hart/status/1534304292043214848

Expand full comment

Nonetheless, the data is consistent with mask wearing having modest or no direct effect on COVID-related outcomes in this experimental setting. https://trialsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13063-022-06704-z

Expand full comment

Classic neo-Marxist dishonesty. An idiot demands "sources" - wants a 'genuine debate' don't you know.

Sharebear posts a dozen links. Silence from every clueless cultist on here who "follows the science", including the bozo who wanted "sources".

This is why I don't engage with morons.

Expand full comment

Dear random internet person, I didn’t look at my emails the past week, I just didn’t see the notifications. I’m unsure why you attributed me not replying due to me being neo-marxist (I hate communism), an idiot (I’m not), clueless-cultist (wtf). I don’t know what you’re talking about, but it sounds like you’re either a bot or someone who needs help. It can’t be a good way of living letting negative bias take over every response.

I don’t think masks work as strategy. Not sure about N95. I just asked for some evidence so I can calibrate my understanding, I didn’t demand anything. It was an ask.

Wish you a good day.

Expand full comment

hello. A couple of great resources for you to look at - Petty podcasts and Denis Rancourt. Stephen Petty is a forensic engineer, his delivery is dry but HIGHLY informative and technical. Episode 4 is a good jumping off spot, then go back to Episodes 1-3 for background. Denis Rancourt (BSc, MSc and PhD degrees in physics) has a website full of information to consider. A new study recently came out specifically re surgical masks vs N95

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFFAi2UHE7Y (Episode 4 Petty Podcast)

https://denisrancourt.ca/page.php?id=1&name=home (Denis Rancourt)

https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/epdf/10.7326/M22-1966?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email (new mask study)

Hopefully this helps - I enjoy the technical information sources best vs twitter memes

Expand full comment

Yeah right. After 3 years you want to "calibrate your understanding".

Rude Clown.

Expand full comment

So much so, you ask an ignorant question then ignore any answers for a week.

Expand full comment

Industrial Forensic Engineer Stephen Petty - Petty Podcast Ep 04 I'm Falling and Can't Find the Ground

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFFAi2UHE7Y

Expand full comment

How Small is a Virus Particle (Virion)? - Ep. 03 Stephen Petty, a certified industrial hygienist, safety professional, and engineer with 45 years of experience in the field and one of the top testifying experts on personal protective equipment (PPE) and exposure control in the country, explained in detail why neither surgical masks nor N95 respirators can protect people from Covid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bquNE3VJqd4

Expand full comment

Unravelling the Role of the Mandatory Use of Face Covering Masks for the Control of SARS-CoV-2 in Schools: A Quasi-Experimental Study Nested in a Population-Based Cohort in Catalonia (Spain)

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4046809

Expand full comment

Correlation Between Mask Compliance and COVID-19 Outcomes in Europe

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9123350/

Expand full comment

Jessica, your presentation of your massive research is indeed impressive. You are now serving the public interest very well. We all owe you a debt of gratitude.

Keep it up!

Expand full comment

Thanks! It's becoming more and more clear that a lot of people just need/want a good comprehensive overview of information out there on different topics, and this is a great place to do that.

Expand full comment

Thank you for this very useful compendium.

I just learned this morning that in the small northern Canadian community where my daughter lives she and my granddaughter are two of very few people still masking there. Some kids from my granddaughter's primary school asked my daughter the other day if she had any spare masks that they could have. Because their parents WOULDNT allow them to wear a mask (and therefore wouldn't provide them with one). Poor little children. Smarter than their parents and denied by those who should have their best interests at heart.

Expand full comment

That kind of vindictive ignorance is hard to be understanding about. Not "letting" your kid wear a mask is so different from just being worn down and forgetting. There's so much of that going around, an outright refusal, an insistence on cruelty.

Expand full comment

The vindictive ignorance here is all yours.

Expand full comment

Jessica.

I could cry. It’s so devastatingly lonely to feel the weight of this crisis.

I’ve sat down so many times to try and do what you’ve done here. There is just so much to say and it’s mostly a bummer, so people get bored/sad and tune out. You’ve done an incredible job of presenting this information in a succinct, accessible, objective, and useful way. People like you have kept me going.

I cannot begin to thank you enough—I feel so relieved knowing someone did this work. And relief is a rare treasure in times like these!

Expand full comment

Thank you, that means a lot. I've been trying to keep track of Covid studies for two years now, so that motivated me to finally sit down and bookmark a lot of the recent ones and compile them. Yes, it can be very lonely. These researchers and the medtwitter/Long Covid people on social media have been a big help/support.

Expand full comment

I had a "mild" case in January 2022. I had done my best to avoid Covid but slipped up one time and next thing you know, I've got it. My illness was four days of feeling like I had a cold but my first symptom was stomach pain. Well that stomach pain turned into long Covid and lasted for 8 months. I also ended up with hair loss and unexpected high blood pressure. I was healthy, vaxxed and boosted, and in good shape when I got sick but spent most of 2022 unable to enjoy life because I couldn't eat and had no energy. $10K in medical bills later, my stomach issues faded away finally. I still have the high blood pressure which is now controlled by medication.

I have zero interest in chancing a second bout with Covid but I don't know if I can actually avoid that or not. I've received each booster I'm eligible for but masks are the best tool in prevention when you need to be around others. My slip up in January was taking my mask off and working in a room where a poorly masked person had been working on my internet service. Had I sanitized the air in the room, kept my mask on, or not gone back into the room for a while, I may not have caught it. But it is very hard to live at that level of vigilance without ceasing for so long.

Expand full comment

We've been in the same situation. When 120 percent of the burden falls on you, it's really hard to protect yourself.

Expand full comment

"120 percent"

Impressively 'scientific'.

Expand full comment

"I was healthy, vaxxed and boosted"

Engage brain.

Expand full comment

Long Covid is Vaccine Injury. Anyone that doesn't know that is an ignorant brainwashed NPC.

Expand full comment

Long Covid is Vaccine Injury.

Expand full comment

This is a really great collection of articles. If I can just suggest one correction, the research you refer to as being done at the University of Washington was actually done at Washington University in St. Louis. It's my alma mater, so I want it to get full credit for its good COVID research. :)

Expand full comment

Thanks for the detailed summaries and links regarding the pandemic issues that is still here.

Expand full comment

Jessica, this is a great resource. Thank you.

I’m bothered that the official line (except in China) is that Covid is now to be lived with.

And recalling that the parasite Neospora achieves dispersal by altering the behaviour of its host, rodents, making them lose their fear of, and actually seek out, cats, to get eaten - which triggers the reproductive next stage of the parasite’s life. Could SARS2-Covid19 be acting as a parasite?

And this is where I probably get flak, IF the above was ‘tweaked’ deliberately to tackle global overpopulation, then achieving cognitive dissonance and damping down of critical thinking and understanding would be an effective angle to include!

Expand full comment

Yeah, I don't think it's crazy at all. A "conspiracy theory" is something that falls apart when you really think about it. With SARS-2, the bottom line remains the same: We've definitely got a virus that causes brain damage and hurts critical thinking. On top of that, we've got an entitled, privileged society full of people who worship Joel Osteen and Rhonda Byrne--who literally says you can't get sick if you practice the "law of attraction." Icing on the cake: we've got concerted messaging by corporate-owned media to stop masking and just act like everything's okay--because that's profitable. So, yeah, I'd say we've got a real mess on our hands.

Expand full comment

It's really great not to feel quite so alone in also considering parts of this possibility, even though I had it at roughly 99% in the 'interesting speculation' category.

Just anecdotally, I kept noticing instances of irrational anger in people who were infected (even in my own mind when I had it). Also anecdotally, a lot of people seem to be less cautious about isolating from potential infections (relative to their normal values) while infected, as if the fatigue element also makes it too much effort to think about taking action for others.

If mutations are occurring rapidly and there's a lot of pressure for variants to outcompete others, then maybe it's not too farfetched to think that the strains currently doing well do so in part because of their ability to trigger anger or complacency/lethargy in their hosts? People who think they're healthy obviously spread the virus to more new hosts, whereas people who are angry might also be more likely to get close to people to shout at them, ejecting viral particles right towards the other person's nose/face.

It's probably wrong and taking it too far of course, but I do have to wonder with the amount of unusual psychological reactions I've seen in people while 'under the influence of Covid'.

Expand full comment

Well, Wildfire I wrote something lately that takes what you just wrote a little further. I say covid is a deliberate attack on the human race. The Human race needs to attack back. I'm going to try crossposting to my own subscribers. Never done that before. I might have already sent this to you once and forgot. If so, sorry. Very important topic. https://timrourke.substack.com/p/covid-and-occams-razor

Expand full comment

Brutal. I hate being right this time.

Expand full comment

Yeah, any vindication is a pretty crappy consolation prize. I would rather live in a world where 90 percent of people take care of each other. Unfortunately, that number is more like 20-25 percent, depending on where you live.

Expand full comment

I just want to know when everyone suddenly got good health insurance. I want to know how everybody suddenly has 6 months’ worth of savings to cover their expenses in the event of long COVID.

Oh, wait. This is America. No one has that. But a hell of a lot of people are wandering around maskless and acting like they do.

My pet theory is that the (average, non-media) people downplaying COVID are *also* the people who genuinely think it’s easy to climb out of poverty, and that the lower classes have a mommy government waiting to catch them. That’s it. That’s the only explanation I can think of, because that is the only way you could hear “hey, best case scenario is that this puts you out of work for a month” and not feel utter dread. I don’t know if delusion is the right word for it but...a lot of them are going to be in for a harsh awakening.

And that’s before we get into the sheer number of kids being whammied right now. Clearly those St. Jude’s cancer commercials didn’t take into our collective memory because no one save the parents now dealing with this nightmare are taking this seriously. But maybe I should’ve expected less because that’s the way it keeps going - ‘parents’, as a mass, generally only care if their individual children are affected.

Anyway - thank you for synthesizing all of these resources and studies. I came here from Yasmin Nair’s FB page and have been scrolling through your archive. I can’t imagine the amount of labor and skill it takes to organize and boil down these issues so clearly, and I deeply appreciate your expertise.

Expand full comment

I agree mostly with wearing masks reduces catching airborne diseases that hurt respiratory system. This of course includes COVID

Expand full comment

False. Masks, especially cotton and surgical masks, are absolutely worthless.

Expand full comment

Thank you for putting this together. Valuable resource and much appreciated.

Expand full comment

addendum: video regarding covid immunity and T-cell research paper.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ArDhhlHU-I

Also, Interesting data charts near to the end of the video on severity of covid infections of vaccinated and unvaccinated.

Expand full comment

Thank you for this link. Saw this episode and got the gist of it. Best was going to his website and learning more about Dr. Seheult. His full collection of medical videos: https://www.medcram.com/collections

Expand full comment

Yes the medcrm.com video site has many med topics explained closer to English instead of one zillion medical acronyms and jargon which can leave a confused look on a patient's face.

I was in hospital a bit ago for some major surgery and occasionally would ask for a translation of what was recently explained by doctors. Fortunately I was lucky enough to have experienced staff as in nurses and many other aids that cared enough and had advanced knowledge to share, in spite of their insane scheduling during the last 2 1/2 years, and that scheduling situation too is on-going in our medical systems, just never shows up in promotional advertising by the medical marketing consultants that the public sees, sometimes for the public's and patient's good and many times for the smooth operations of inside-medical-baseball. :-)

So for the patient, or me in particular, it's like, do I really want to know everything that is going on with any major procedure on myself? Well me, no, just knock me out and hope it all works. It's a lot like taking your car in for an overhaul. Does anyone really know what they are doing with your car? It becomes solely many trust issues that it will all work out satisfactorily.

Sorry Monique I caught your comment early today (🦃 - Day) during morning coffee, and I'm imbibing de-calf! How does that work? :-)

Expand full comment