{"id":1800989,"date":"2023-01-10T10:22:01","date_gmt":"2023-01-10T15:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1800989"},"modified":"2023-01-10T10:23:49","modified_gmt":"2023-01-10T15:23:49","slug":"wearing-masks-to-prevent-infection-is-not-evidence-based-medicine-experts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wearing-masks-to-prevent-infection-is-not-evidence-based-medicine-experts\/","title":{"rendered":"Wearing Masks to Prevent Infection Is Not Evidence-Based Medicine: Experts"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwearing-masks-to-prevent-infection-is-not-evidence-based-medicine-experts%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1800989&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47-->\n<p>It is not scientifically or medically possible to mandate the wearing of masks in public places and hospitals to prevent infection. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-covid-19\">COVID-19<\/a> Experts said that the virus could also be caused by other viruses in a letter to the Israel Medical Association Journal.<\/p>\n<p>Yoav and Amnon Yehezkelli wrote the letter. It was published in December 2022. Yehezkelli is an expert in internal medicine and management. He is also a Lieutenant. Colonel (Res.) in the Israel Defense Forces, and one of the founders of the Epidemic Management Team and Evaluation Programs for Extreme Biological Incidents\u2014a professional body that advises the Director General of the Israel Ministry of Health (MoH).\u00a0Lahad is the Chairman of the National Council for the Health of the Community as well as the Head of the Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ima.org.il\/medicinesite\/Article.aspx?NewspaperArticleId=5995\">The letter<\/a>\u00a0\u201cMasks for Prevention of Respiratory Infections\u2014Is It Evidence-Based Medicine?\u201d addressed mask mandates, which remain\u00a0mandatory in medical facilities in Israel.<\/p>\n<p>Both authors are members the Public Emergency Council for the COVID-19 Crisis(PECC), an independent organization composed of Israeli physicians, researchers, social welfare professionals, and others.<\/p>\n<h2>Evidence-Based Medicine is not available<\/h2>\n<p>Yehezkelli explained to The Epoch Times that before the COVID-19 pandemic there was no data available about respiratory viruses, including influenza, and other types of coronaviruses.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll the studies done in the world until 2020 showed that there is no justification for this,\u201d He said.<\/p>\n<p>Yehezkelli said that both the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization (WHO), have shown that masks are unnecessary for general public.<\/p>\n<p>According to him, the use of masks in Eastern countries does not have any professional basis.<\/p>\n<p>The recommendation to wear masks in Israel and other parts of the world has changed dramatically for 2020 \u201cwithout having any new professional support to confirm that it does indeed have effectiveness against respiratory infection,\u201d He said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMost of the studies on the subject during the epidemic suffer from low quality and many biases,\u201d according to the authors\u2019 letter.<\/p>\n<p>Yehezkelli explained that since the outbreak of pandemics, only two quality controlled studies have been conducted. One was done in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.acpjournals.org\/doi\/full\/10.7326\/M20-6817?rfr_dat=cr_pub++0pubmed&#038;url_ver=Z39.88-2003&#038;rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org\">Denmark<\/a>\u00a0The other was done in ahref=&#8221;https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/full\/10.1126\/science.abi9069?rfr_dat=cr_pub++0pubmed&#038;url_ver=Z39.88-2003&#038;rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org&#8221;>Bangladesh<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>While the Bangladesh study found some marginal benefits for people over 50 years of age, overall both studies proved to be valid. \u201cthat there is no benefit in wearing masks to prevent infection with the coronavirus,\u201d Yehezkelli said, adding \u201cthat\u2019s actually what I wrote in this review, that it doesn\u2019t actually have a professional justification.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, he stated that studies show that wearing masks may cause some harm.<\/p>\n<h2>Wearing a mask could be harmful to your health<\/h2>\n<p>According to the letter, several observational studies show\u00a0that wearing masks can cause some harm including headaches, concentration difficulties, shortness of breath, a decrease in blood oxygen levels, an increase in the level of carbon dioxide, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-022-15409-x\">bacterial contamination<\/a> From the mask itself.<\/p>\n<p>According to Yehezkelli, the accumulation of carbon dioxide\u2014at levels that sometimes exceed the permitted standard\u2014might cause tiredness, blurriness, sleepiness, and deficiency in judgment and thinking.<\/p>\n<p>People with hearing impairments who have to read lips or children might experience communication difficulties. Yehezkelli said that it is crucial for children to see a person for their language development. Some studies show the negative effect of wearing masks on communication and children\u2019s development.<\/p>\n<p>Position paper<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pecc-il.org\/_files\/ugd\/8f392f_a83b55426e6e4ee595c86d1a6c26954e.pdf\">PDF<\/a>(published March 31, 2021 by the PECC. After a thorough review of medical literature, the PECC recommended that children not wear masks for prolonged periods of time. \u201cdue to concerns for actual harm to their health and development.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Medical Facilities<\/h2>\n<p>Yehezkelli, who was also a lecturer at Tel Aviv University&#8217;s Department of Emergency and Disaster Management, said that there are certain situations in which masks can be justified.<\/p>\n<p>Medical treatment is when a patient with a lung disease is carefully examined by medical staff. This is especially true in the case COVID-19. \u201cthere is justification for wearing masks by both the therapist and the patient,\u201d He said.<\/p>\n<p>Yehezkelli, a family physician, said that he was a good doctor. \u201cwhen a patient comes to me with leg pain, there is no reason for him or me to wear a mask. If a patient comes in with anemia, there is no reason, either.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He said that the relationship between doctor and patient is crucial in a medical encounter. The lack of empathy between the doctor and patient is impeded by masks.<\/p>\n<p>At the moment, Israel still has a directive prohibiting mask-wearing in health and welfare facilities. \u201cactually has no justification,\u201d said Yehezkelli.<\/p>\n<h2>MoH Mask Recommendation<\/h2>\n<p>According to the MoH <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.il\/en\/departments\/news\/13062022-01\">Website<\/a>\u00a0As of January 9, 2009 \u201calthough some try to make others doubt the effectiveness of masks, the scientific information concerning their effectiveness in preventing transmission of COVID-19 to others is well-founded and well-established!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It doesn&#8217;t stop there. \u201cmany studies have shown that wearing masks in public settings significantly reduces the community spread of COVID-19, too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Yehezkelli replied to the MoH&#8217;s recommendation by saying, \u201cI have to say, unfortunately, that this is incorrect information and I will not hesitate to call it disinformation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The majority of studies the MoH rely on are observational.\u00a0\u201cIn medicine, we try to rely on controlled studies, which are of higher quality than observational studies,\u201d He said.<\/p>\n<p>Some studies have shown that mask-wearing can be beneficial, while others show the opposite. Both controlled studies however show no benefit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think this is an example of the trending, misleading information provided both by the Israeli Ministry of Health and by health authorities around the world \u2026 which was provided both to the public and to the professional public, including to us doctors,\u201d He said.<\/p>\n<p>These studies should be reviewed by doctors. \u201cWhen you read these studies in depth and you read their methods, you realize that there is no justification and no effectiveness, in fact,\u201d He said.<\/p>\n<p>Information provided by authorities regarding other measures taken against COVID-19 such as closing schools, closing quarantines, and vaccinations and their effectiveness is also available \u201cvery inaccurate information to say the least,\u201d He said.<\/p>\n<p>The MoH has not responded to our request for comment.<\/p>\n<p>Yehezkelli stated that he expected the scientific and medical community to use evidence-based medicine instead of beliefs in deciding on these measures or to at least modify them. \u201cover time and as more data have accumulated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps these exact measures were taken at first by the authorities \u201cto go a little on the safe side,\u201d He said. However, the data quickly became available and showed that these strict measures were not justified by professionals, ineffective, or caused more harm than good.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe wrong policy in response to COVID-19 caused, in my understanding, a disaster on a global scale,\u201d said Yehezkelli. Examples of this disaster include the loss of school years for children, anxiety and depression in the population as a result of the isolation and lockdowns\u2014mainly among the youth who are still affected by it, an increase in eating disorder cases, unemployment, and economic damage.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think we are still absorbing the shockwaves of the policy, not of the virus,\u201d He said.<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Educate the Public\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThe Ministry of Health\u2019s outreach strategy throughout the epidemic was a strategy of intimidation,\u201d which damaged the public\u2019s trust, said Yehezkelli. The best strategy for managing emergency situations is to \u201cgive transparent, reliable information, and recommendations for action.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He stated that the pandemic&#8217;s outbreak began in Israel and the epidemic management team in Israel decided in their discussions that wearing masks was not beneficial.<\/p>\n<p>It is noted in the team\u2019s discussions that \u201cthe purpose of the masks is to educate the public,\u201d He said. \u201cI don\u2019t think it is appropriate for some government body to educate the public in this way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Following a freedom-of-information application (FOI), submitted by Gadi Schiloh, an attorney who is a member the PECC, the protocols from the discussions on the epidemic management team were published, dated March 30, 2020, as well as April 1, 2020.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWearing masks has an educational message as part of maintaining hygiene and social distancing,\u201d According to the protocols of the epidemic management group, it said that they have \u201ca psychological effect.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It added that \u201cin the absence of professional or factual basis,\u201d The team won&#8217;t be able to issue a recommendation for wearing masks. \u201cThere is no established scientific proof that masks lower morbidity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is doubt about the effectiveness of using a mask to prevent infection,\u201d It was not overlooked. Yet one suggestion considered by the\u00a0team was for the public to wear masks as a means to ease the lockdown policy. They also noted that this recommendation should be considered in conjunction with \u201can explanation why this recommendation was made and that the public will be aware that there is no proof that it prevents infection.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is important to make sure that wearing masks will not cause harm, and the harm may be greater than the benefit,\u201d The team agreed.<\/p>\n<p>The MoH decided on April 7, 2020 to require citizens to wear a face mask in public. This emergency order was implemented five days later.<\/p>\n<h2>Medical Journals<\/h2>\n<p>In response to a letter published in July 2022, in which the authors recommended wearing masks for their effectiveness, the authors addressed the IMAJ.<\/p>\n<p>Yehezkelli replied that he had received a notification within one day that the letter was accepted for publication.<\/p>\n<p>The December edition published the letter six months later than it had been sent.<\/p>\n<p>When they tried to find out why the letter hadn\u2019t been published in subsequent editions, they were told it would take time. Later, they were informed that the letter needed language editing.<\/p>\n<p>The end comes out as follows: \u201cthe letter was published as-is,\u201d said Yehezkelli. Yehezkelli said that not a word was changed. \u201cand I\u2019m glad that\u2019s the case.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He stated that the important thing was for the letter to be published. However, this might also be an example. \u201cof some reluctance\u201d Articles to be published in the medical press \u201cthat advocate a different approach than the approach of the health authorities regarding the coronavirus.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Epoch Times received an email from the IMAJ confirming that they had sent it. \u201cAs usual, the letter went through a review process, and yes, the editorial work takes time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Yehezkelli, a consultant for a medical institute called KI Institute said \u201cthis is a very noticeable phenomenon.\u201d It is not easy to publish studies in magazines all over the globe. \u201cchallenge the existing approach.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMost leading medical press in the world, unfortunately, sinned during the COVID-19 period and still sin,\u201d Yehezkelli spoke out about studies that support institutional health authority stances and make it difficult for articles to show the contrary.<\/p>\n<p>This is problematic as the medical profession depends on high-quality journal articles. The last three years have seen a significant shift in this direction. \u201cthe bias in publications is very significant in medicine,\u201d He said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m afraid the doctors are going through a kind of brainwashing by the medical establishment,\u201d Yehezkelli claimed that doctors are often given misleading or inaccurate information. So the doctors themselves don\u2019t know what\u2019s right and what\u2019s not.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe medical establishment has fallen into some kind of foolishness\u201d Where there&#8217;s no reason to stop and look at things and learn lessons, \u201cwhich is ultimately what\u2019s important, that next time we will behave in a more rational way and based on facts and research,\u201d He said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd perhaps most important of all,\u201d The authors wrote: \u201cthe continued refusal to have an open professional discussion, and the disdain for different positions backed by research and data, are not consistent with norms in medicine and science, and this has long-term negative consequences for the medical profession\u2014consequences that every doctor should be concerned about.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"author_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"one_author_block round\">\n<div class=\"top_row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/author-lia-onely\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/LiaOnely_WEB.jpg\" alt=\"Lia Onely\"   style=\"display:none\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>Lia Onely reports from Israel for The Epoch Times.\n<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It is not scientifically or medically possible to mandate the wearing of masks in public places and hospitals to prevent infection. COVID-19 Experts said that the virus could also be caused by other viruses in a letter to the Israel Medical Association Journal. Yoav and Amnon Yehezkelli wrote the letter. It was published in December &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1737703,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[547],"tags":[5458,11717,4521,14218,4438,10451,5495,3819,4437],"class_list":["post-1800989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-bongino-report","tag-bongino","tag-evidence-based","tag-experts","tag-infection","tag-masks","tag-medicine","tag-prevent","tag-report","tag-wearing"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1800989","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1800989"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1800989\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1737703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1800989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1800989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1800989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}