Dr. John Campbell....not sure how anyone feels about him but I think he has been reasonable. Here he cites a study saying that masks did nothing, not even N95 and above...which is no shock to me. He also says that disinfecting surfaces did have an effect...again...no shock to me.
I would be wary of any claims that masks are "useless," especially since he seems to be saying not that masks aren't effective (from about 2:20), but that they weren't
as effective as they could've been because of the way they were used during the pandemic. Properly fitted N95s certainly don't do nothing, where did you get that from his video? You yourself say that you only wore a bandana to satisfy the social pressure of wearing a face-covering, so it seems like you're just seeking vindication for your long-held belief that masks are ineffective, and are completely relying on this one guy's analysis. But you're literally part of the reason he is saying that mask-wearing was less effective, because you were wearing an ineffective face covering.
I think I'd heard John Campbell's name back in early 2020 but I haven't been following him; I just remember my dad listening to him. I guess he's a retired nurse practitioner that people looked to early on in the pandemic as a level-headed voice of reason... but it seems like he's slid off the rails like so many others have over the past few years. In searching for him I came across this reddit thread that juxtaposes two videos he released talking about VAERS reports, about a year apart:
Does it bother you that in the video on Reddit Campbell used the term "anti-vaxxers"? Was he being pompous when he lamented how they were glomming onto the VAERS reports to claim vindication? Should we write him off for his condescension?
One user's appraisal of his shift in tone over the years:
I had watched his stuff off and on for about a year. When YouTube has recommended and the title seemed interesting I may have watched. It seemed like pretty mild stuff back then. Just kind of calm analysis - nothing sensational.
I think about September or mid summer 2021 he took a turn. He starting reviewing some pretty poor studies but he didn't retract when challenged. He was moving into the more radical, conspiracy ideas and this drove his subscribers through the roof. Now I have a hard time watching him at all because he's lost my trust. He's continued to double down on nonsense.
People say that someone on YouTube can radicalize an audience but he's an example of the audience radicalizing the YouTuber with positive reinforcement.
Back to your post:
Remember when Covid was first reported to have arrived in Japan and one guy ignored doctors, went out drinking, and later died? Remember the news media reported that another customer got it from sitting in the exact same chair he sat in? Yeah, I thought someone was being diligent there. And no, I wasn't thinking the virus was floating around in the air. I was thinking it was spread from hand contact....his hand to his mouth and nose, his hand to the chair, her hand to the chair and her hand to her mouth and nose. Corona is a cold virus and this is exactly what I was taught about cold viruses and how they, in general, spread. Not that I would even deny air-borne vector, BUT, I certainly heard people denying the touch vector. Uh...no reason it can't be both.
Well, I have no evidence of mass suppression of the BELIEF that mask wearing was useless, although it is obvious to all (I am sure) that failing to wear a mask was met with harsh suppression, even physically. And while I was never a believer, I was also not a big detractor because I felt there were bigger fish to fry....so just use a bandana or something to make everyone happy. (but masks outside a lab means constant touching so, possible detriment there).
But what I can say is that I had a post removed on Reddit for warning against over-washing of hands and over-use of alcohol cleanser. Damaging your skin is just a bad idea. Skin and skin oil are literally the first line of defense for the immune system. I suggested using olive oil not only to protect the skin after using alcohol, but I also stated it was my understanding that oils like skin oil and olive oil have anti-viral properties. I also mentioned the importance of exercise, and fresh leafy vegetables...and I mean FRESH....but I am pretty sure it was the bit about olive oil that got my post labeled as misinformation and deleted.
But here is the thing....a couple drops of olive oil on your skin is going to be harmless at worst. I cannot say the same for a mask that people keep touching with their hands. But I get the ax. And now I guess I get some "I told you so" rights.
I would have rather been of some use in preventing people getting covid, or having reduced viral loads and symptoms. (shrug)
Yes, you are talking about fomites: surfaces that can be contaminated and spread infection. Early on this was a big component in the discussion and hand sanitizer and viral disinfectant flew off the shelves; it was said that covid contamination could last for up to 72 hours on certain surfaces. Does anyone else remember washing their groceries before bringing them in the house?
Later on as we learned more it was determined that fomites were less of a concern than aerosolized water droplets; covid isn't airborne in the same sense as something like tuberculosis, but a majority of infections were attributed to water droplets carried in the air--this is why covid wards in hospitals relied on negative pressure rooms to remove the droplets from the air. Medical professionals still also wear face shields or protective goggles when working with covid patients (in addition to a well-fitted mask) because those droplets can cause infection by getting into eyes, which couldn't be covered with a face mask. They don't provide complete protection--they can provide substantial protection from infection through the most common vectors that can lead to the most severe infections--but that doesn't make masks useless by any stretch of the imagination.
As things progressed, good hygiene was still encouraged but mask wearing became more emphasized. I think it's perfectly fine to remind people that improper mask usage can create a false sense of security and compromise your safety, but if you suggest that it's better not to wear a mask at all and that people should just oil themselves up, it's no wonder you got shot down there.
Your believing or not believing a thing may frame your own reality, but doesn't dictate the reality that we all inhabit. Similarly, popular opinion doesn't make it right, but that doesn't mean that their beliefs are inconsequential or irrelevant. Science is a method for isolating variables to explain the phenomena we observe and to make replicable predictions. The "facts don't care about your feelings" crowd seems awfully put off when the facts don't align with their feelings. From a public health and communications perspective there is a great concern in engaging skepticism and allaying those fears that prevent people from making a well-informed decision about their own health care, but not everyone in the scientific community will always wear such kid gloves when they deal with the growing barrage of conspiracy theories and anti-science rhetoric. I've met a few "Dr. House" type characters who were fed up and weren't interested in mincing words about people who had loud and incorrect opinions about their area of expertise.
If the greatest offense that the scientific community makes is to seem condescending because they're the ones who've done the legwork to determine what is fact and what isn't and are constantly barraged with accusations that they're in on some kind of genocidal conspiracy, it seems pretty self-injurious to say "
I don't care if you're right, I just don't like the way you said it so I'm going to ignore your advice."
