‘Unforgivable’: Top mask researcher torches health ‘expert’

The lead researcher of the largest study on face masks to date mocked former National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Dr. Anthony Fauci last week for comments he made promoting masks as effective against COVID-19.

Oxford University Senior Associate Tutor Dr. Tom Jefferson, MD led the research team on a meta-study published early this year by the Cochrane Institute, considered the “gold standard of evidence-based reviews.” The study concluded that surgical masks and even N95 or P2 respirators offer little protection against COVID-19, if at all.

Dr. Jefferson and his researchers reviewed 78 global studies involving over 600,000 people. Significantly, the studies they looked at were randomized controlled trial (RCT) studies, which are considered to be high-quality research and the scientific optimum.

“There is just no evidence that they make any difference,” Dr. Jefferson told reporter Maryanne Demasi in a February interview. “Full stop. My job, our job as a review team, was to look at the evidence, we have done that. Not just for masks. We looked at hand washing, sterilisation, goggles etcetera . . .”

As of this report, there have been no RCT studies showing significant mask efficacy against COVID-19. Dr. Jefferson has therefore concluded that public health figures like Fauci “were convinced by nonrandomized studies, flawed observational studies.”

Last week CNN host Michael Smerconish asked Fauci how to “get beyond” the Cochrane study and Dr. Jefferson’s remarks. In his reply, Fauci answered that “there are other studies” and that the data are different “on an individual basis.”

“There’s no doubt that masks work,” said Fauci, whose comments drew mockery, including from Dr. Jefferson.

“So, Fauci is saying that masks work for individuals but not at a population level? That simply doesn’t make sense,” Dr. Jefferson told Demasi last week.

“And he says there are ‘other studies’. . .but what studies? He doesn’t name them so I cannot interpret his remarks without knowing what he is referring to,” he added.

Dr. Jefferson explained that the entire goal of his study was to weed out the “trash studies” on masks and examine those that met the scientific standard.

“It might be that Fauci is relying on trash studies,” said Dr. Jefferson. “Many of them are observational, some are cross-sectional, and some actually use modelling. That is not strong evidence.”

The Oxford researcher said he is unsure why Fauci and others are intent on advocating for masks when science conclusively disagrees.

“Could it be part of this whole agenda to control people’s behaviour? Perhaps,” he speculated.

“What I do know,” said Jefferson, “is that Fauci was in a position to run a trial, he could have randomised two regions to wear masks or not. But he didn’t and that’s unforgivable.”