On the Mask Study: An Interview with the Author

"Tom Jefferson, senior associate tutor at the University of Oxford, is the lead author of a recent Cochrane review that has ‘gone viral’ on social media and re-ignited one of the most divisive debates during the pandemic – face masks.

The updated review titled 'Physical interventions to interrupt or reduce the spread of acute respiratory viruses' found that wearing masks in the community probably makes little or no difference to influenza-like or covid-19-like illness transmission...

Jefferson: There is just no evidence that they (masks) make any difference. Full stop. My job, our job as a review team, was to look at the evidence, we have done that.

Demasi: And yet, most governments around the world implemented mask mandates during the pandemic…

Jefferson: Yes, well, governments completely failed to do the right thing and demand better evidence. At the beginning of the pandemic, there were some voices who said masks did not work and then suddenly the narrative changed...

Demasi: Why do you think that happened?

Jefferson: Governments had bad advisors from the very beginning… They were convinced by non-randomised studies, flawed observational studies. A lot of it had to do with appearing as if they were 'doing something.'"