@BeerAndNuts you keep asking in your own way to provide a logical and factual argument that refutes your POV. As long as you can keep things civil and discuss rationally like an intelligent adult, I'll oblige
With surgical masks there are 3 levels of protection (see chart for details). The single use disposable masks that most people are using are not rated and are not surgical masks. Neither are the fabric cloth masks. Even if they were rated, they would be rated by efficiency at 3 microns for bacteria. The average bacterial cell is 1-2 microns in diameter. Streptococcus pneumoniae; a common BP is 0.5 - 1.25 microns in diameter, for which none of the surgical masks are rated. Taken a step further a virus is even smaller than bacterial cells at an average of 500 nm; therefore, surgical masks are not rated for the size of viruses. It should also be noted that surgical masks do not provide protection against airborne diseases.
You may have noticed in the chart that surgical masks are rated for efficiency at 0.1 microns in relation to particulate matter. Before you go saying bacteria is larger than 0.1 microns; particulate matter is not the same as bacteria and viruses. Particulate matter is defined as aerosols - a solid or liquid suspended in a gas.
So yes, surgical masks will block the aerosol particles; for instance he droplets formed when someone sneezes, but it won't necessarily block pathogens contained within those droplets once they've made contact with the mask. Remember, surgical masks are rated at 3 microns for bacterial/pathogen filtration. Also remember that what people are typically wearing are not surgical masks. What this translates to is that once any particulate matter comes into contact with the mask, a number of pathogens can still be inhaled through the mask and infect the mask wearer
In everyday life; and I don't mean to be crass, but I have literally seen people doing what appear to be digging in their butthole then directly after touch all over their face and mask. People come into contact with any number of contaminated surfaces giving multiple chances to be infected with a disease or pathogen. And as I've briefly explained, thee surgical masks are not going to protect a person from infection if a pathogen makes contact with their mask; i.e. block it from entering the body.
So you then may ask why do doctors wear the surgical masks during surgery? It is because of the job they were designed to do. As in the beginning of COVID it was promoted that wearing a mask would protect others from you if you were unknowingly infected. This is indeed the case and exactly what surgical masks were designed for in use during surgery. The mask will provide a physical barrier against the aerosols produced when breathing, but not necessarily any pathogens contained within. It protects the any exposed wounds on the patient and the doctor's mouth/nose from direct contact with an aerosol and lessens the chance of spreading an infectious disease. Again that is not to say the pathogen will not escape the mask; it still could through the force of breathing. What would you surmise would be the most likely outcome once that aerosol comes into contact with the mask. Any pathogens contained within being breathed in by the mask wearer or being forced out to come in contact with someone else? In a surgical setting, by blocking aerosols it's less likely for the surgeon to infect the patient when wearing a mask. Hence the practice, to protect the patient.
In plain English what this says is that surgical masks do not protect the wearer from infection.
And not to make too much of an assumption, but I have asked some who are still masking why. The answer from them has been so they do not get sick. I can somewhat extrapolate from this that others who are still masking are doing so for the same reason.
References:
CFR 42 Chapter I Subchapter G
ASTM Method F2299
ASTM Method F2101
ASTM Method F1862
NIOSH-Approved Particulate Filtering Facepiece Respirators
CDC.gov
Though I don't understand your reasoning for the question, but since you also have asked several times....
Yes I have received several vaccinations all of which have been fully tested through proper methodology with many decades+ of data backing the effectivity, harmfulness, and side effects.
