The authors of the recent CDC transmission study pulled one trick which, to my knowledge, went largely unnoticed except for this tweet by @WesPegden. I want to publicize it a little more here. (1/x)
As I shared earlier, they find that mask wearing does not make one less likely to get infected. The difference between those who test positive and negative is almost as far away as possible from being statistically significant. (2/x) twunroll.com/article/130428…
However, when reporting/discussing their findings, they don't say "There was not a significant difference in mask wearing between those who test positive and those who test negative." While I am glad they didn't bury it, the fact that they don't say it seems intentional.(3/x)
Why intentional? Because they report non-significant differences they observed in everything else. Everything except masks. One wonders why the special treatment to masks. Why not be honest about what is found and instead hide it being a cloak of technical jargon? (4/x)
This kind of behavior is extremely damaging. Over time, it will further erode public's trust in science and institutions, and make it very hard to convince people of actual risks the society faces. Good job everyone! (5/5) threadreaderapp.com/thread/1279598…
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I just did a "Team Reality Origin Stories" interview with @erichhartmann , which made me think (and Erich will probably be mad at me for not talking about this in the interview):
My biggest issue with COVID NPIs is that they hurt the poor the most, because I grew up poor. (1/x)
I could immediately empathize with dads who lost their jobs and were unable to provide for their kids. Because my dad never had a well-paying job, and my mom didn't work.
I could immediately empathize with kids who were denied school because I went to a low-means school. (2/x)
I could immediately empathize with kids who were not allowed in playgrounds because I rarely had access to a good one.
I could immediately empathize with families losing access to public libraries because I knew how important they were. (3/x)