Media claims mask mandates are based on science and will “save lives.”

Mirrored: While the media claims mask mandates are based on science and will “save lives,” science is actually ignored wholesale and recommendations are primarily pushed based on emotional justifications and triggers.
Recommendations have fluctuated wildly from initially admonishing people to not wear masks, to mandating universal mask wearing by all, including the healthy, to wearing two, three and even four masks, plus goggles and face shields.
The logical reason for all this flip-flopping is because actual science is being ignored. From the start, the available research has been rather consistent: Mask wearing does not reduce the prevalence of viral illness and asymptomatic spread is exceedingly rare, if not nonexistent.
The largest COVID-19-specific mask trial to date found masks may either reduce your risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection by as much as 46%, or increase it by 23%. Either way, the vast majority — 97.9% of those who didn’t wear masks, and 98.2% of those who did — remained infection free.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rely on an anecdotal story about two hair stylists who interacted with clients while symptomatic. Because everyone wore masks in the salon, and none tested positive after exposure, they claim this is evidence that the masks prevented the spread of infection. Meanwhile, other CDC data reveal 85% of confirmed COVID-19 patients used masks “often” or “always”.