Quote Originally Posted by Dan Druff View Post
Quote Originally Posted by simpdog View Post
Druff -> You can't compare Norway/Sweden in 2020 to anything in 2021. There's new strains, people are vaccinated and lots of other variables.
Of course you can. And it's exactly because the evidence from those days is much more pure due to fewer variables (only one strain, no vaccine, etc).

We were told in mid-2020 that masks defined responsible COVID behavior.

Norway proved that was not true -- albeit unintentionally. Back then, there was only one strain and no vaccine, so there weren't any complicating factors. They didn't mask at all, and yet their outcomes were great, even in the big city. How was that possible?

At the same time, we did not see noticeable better outcomes in places with mask mandates versus those that didn't have such mandates.

If masks were/are so useful, then we would see a stark difference -- both then and now -- in COVID outcomes due to mask mandates. We don't, and never have.

That can't be ignored, and all the lab studies and scientific "consensus" doesn't supersede cold data and mathematics.
Yes, there's literally no other variables to control for, so we can definitely generalize the example of Norway to fit in with our talk show radio commentary and conservative message board babble.