What would have happened if everyone in the United Kingdom had worn high-grade masks during the COVID-19 pandemic? A modelling study has estimated just how sharply transmission might have dropped. Determining the effect of masks on viral transmission is difficult, and most studies so far have been affected by limitations such as small sample sizes. To overcome this issue, Richard Sear at the University of Surrey, UK, developed a model of transmission using data from the UK National Health Service COVID-19 app. The app, which ran on mobile phones between 2020 and 2023, logged information about infections and the length of time users came into contact with each other. Sear built on a previously published analysis of 240,000 positive COVID-19 tests and 7 million contacts — instances in which app users were notified that they had been exposed to the virus. He estimated that if everyone in the United Kingdom had worn N95 or FFP2 masks — both highly effective at filtering particles — the rate of COVID-19 transmission would have dropped by a factor of 9.

This is utter nonsense. The eyes, never covered by masks, are  the primary surface for contact and transmission. For example, dacryocystitis is a common disorder of an inflamed lacrimal sac. But it also is prima facie proof of entry. I argue that we still have no idea as to the actual transmission mechanism; nano, micro etc. But we do know that the lacrimal sac is a wonder means for viruses caught on the "fly paper" of the eyes tpo get to the respiratory system.

Five years later and we still see such nonsense!