OPINION: EOHA pamphlet… oh no pt.3

This is a 3 part series of articles about the EOHA and their anti-mask/anti-vaccine crusade as expressed mostly through their new pamphlet campaign. In case you did not read part 2 you can find it here. While I did a lot of “googling” on my own, I was very lucky to have the support and guidance of two very generous medical researchers: Dr. Richard Bazinet and Dr. Tara Moriarty who each have research labs at the University of Toronto.

The pamphlet claims that masks decrease immunity. I’ve never heard this one and I have been reading about Covid every day since mid-2020. In good ResUrCher mode, I googled: “are masks immunosuppressive” and most of the results dealt with immunocompromised people needing masks.

I found a good article and fact check by Reuters on the immunosuppressive social aspects of mask-wearing/social deprivation that is worth looking at here.

It flat out states that “Wearing a face mask weakens the immune system – false” which is the same response I got from both Dr. Bazinet and Dr. Moriarty and that I have read over and over and over. 

As long as your mask is clean, you do not toxify yourself with bacteria. People have worn or used scarves, masks, halloween costumes and cpap machines for years without toxifying themselves. 

As for the claim:

I googled it and finally found a reference to a newsletter from an anti-mask, anti-vax and anti-test Silicon Valley entrepreneur who may have been the source “expert” quoted by the EOHA. Rather than rigorous scientific inquiry what I read was basically “he said and then she said”… 

No, I don’t “remember”. I wasn’t born then and neither was Mr. Gatien. It was proven that scurvy could be successfully treated with citrus fruit in 1753. In 1911, a British scientist, Casimir Funk, crystallized a rice husk-derived substance that cured beriberi and Joseph Goldberger started studies in 1914 that led to the discovery that pellagra was caused by a deficiency of the B vitamin niacin (nicotinic acid). Comparing 100-year-old science to today’s science is nuts. Comparing vitamin deficiencies to viruses is also nuts.

The claim that Masks themselves are toxic was a mixed bag for me. In the reading I’ve done I’ve come up with: mostly no. If you are buying medical-grade PPE their manufacture is regulated. If not, you don’t know for sure.  As well, using medical-grade surgical masks and/or N95 masks is overall more preventative (especially with Omicron and the BA.2 variant).

N 95’s are expensive. Here is an article on how to reuse them. Here is a story about toxicity.

If you want peace of mind, buy your masks in drugstores, medical and dental supply houses, and at Amazon ( get medical grade). Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about masks and more is here.

“Masks are Especially Damaging to Children” is a claim meant to strike fear deep into any parent’s heart.

In terms of development, children are extremely adaptable. They communicate with more than their mouths and as we’ve established their breathing is not obstructed. As well they are not masked the entire day; they have unmasked time at play outside and with their families. This is not the first time children have been masked. They were masked in the 1918 flu pandemic and they are routinely masked during flu outbreaks in Asian countries. There are no reputable studies showing harm in children from masks.

Dr. Bazinet pointed out to me that studies are lacking because you can’t ethically force people to be part of the unprotected control group in a pandemic. So, is the EOHA suggesting that we should have deliberately maintained a control group of purposely unmasked children? And what about the ethical issues of transmitting a serious and sometimes deadly disease to others?

On March 24 when I was researching for these articles, the above graph shows the counts of Ontario children in hospital by age was: age: 0-4 = 52, age: 5-11 = 10, age:12-19 = 10 making a total that day of 72 Ontario kids in the hospital. That’s not nothing – especially when that’s your child.

Really? And this is proven where?

When we are thinking of our children’s best interests, we have to factor a few things in:

Kids get Covid. Most often it is relatively “mild”, but not always. Most survive, but not all do.

Kids also get Long Covid even from relatively “mild” infections. Read HERE. The research into Long Covid overall and in children is still very new and there is much to be learned. 

Kids transmit Covid. Maybe you don’t care if your child passes on their Covid infection to their friends and families but there are reams of testimonials from families ravaged by Covid, resulting in the passing of one or both parents (sometimes the breadwinner). You don’t think losing a parent causes damage? Is this really a better option than masking and vaccination? I don’t think so.

If you are interested in more information on Covid and asking real scientists your questions, consider joining these informal “kitchen table” discussions online. They are free to join on Wednesday evenings from 8-10 pm. You have to sign up here beforehand.

This series is not meant to be a personal attack on anyone but a science-backed examination of the EHOA’s dubious claims.

If the EOHA is really trying to be a health association to promote health in Eastern Ontario, it might consider backing away from the Covid arena entirely and using any donations it receives to set up local-led groups that promote and teach -for free (or modest fees) – exercise, affordable healthy cooking, weight reduction and smoking cessation. There is a huge need for these kinds of resources in the Eastern Ontario area.

Well, that concludes the 3 parts of this article. I’m including some additional resources below if you want to read more. Thanks for reading and take care, Louise.

Additional resources:

Should public health measures like masking continue beyond the pandemic? Data on viral infections shows their benefits. https://theconversation.com/should-public-health-measures-like-masking-continue-beyond-the-pandemic-data-on-viral-infections-shows-their-benefits-177238?fbclid=IwAR1Ngsz6IbvRCGSeZctG23wJbukAUb8qPNzIyWK__9xHb2W4R7SZ0NOceM8

Press release: UKHSA review shows vaccinated less likely to have long COVID than unvaccinated. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ukhsa-review-shows-vaccinated-less-likely-to-have-long-covid-than-unvaccinated

Long COVID Symptom Self-Management Sheets (This gives you an idea about what Long Covid is as well as how one might manage it). https://santemonteregie.qc.ca/en/west/long-covid-symptom-self-management-sheets

How children are being affected by long Covid https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220225-are-children-at-risk-of-long-covid