So The Blaze posted a piece about how ineffective [most] masks are. The report actually comes from the CDC, but I'm giving credit to where I first saw it. Below is the relevant chart
in Sept. 11's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report showed that 85% of those who contracted COVID-19 during July among the study group either "always" or "often" wore face coverings within the 14 days before they were infected. More than 70% of those outpatient individuals who tested positive reported always wearing masks. Just 3.9% reported never wearing a mask.
We can ask a few things about these reports. We can say that the people who said they were wearing masks were lying because they didn't want the disapproval of the questioner. This is not an unlikely thing. We can also hypothesize that the times they didn't wear a mask was the "unlucky" time. But there is another very compelling and more likely answer: The masks they are wearing are not effective.
As I've said before, if you are wearing an N95 masks that completely seals against your face (sorry facial hairs compromise the seal), then this doesn't apply to you. If you are like 90+% of the population wearing the disposable "single use" masks, well, read on.
For some reason people have been made to believe that air somehow only flows in one direction. Apparently, that direction is on the horizontal plane that cannot be deviated from. As I like to ask people when they act a fool about a mask, can you see down your mask? Congratulations you've been infected.
What you need to understand is airflow. Below is a diagram of what air does when it reaches a barrier.
So you see the bar sticking up 90 degrees (straight up)? Think of that as the edge of your mask. Everything to the right of the barrier represents the space between the mask and your face. The circular arrows are where the air goes BEHIND the barrier. Air goes around the barrier. It is not stopped by the barrier. Certainly, the airflow above the barrier is greater than the portion that "falls" behind it but the point is, the air is not stopped. So when you breathe in (and out) air taking the path of least resistance goes out around the sides, top and bottom of your mask.
Think of it. If barriers completely stopped air flow, whenever your drove in your car you would suffocate in short order. The air would be unable to enter the vents (on the hood perpendicular to air flow) and you'd die if you didn't get out.
Congrats, you've been infected.
This is why places that have put mask mandates into place have not seen any drop whatsoever in their cases. Not the UK, Argentina, nowhere.
Mask wearing by otherwise healthy people is a sign of compliance. That's all it is. if you want to protect yourself, get yourself a sufficient amount of Vit D and Zinc. Keep your airways moist (avoid low humidity environments), get good sleep and keep/get yourself to a healthy weight. Wuhan is an opportunistic infection, it looks for certain weaknesses and if you got 'em, you're going to have a hard time.