The first part of the title is the heading for a memo four prominent doctors have written in order to brief Members of Parliament in the UK. I have provided a link to that memo below, as reproduced on the UK website, Lockdown Skeptics.

You may ask, why have I linked to a document intended for British law makers? The issue is the accuracy and validity of the PCR tests used to diagnose Covid19 in the general population, as well as in hospital. We use the same tests here in the USA, as does most of the world. These tests are used to diagnose "cases" of Covid19, so when you see media reports that cases are going up or down, they are reporting on the results of these PCR tests. These results then affect government policy--whether businesses can stay open or have to close, if certain areas are locked down, etc. Obviously, it is important that the testing produce accurate results and in general be fit for the purpose. The problem is, they are not.

One of the biggest controversies of the coronavirus pandemic is about face masks. Should we use them, or not; do they work, or not? People’s attitudes towards masks have become an intense political question, that in some instances have even led to violence.

My own opinion regarding masks is that certain face masks, properly used, may be of benefit to medical professionals and their patients in controlled environments, such as hospital wards. However, to have the general public adopt universal mask wearing is of no benefit, and can lead to various harms. Up until April of 2020, this was also the position of the medical establishment--the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), etc. Then, starting in April, there was a sudden shift, as the medical establishment changed their tune.

This takes me back to when I co-hosted a Drinking Liberally chapter in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania.