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Epidemiologist: Masks Like a Chain Link Fence to Block Mosquitoes – Dr. Harvey Risch (Professor Emeritus at Yale) & Dr. Kelly Victory on Ask Dr. Drew

"Masks might have a very small and transient benefit in source control. But in the general usage... they probably have very little, maybe zero." says Dr. Harvey Risch
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We’ve spent years “being bombarded with plausibility and being told it was science,” says Dr. Harvey Risch, Professor Emeritus of Epidemiology at Yale. “It looks like you put something in front of you and it blocks what goes through. But in reality, what you’re talking about is putting up a chain link fence and hoping that it blocks mosquitoes.”

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“There are only, to my knowledge, about three studies that have looked at source control in the COVID era for masking,” Dr. Risch continues to Dr. Kelly Victory. “All of them show either zero or very negligible amount of benefit… masks might have a very small and transient benefit in source control. But in the general usage… they probably have very little, maybe zero.”

“Where do they get these ideas from?” asks Dr. Drew. How is the government able to get around an individual’s freedom of choice, and to mandate that people must wear masks and take vaccines?

The answer, Dr. Risch explains, is in the Jacobson case from 1905, when the Supreme Court ruled that Cambridge, Massachusetts pastor Henning Jacobson was obligated to pay a fine for refusing a smallpox vaccine, despite his insistence that his previous adverse reactions to vaccines made him fear for his health. This Jacobson v. Massachusetts case – and what many saw as government overreach into private health matters – was an early inspiration for the anti-vaccine movement, with the Anti-Vaccination League Of America saying “We have repudiated religious tyranny; we have rejected political tyranny; shall we now submit to medical tyranny?”

US citizens still feel the effects of this case to this day, on both sides of the political aisle. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jacobson v. Massachusetts was even used by courts to uphold Texas’ temporary ban on abortions, saying the services were “non essential.”


Dr. Harvey Risch fought vaccine mandates for city workers in New York, saying that those who have recovered from COVID-19 are better protected by natural immunity. Despite his long history of work in epidemiology, Dr. Risch’s statements about alternative COVID treatments were criticized by his peers, who wrote an open letter in August 2020 signed by 24 doctors at the Yale School of Public Health. But Dr. Risch has continued voicing his concerns about masking, mandates, and the ever-growing list of COVID-19 variants – and government missteps that he believes have worsened the pandemic.

Find Dr. Harvey Risch on Telegram at https://t.me/HarveyRischMDPhD

Dr. Risch recently joined The Wellness Company, a new healthcare / telemedicine company, available at https://twc.health/

Ask Dr. Drew is produced by
Kaleb Nation and Susan Pinsky

People In This Episode

Dr. Kelly Victory
Dr. Kelly Victory MD is a board-certified trauma and emergency specialist with over 30 years of clinical experience. She served as CMO for Whole Health Management, delivering on-site healthcare services…
The CDC states that COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective, and reduce your risk of severe illness. Hundreds of millions of people have received a COVID-19 vaccine, and serious adverse reactions are uncommon. You should always consult your personal physician before making any decisions about your health.
Epidemiologist: Masks Like a Chain Link Fence to Block Mosquitoes – Dr. Harvey Risch (Professor Emeritus at Yale) & Dr. Kelly Victory on Ask Dr. Drew

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