My fiance was on a movie set that got hit bad and had to shutdown twice, she was one of the only people not to catch it, and was in very close contact with infected. She always wears a kn95 mask. I know they aren't as great but they have kept us both from getting it so far and these newer ones are comfy enough to wear. I'm already heavily disabled and could easily be screwed so we've been careful and are grateful to not have to deal with long COVID. I have friends who lost wives and were in thier 30s. Every time I'm about to loosen up I see something like this article and m just gonna keep a stock of em. The limited effectiveness has been enough for us so far

I don't think that's true. Face masks, especially the kind designed to filter air, reduce how many particles from the air get into your lungs and airways.

IIRC the studies used to make that argument were using data from respiratory diseases other than covid, which are different in that you only get infected when stuff gets deep in your lungs, which is going to be the very smallest particles that will not end up getting filtered before then by landing on the inside of your throat etc. That might mean that masks are less effective, since they don't filter the very smallest water droplets quite as well. But it doesn't apply to covid because with that disease infection isn't as localized.

There isn't a practical case for why masks would not make a difference. You block particles containing the virus, you reduce chance of infection.

Edit: Also, here's a snippet from an article a few clicks away from the OP article:

Epidemiological investigations have helped quantify the benefit of mask wearing to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 (Table; Supplement). At a hair salon in which all staff and clients were required to wear a mask under local ordinance and company policy, 2 symptomatic, infected stylists attended to 139 clients and no infections were observed in the 67 clients who were reached for interviewing and testing. During a COVID-19 outbreak on the USS Theodore Roosevelt, persons who wore masks experienced a 70% lower risk of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection.4 Similar reductions have been reported in case contact investigations when contacts were masked5 and in household clusters in which household members were masked.6

This is valid downvoters. Masks are for the community, not the wearer. You may get some protection, but that's not the general goal.

Doing much to prevent other people getting covid is, in fact, "do[ing] much to prevent getting covid." The distinction you're trying to make isn't meaningful except in the delusions of selfish assholes.

Well first off yes, it does help prevent you from getting covid. But also if it prevents people from spreading covid then by extension it also prevents other people from getting covid.

Not the person you were replying to.

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2023/apr/long-covid-smell-loss-linked-changes-brain