[ad_1]
Supplied
The former Strictly Coming Dancing star shared an Instagram post Thursday that argued that there was no evidence that wearing a mask stops the spread of the coronavirus.
New Zealand ballroom dancer Brendan Cole has issued an apology on social media for his “totally irresponsible” post arguing that there is no evidence that wearing masks slows the spread of Covid-19.
First Strictly coming dancing star shared an Instagram post on Thursday that said, “The first randomized trial of over 6,000 people to evaluate the effectiveness of surgical masks against Sars-CoV-2 infection did not statistically significantly reduce the incidence of infection.”
“The so-called ‘Danmask-19 trial’, published on November 18, 2020 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, includes 3,030 people assigned to wear a surgical mask and 2,994 controls without a mask.”
Cole’s followers and medical professionals were quick to discredit the statement.
READ MORE:
* Coronavirus: How to take care of your face masks and when to throw them away
* Coronavirus: Few Auckland residents seem to wear masks in public
* Coronavirus: Auckland residents should wear masks, experts say
“No, it wasn’t,” commented NHS surgical doctor Dr. Joshua Wolrich in the post that has since been removed.
“We already know they do and we have a lot of studies looking at it.”
“Think before you share nonsense that fits what you want to believe, otherwise, you will be directly responsible for people being hurt.
“Do the right thing and remove this misinformation.”
Cole’s fans were quick to criticize him for sharing the message and urged him to remove the post, which he did.
Many also let him know that they had been unfollowed for spreading “misinformation” and “putting others at risk.”
“I work in the healthcare sector and I have had patients who refuse to wear masks due to this type of misinformation that puts others at risk,” one person commented.
“When I read it I thought it was irresponsible for someone with your voice and platform. You have a right to your opinion and beliefs, but you know that you are being contentious and it is not useful, “said another.
Although the UK-based Kiwi dancer apologized, he indicated that the criticism had done little to change his views.
“I will point out that there is much evidence to the contrary and it is up to each of us to believe what we believe,” he wrote.
“I’m doing what they tell me and using [a mask] but I have the right to protest … or at least I used to! “
Cole was told that he should “keep dancing.”
Comments on this article have been closed.
