Masks in class is madness

THE cruel irony of this pandemic is that while children are the least at risk of the virus, they have been among those most affected by our attempts to limit its spread. Lockdown has disrupted a year of schooling and experts predict some may never recover from the loss in their education. I’m pleased the Government appears to have realised this and is pushing for extra classes. But we must resist the guidelines calling for children to wear masks in class. It’s absolute madness. There’s scant evidence for this, with the benefits negligible if any at all. But it would have very clear harms. Not only would it impact on discipline, but it would worsen the damage already done to children’s development. It is vital for youngsters to develop skills in non-verbal communication and part of that is about facial cues — they are fundamental to social interaction. We cannot allow children’s development to be affected in this way.

■ Over the years, I’ve discussed statins with many patients and encouraged them to take them to reduce their risk of strokes and heart attacks. It’s common for patients to say they are worried about side-effects, most often muscle aches. In fact, I’ve heard this so many times, I never thought even to question if this was a genuine side-effect. Yet, last week, a study from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found statins had no real side-effects. It claimed they have been wrongly blamed for what, in truth, are aches and pains of old age. What’s more, doctors fear tens of thousands die every year from shunning the pills because they worry about the supposed side-effects. It goes to show how incredibly powerful the mind can be, but also how it can’t always be trusted.