I yesterday heard Dr. Jay Bhattacharya say that even as the pandemic hit we knew that masks did not work, which is more in line with what you are saying.
https://reason.com/podcast/2022/04/...avoid-absolutely-catastrophic-covid-mistakes/
This is a very interesting podcast episode, I recommend it.
The truth is that masks have been tested by many, many sources and they do work. The better the mask, the better the results. This is typical right wing stinking. I have an outlier example that deserves as music attention and respect as the real test done by accepted professionals. Masks work.