A particular failing in discussion of RCTs around respiratory protection is lack of clarity around what exactly is being tested - is it "masks", "community mask use", or "a very specific protocol for the use of masks under very specific circumstances"? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obscura...

Obscurantism - Wikipedia

An RCT tests only the latter, but all too often ambiguous language is used to imply that the results then say something general about the first two (and - perhaps not so coincidentally - extend the range of authority claimed by the speaker).