Masks: It's about getting less sick, not more

[QuietRiot]

I had been reading a lot of arguments that had been mostly black and white about the effectiveness of masks. You hear how some employees got sick, and anti-maskers screaming, "See, they wore a mask, and THEY got sick" but don't really consider the many moving parts here.

Mainly, the question is...

Would you prefer to get more sick from Covid or less sick?

Mask = less sick

No mask = more sick

It's all about the viral load and the impact it has on whether or not you're wearing a mask..

The viral load.

Mask = less sick, a lot less viral particles get over it in a couple of weeks, like a lot of your friends may have.

No mask = Wind up in a hospital possibly.

It's all about probability.

Basically, if someone sneezes in your direction, you better be wearing a mask, or you'll be in for a world of hurt...esp. if you have underlying conditions.

It's proven that mask wearers are dramatically less likely to get a severe case of Covid 19. That you'll more than likely be asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic. 

Edited September 1, 2020 by QuietRiot

[CautiouslyOptimistic]

I'll keep wearing mine without complaint.

My teenage son works at a grocery store and has a crush on a coworker.  My daughter was telling me what she knew about her (he has told me too...she wasn't betraying him) and she said, "He doesn't know that much about her yet.  He doesn't even know what she looks like because they've never seen each other without their masks on."  I burst out laughing!!  This is teen dating in 2020 I guess!

[basil67]

1 hour ago, QuietRiot said:

It's proven that mask wearers are dramatically less likely to get a severe case of Covid 19. That you'll more than likely be asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic. 

Reputable source?   This certainly isn't something which has been talked about here in Australia.

[QuietRiot]

10 minutes ago, basil67 said:

Reputable source?   This certainly isn't something which has been talked about here in Australia.

It's common knowledge at this point when it comes to mask wearing. 

Just Google Dr. Monica Gandhi, M.D. and you'll see many articles citing this, by they link back to her directly in the article that SHE wrote herself. 

Here's just an excerpt:

I am an infectious disease doctor and a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. As governments and workplaces began to recommend or mandate mask-wearing, my colleagues and I noticed an interesting trend. In places where most people wore masks, those who did get infected seemed dramatically less likely to get severely ill compared to places with less mask-wearing.

[DarrenB]

I mean sure, if the masks are actually worn correctly.

The abundance of people I see not covering part of their nose but their mouth, or they do the opposite, or they're wearing breathing resistance masks (used for HiiT workouts or more commonly people wear them for the cosmetic appeal *big sigh*) - it's pointless at that point, you may as well completely disregard the ruling and not use one.

[basil67]

1 hour ago, QuietRiot said:

It's common knowledge at this point when it comes to mask wearing. 

Just Google Dr. Monica Gandhi, M.D. and you'll see many articles citing this, by they link back to her directly in the article that SHE wrote herself. 

Here's just an excerpt:

I am an infectious disease doctor and a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. As governments and workplaces began to recommend or mandate mask-wearing, my colleagues and I noticed an interesting trend. In places where most people wore masks, those who did get infected seemed dramatically less likely to get severely ill compared to places with less mask-wearing.

They noticed *a trend*.   Come back to me with actual research which can be duplicated in a lab.

 

Edited September 2, 2020 by basil67

[CautiouslyOptimistic]

46 minutes ago, DarrenB said:

I mean sure, if the masks are actually worn correctly.

The abundance of people I see not covering part of their nose but their mouth, or they do the opposite, or they're wearing breathing resistance masks (used for HiiT workouts or more commonly people wear them for the cosmetic appeal *big sigh*) - it's pointless at that point, you may as well completely disregard the ruling and not use one.

Can you describe a breathing resistance mask?  I use the disposable blue ones (and wear them MANY times so I doubt they do any good)....is this what you mean?

[DarrenB]

1 hour ago, CautiouslyOptimistic said:

Can you describe a breathing resistance mask?  I use the disposable blue ones (and wear them MANY times so I doubt they do any good)....is this what you mean?

They're purely designed for exercise purposes. They more commonly go by the name of 'altitude training masks' or 'elevation training masks'. They're regularly used by athletes to increase overall endurance and function of the lungs.

Which again, is ridiculous to see normal people gallivanting around with them as they have multiple open-air valves...

[SincereOnlineGuy]

4 hours ago, QuietRiot said:

I had been reading a lot of arguments that had been mostly black and white about the effectiveness of masks. You hear how some employees got sick, and anti-maskers screaming, "See, they wore a mask, and THEY got sick" but don't really consider the many moving parts here.

Mainly, the question is...

Would you prefer to get more sick from Covid or less sick?

Mask = less sick

No mask = more sick

It's all about the viral load and the impact it has on whether or not you're wearing a mask..

The viral load.

Mask = less sick, a lot less viral particles get over it in a couple of weeks, like a lot of your friends may have.

No mask = Wind up in a hospital possibly.

It's all about probability.

Basically, if someone sneezes in your direction, you better be wearing a mask, or you'll be in for a world of hurt...esp. if you have underlying conditions.

It's proven that mask wearers are dramatically less likely to get a severe case of Covid 19. That you'll more than likely be asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic. 

You have no understanding of what the masks are for.

 

The masks are to protect OTHERS... from YOU.

[ajequals]

with the number tanking for now the third week. I'm wondering why democratic cities like I live in are not lifting the restrictions. I get the mask   wear it so you don't spit on each other but we are not opening schools tax payers have paid for. no gov offices are open. I actually emailed our treasurer of the city yesterday and asked where is my rebate on my property tax? if the services are not provided then give the money back.. this is all political. If they really cared. then why did we not hear nothing when h1n1 killed 1.4 million and infected 40 million?  hell were up to 1.4 million with the flu

[QuietRiot]

7 hours ago, basil67 said:

They noticed *a trend*.   Come back to me with actual research which can be duplicated in a lab.

 

 

Been there, done that.

Visualizing Speech-Generated Oral Fluid Droplets with Laser Light Scattering

Masks reduce COVID-19 transmission between hamsters

Shall keep going? 😉 Nah, I'll just stop there, plenty of content there to digest.

[QuietRiot]

5 hours ago, SincereOnlineGuy said:

You have no understanding of what the masks are for.

 

The masks are to protect OTHERS... from YOU.

No s**t sherlock? Never said that was the case either. BOTH apply. 

Case in point, plenty of graphics went up online via our health departments pages and social media. I am sure you and others here are familiar with such a graphic?

 

Edited September 2, 2020 by QuietRiot

[QuietRiot]

3 hours ago, ajequals said:

with the number tanking for now the third week. I'm wondering why democratic cities like I live in are not lifting the restrictions. I get the mask   wear it so you don't spit on each other but we are not opening schools tax payers have paid for. no gov offices are open. I actually emailed our treasurer of the city yesterday and asked where is my rebate on my property tax? if the services are not provided then give the money back.. this is all political. If they really cared. then why did we not hear nothing when h1n1 killed 1.4 million and infected 40 million?  hell were up to 1.4 million with the flu

If they did lift restriction, then there will just be another resurgence of cases. It's scientific, and not at all political. The H1N1 did not kill 1.4 million people either, so you're way off.

[QuietRiot]

7 hours ago, DarrenB said:

I mean sure, if the masks are actually worn correctly.

The abundance of people I see not covering part of their nose but their mouth, or they do the opposite, or they're wearing breathing resistance masks (used for HiiT workouts or more commonly people wear them for the cosmetic appeal *big sigh*) - it's pointless at that point, you may as well completely disregard the ruling and not use one.

Just because someone ELSE isn't wearing their mask properly, doesn't mean you should not wear one at all yourself...if that's what your getting at?

Edited September 2, 2020 by QuietRiot

[basil67]

1 hour ago, QuietRiot said:

 

Been there, done that.

Visualizing Speech-Generated Oral Fluid Droplets with Laser Light Scattering

Masks reduce COVID-19 transmission between hamsters

Shall keep going? 😉 Nah, I'll just stop there, plenty of content there to digest.

How about starting your posts on the front foot rather than offering the un-researched observations of one doctor?

And frankly, no amount of posting will change the minds of those who don't agree on masks....so why bother?   

[basil67]

 

4 hours ago, ajequals said:

with the number tanking for now the third week. I'm wondering why democratic cities like I live in are not lifting the restrictions. I get the mask   wear it so you don't spit on each other but we are not opening schools tax payers have paid for. no gov offices are open. I actually emailed our treasurer of the city yesterday and asked where is my rebate on my property tax? if the services are not provided then give the money back.. this is all political. If they really cared. then why did we not hear nothing when h1n1 killed 1.4 million and infected 40 million?  hell were up to 1.4 million with the flu

Because three weeks of tanking is NOTHING.  Get your state to less than 10 cases per day and then lift restrictions....plus close your state borders...and you'll be fine.    Deliver education to kids via Zoom.  And unless your trash hasn't been picked up in six months and public hospitals are closed,  I call BS on your assertion that government offices aren't open. 

 

 

[QuietRiot]

17 minutes ago, basil67 said:

How about starting your posts on the front foot rather than offering the un-researched observations of one doctor?

And frankly, no amount of posting will change the minds of those who don't agree on masks....so why bother?   

I've posted about the previous before...so...you probably just didn't see it.

As far as the amount of posting... those are the ones that are willfully ignorant.

[CaliforniaGirl]

5 hours ago, basil67 said:

How about starting your posts on the front foot rather than offering the un-researched observations of one doctor?

And frankly, no amount of posting will change the minds of those who don't agree on masks....so why bother?   

This second paragraph...I was JUST going to say this. There literally will be no convincing people to wear marks and personally I’ve given up. People will do what they want to do and as a result we’ll all just keep being punished until there’s a vaccine, and there just is no changing it.  There just isn’t, we surely all see that by now.

Just try to protect yourself, try to protect others and otherwise there simply is nothing you can do. The information is out there. At this point if people won’t listen it’s because they don’t want to...and you have zero control over that.

[basil67]

10 hours ago, QuietRiot said:

I've posted about the previous before...so...you probably just didn't see it.

As far as the amount of posting... those are the ones that are willfully ignorant.

You do know that the more you go on about it, the more those who don't want masks will dig their heels in?   

[BaileyB]

20 hours ago, QuietRiot said:

It's common knowledge at this point when it comes to mask wearing.

This is not something I’ve heard anyone say. I doubt that it’s a proven theory.

[basil67]

9 minutes ago, BaileyB said:

This is not something I’ve heard anyone say. I doubt that it’s a proven theory.

So it's not just me!

At this point, it's a hypothesis by one doctor.  Nothing more. Sure, it deserves to be tested, but let's tread with caution.

[Dork Vader]

22 hours ago, DarrenB said:

I mean sure, if the masks are actually worn correctly.

The abundance of people I see not covering part of their nose but their mouth, or they do the opposite, or they're wearing breathing resistance masks (used for HiiT workouts or more commonly people wear them for the cosmetic appeal *big sigh*) - it's pointless at that point, you may as well completely disregard the ruling and not use one.

I have lung disease and some other pre-existing health conditions. Masks might not be 100% effective but almost no preventative health care is. Getting N95 masks for everyone is not going to happen, we don't have the production capacity or the supply chains built to do it. That said, wearing something is better than nothing. Disregarding masks because not everyone is doing it, is like refusing to wear condoms because not everyone wears one. Condoms are not 100% effective at preventing STI, they simply reduce the risk. How ever if enough people use them properly it will reduce the number of those infected with things like HIV and thus reduce the overall exposure risk for everyone. 

Wearing masks is more about minimizing the risk that you will transmit COVID to someone else. Then prevent you from becoming infected. You might think you're only risking your life. But you're risking other peoples lives, like mine.. I still have to shop for groceries. I can not tell you how many times I have been at the store and had to deal with people 1. not respecting social distancing and 2. not wearing masks or not wearing them properly because they have the mentality that it's useless. I have had people walk right up to me and cough directly in face. Fortunately for me I have a few dozen N95 masks, that I took from my business. But I can only make the few that I have left last for so long. 

They have NO idea I have these health issues. I'm 36, I look healthy but I am not. I have asked people in stores to please stay back, I have lung disease and I'm told to just stay home. It's absurd that people have such a blatant disregard for other peoples lives. 

I have friends on social media who try and claim if I die from COVID it's not covid but pre-existing conditions. But that's just simply not true, COVID is what caused the death. The person would still be alive if they had NOT been infected to begin with.

Edited September 3, 2020 by Dork Vader

[DarrenB]

@Dork Vader

Okay, so you've singled out one of my remarks and went off on abit of a tangent - feel better now?

I don't know if you're intending to direct this at me specifically... perhaps you misinterpreted something and taken something I've said way out of proportion but I'll assume it was anyway. That aside, I completely empathize for you in your current situation and it's saddening to hear, however I wish you good health going forward. However, I for one don't need the lecture on something I already have knowledge on. I work for the NHS, have elderly parents and I'm a fitness trainer so I follow every rule and regulation in place and I have done since lock-down began.

On 9/2/2020 at 3:07 AM, DarrenB said:

I mean sure, if the masks are actually worn correctly.

The abundance of people I see not covering part of their nose but their mouth, or they do the opposite, or they're wearing breathing resistance masks (used for HiiT workouts or more commonly people wear them for the cosmetic appeal *big sigh*) - it's pointless at that point, you may as well completely disregard the ruling and not use one.

This part of my comment was strictly directed to those wearing altitude training masks (these are designed for athletes to increase endurance) for cosmetic purposes or to look cool. They will typically do you more harm than good whether in a global pandemic or not. You'd be surprised to know the amount of young adults and even older who have obtained these solely to create social media content and then dispose of them, which in fact does render them useless. They are also actually known to severely aggravate pre-existing respiratory problems due to the fabric and materials used to make these type of masks. They also have several medium to large open-air valves which makes them more than less effective, as if you weren't wearing one in the first place. Many manufacturers also ceased selling them temporarily to the public for these reasons.

If anything appears unclear to you, drop me a PM and I'll happily reiterate it for you.

Edited September 3, 2020 by DarrenB

[QuietRiot]

 

https://www.fox35orlando.com/video/851483?fbclid=IwAR2fiwlui7Dg5OYU7fzDszN3LfCQNVZvEwe8Mb6gH3jZC9R8H3OLnh5odKQ

Only in Florida. 😛

Apparently , he was robbed by someone that was wearing a mask, and that was the tipping point. How convenient. The city of Melbourne Florida is pretty loose with its rules.

[Angelle]

21 minutes ago, QuietRiot said:

 

https://www.fox35orlando.com/video/851483?fbclid=IwAR2fiwlui7Dg5OYU7fzDszN3LfCQNVZvEwe8Mb6gH3jZC9R8H3OLnh5odKQ

Only in Florida. 😛

Apparently , he was robbed by someone that was wearing a mask, and that was the tipping point. How convenient. The city of Melbourne Florida is pretty loose with its rules.

This sounds just like a guy I know, who lives in Georgia. This Spring, he said that he would throw someone out, if he owned a store, and someone wore a mask inside.