New Covid wave has begun and masks should be worn again, scientists warn
New Covid wave has begun and masks should be worn again, scientists warn
Spread of new variant could cause extreme pressure on NHS and cause more damaging long-term health problems, Sage expert says
It blows my mind how upset people get about masking. During the two primary years of Covid where I isolated and masked religiously, I didn’t get sick once or even have allergies (despite visiting parks often).
Now companies have RTO and try to get everyone in on the same days so illness spreads like wildfire. People sitting right beside me hacking their lungs out.
85Physician here. Masks absolutely reduce transmission and the chance of contracting COVID.
Here is the definitive study on the subject.
Here is a video of a presentation by one of the authors along with some demonstrations and explanations.
TLDR: Here is the Abstract:
There is ample evidence that masking and social distancing are effective in reducing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission. However, due to the complexity of airborne disease transmission, it is difficult to quantify their effectiveness, especially in the case of one-to-one exposure. Here, we introduce the concept of an upper bound for one-to-one exposure to infectious human respiratory particles and apply it to SARS-CoV-2. To calculate exposure and infection risk, we use a comprehensive database on respiratory particle size distribution; exhalation flow physics; leakage from face masks of various types and fits measured on human subjects; consideration of ambient particle shrinkage due to evaporation; and rehydration, inhalability, and deposition in the susceptible airways. We find, for a typical SARS-CoV-2 viral load and infectious dose, that social distancing alone, even at 3.0 m between two speaking individuals, leads to an upper bound of 90% for risk of infection after a few minutes. If only the susceptible wears a face mask with infectious speaking at a distance of 1.5 m, the upper bound drops very significantly; that is, with a surgical mask, the upper bound reaches 90% after 30 min, and, with an FFP2 mask, it remains at about 20% even after 1 h. When both wear a surgical mask, while the infectious is speaking, the very conservative upper bound remains below 30% after 1 h, but, when both wear a well-fitting FFP2 mask, it is 0.4%. We conclude that wearing appropriate masks in the community provides excellent protection for others and oneself, and makes social distancing less important.76You know, even before COVID-19, there would be flu, rsv, etc. outbreaks and there would barely be a blerb about it. People would send kids to school sick, literally everyone would catch it, and it sucked. Maybe less lethal, but it still sucked. And I always caught whatever was going around cause we just didn't have the culture here.
At least now there's more recognition, some people might wear masks, and there's a fighting chance I don't catch the thing everyone gets that season (at least in California where it's still ok to wear a mask without ridicule).
Except my sister gave me COVID two months ago since I let her stay here to avoid homelessness. Can't fix bad habit family members, and getting a false negative on a test gave her confidence to get me and my baby sick. Ugh, bad times.
63Honestly I’m sad for everyone that works manual labor. Wearing a mask absolutely lowers the chance of both transmitting covid and getting covid, but working in 90+ degree weather lifting heavy shit for 8 hours a day wearing a mask sucks. It gets moist as all hell and fogs your glasses.
Source: I unloaded trucks outside all day 5 days a week for the entire summer of 2020 and 2021.
51I'm in Australia and half my kids class was sick last week. Me and the kid both tested positive today. It is pretty rough.
Nobody here cares at all any more. This is my first but most people are on their 2nd or more go around. Its not even discussed, there are zero masks, and people are sending their kids to school sick.
All our care and caution just in the bin because people just don't give a shit
42No wait! Boris came on TV and said it was all over. He wouldn't lie, would he? Oh, yeah.
12I know two people with COVID who don't know each other at the moment. I don't remember the last time that happened. It's BACK.
6Caught and fainted twice. Rough go this stuff.
2Gonna wear masks anyways since the bus stinks like hell
1The masks they peddle in stores are labeled as "not for medical use". I mean, damn! They have holes in them that I can see through with my bare eyes!
Masks that are protective, are called respirators and are part of a class of equipment called PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). The word "Personal" is in the name, because it is designed to protect the wearer, not those around the wearer, and is limited by the rating (P100 being the rating that will actually reduce the risk of some viral infections a reasonable amount, while N95 is for larger particulates like airborne dust and pollen). Will they (including those rated for dust) help reduce the risk of spread from the wearer to others around her/him? Of course, but only as long as the virus didn't go airborne and, even then, "only" up to 20% reduction in risk. Airborne viruses, like the coronavirus family of viruses, are able to penetrate the fibers and travel, but the layers of the respirators and non-medical masks slow that travel considerably.
I don't think that people should be required to wear masks. If you want to wear one, please do so and protect yourself with your PPE. If you'll see me around, I'll be wearing mine. But if you don't want to wear it, I believe that that's your freedom over your own body. It's your choice not to wear one, just as it is my choice to wear one. If someone makes fun of you for wearing a mask, I believe it to be your freedom to punch them in their throats.
The issue, as far as I've noticed, is that people think they know something, when none of us really do. Even our scientists are waffling back and forth on the subject. We all do what we feel is best for us and ours, and we should allow others to do the same to them and their.
Additionally, if someone around you is terrified, and would prefer you wear a mask, I think you should wear a mask (or not be around them). As I've said, we're flying blind, and, sometimes, we need to feel safe whether or not we really are. Just be a good human.
Lastly, up to 20% reduction in risk of spread isn't anything to sneeze at, after all (pun intended). Do the right thing, whatever you feel that is, and respect others as they do their right thing.
[E] You don't have to agree with me, but it is scientifically accurate. I hope you don't disagree with the "be a good human" part, though, since... why would you not be a good human?
-3As somebody with family in the extremely high risk of death category twice over, I'll make sure we're all extra careful.
Unfortunately, masks only protect others, not yourself, and so we must rely on the intelligence of others around us to wear masks to protect their loved ones and the at risk British population.
So, we shall see. Mark my words, if these people kill my family, I will never forgive them. Right wing antivax tossers and left wing apathetic idiots, I'll never forgive either group. On my deathbed in the 2080s I won't forgive them.
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