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To: harpolemond; exDemMom
With all respect to your healthcare experience and specifically the excellent practical advice you provide in your post, I disagree with your premise that "masks can help".

They do not.

I am in my 58th year as an environmental health and safety professional in heavy industry, big agriculture and R&D, with more than a half-century of hands-on experience with personal protective equipment including, specifically, face masks. As to their effectiveness with respect to transmission of a respiratory virus, I say without reservation that even a properly selected, properly applied and fit-tested, properly worn and properly maintained N95 mask (which nearly all are not), even when worn by a person trained in their use will not provide protection from a respiratory virus.

The physical reality is that a mask does not, can not and will not protect the wearer from exposure to, getting sick from and spreading a respiratory virus. Masks can be very effective with things such as pollen, dust and other particulates which are massively larger than a virus ... but they do not provide protection from a respiratory virus. That I have heard doctors advise their patients who, due to comorbidities or other factors must do everything possible to avoid exposure to a highly contagious respiratory virus, that if they wear a mask and if they avoid people who aren't masked they will be relatively safe ... the implication being that a mask will protect them from contracting the virus. This is not true and I find this advice from doctors who damn-well know better (or at least they should know better) to be irresponsible, unconscionable and potentially dangerous to their patient ... and yet many continue to do so.

So, I agree with your advice and supplement it with noting that if you're sick -- if you have the virus symptoms -- stay home and away from other people until you're better. Stay away from people who have virus symptoms with the clear understanding that whether or not they (or you, or both of you) are wearing a mask has no effect on virus transmission. Do your very best to avoid confined, crowded spaces and do whatever you can to keep your immune system healthy (I use Quercitin with zinc along other supplements that I find keep me feeling great ... at 75.) Cheers! & be well.

43 posted on 09/02/2023 9:07:28 AM PDT by glennaro (Never give up ... never give in ... never surrender ... and enjoy every minute of doing so.)
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To: glennaro

Great comments...
Never Surrender!


56 posted on 09/02/2023 11:29:44 AM PDT by Big Red Badger (The Truman Show)
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To: glennaro
I say without reservation that even a properly selected, properly applied and fit-tested, properly worn and properly maintained N95 mask (which nearly all are not), even when worn by a person trained in their use will not provide protection from a respiratory virus.

If you want to protect yourself from a respiratory virus, you need to dress like these guys.

Anything less is just theater.


57 posted on 09/02/2023 11:36:37 AM PDT by Drew68 (Ron DeSantis for President. A conservative who fights and wins.)
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