Posted on 07/23/2020 6:57:37 AM PDT by Kaslin
I have, for most of my adult life, been a practicing hypochondriac. So, it will come as no surprise to you to hear that I am a zealous reader of the Journal of the American Medical Association, or JAMA. I find something of interest in practically every issue. Recently, I found myself engrossed in the thoughts of Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who is also, if I am not mistaken, a noted bird watcher. I, of course, know very little about the birds. Yet, thanks to Redfield and the JAMA, I am now very much up to date in my knowledge about the wearing of masks and the controversy surrounding them during this pandemic.
You might recall that, some weeks ago, I wrote in this column about what I saw as a looming conflict between those who advocate wearing masks to protect themselves from the Wuhan virus (also known as the coronavirus) and those carefree Americanos who think that they might take their chances and go about their business maskless. Well, not surprisingly, the conflict has continued to heat up, and now it has led to full-fledged warfare, with each side taking up arms against the other and blood being spilled.
In my column, I vowed to remain "absolutely neutral" in the coming warfare between those who have advocated masks and those who would go maskless. I even offered a little joke hoping to get the contending sides to lighten up a bit. I wrote that, for the sake of public health, both the mask-wearers and the maskless should wash their hands at every opportunity and also wash their feet and blow their noses. I am told that Dr. Anthony Fauci did not think my joke was particularly funny.
I hope that he and the pulchritudinous Dr. Deborah Birx will take note of this column. I have changed my tune. I have been won over by the advocates of masks. It was Redfield and his argument in the JAMA that convinced me. He believes the pandemic can be brought under control in four to eight weeks, if "we could get everybody to wear a mask right now." In a signed editorial, he said there is "ample evidence" that masks assist in reducing transmission of the virus. Think of it! We could limit this horrible plague to a few weeks -- if we all worked together.
As things stand now, Americans are awaiting the arrival of therapeutic drugs or of vaccines, thanks to the ingenuity of our great pharmaceutical companies. I have no doubt the medications will be at hand someday soon. But Redfield says if we all wear masks, we will overcome this plague in a matter of weeks. I say, give masks a chance. (And I do hope the good doctor will not follow the example of the Washington Redskins and change the first syllable of his last name. That would be excessive.)
Even if the American pharmaceutical industry has some medications ready by the fall, it will take months, probably years, to vaccinate everyone. There will be those who refuse to take the medications because of religious scruples. There will be those who refuse them because of constitutional concerns. Probably, there will be some hypochondriacs who will dream up some dread diseases attendant with the medications. Believe me; I know about these types of kooks. And there will be the congenital ornery.
In fact, all of these uncooperative types who I have imagined as opposing future vaccinations have already appeared on the scene. They compose a large number of those who refuse to wear masks today. Actually, I was refusing to wear a mask before I read the cogent thoughts of Redfield.
Which brings me to the nub of the matter. Redfield has convinced me that if I wear a mask, we can beat this plague. Or, rather, if millions of my fellow Americans wear masks and are as reasonable as I am, we can beat this plague. But how many millions of Americans can be relied upon to follow Redfield's prescription? How many Americans are reasonable? Consider the protests in Portland, Oregon. Consider the hotheads in New York City and Washington, D.C. How about the angry young men in Chicago?
After careful consideration, I have come to the conclusion that only the giant pharmaceutical corporations will save us. Though for me, I am wearing a mask henceforth.
I can’t believe Emmett Tyrell is this stupid. If he hasn’t lost faith in the nitwits who lead our government bureaucracies by now, he may as well skip the mask and just tie a plastic bag around his head.
If wearing masks slows the virus, then it slows spread just like herd immunity (while also slowing the acheivement of herd immunity). If masks do nothing, then they don't slow the achievement of herd immunity and may speed it up. Either way, masks don't hurt even if they are not helpful.
Pure propaganda. You will NEVER, EVER have a bare naked viral particle floating around. EVERY particle that is generated in airborne form by the human body starts out as an aqueous saline droplet far larger than 0.1 micron. Even if all water evaporates, the particle is still a salt/organic solid, again far larger than 0.1 micron.
Covering your nose and mouth when you sneeze/cough is as effective as wearing a mask.
Is this author prone to sarcasm? Because that is sure how I am reading this.
Forty years of respect crushed in one moment. You mask proponents are the worst scurge to ever hit this earth. Thank God you won’t win.
“Every day I wear clothing, shoes, and a hat to protect the outside of my body. When the situation calls for it, I wear a mask to protect the insides. Pretty simple approach to staying healthy and comfortable.”
Terrific and good for you except masks don’t work.
I notice the author does not define what research and the CDC director considers a mask. Just any old face covering? I doubt it.
“...looming conflict between those who advocate wearing masks to protect themselves from the Wuhan virus”
To protect themselves? Only the N95 can marginally do that. The surgical masks on down to hankies can only marginally protect others from the wearers. Is that so effen difficult to understand? Apparently it is.
Yes, maybe even more so since a sneeze can easily blow past a flimsy mask or even blow the mask off. But people who are speaking produce droplets like sneezing or coughing, although fewer. Masks catch some of those droplets.
Also I would point out that sneezing and coughing in public is probably not a good thing these days and those folks should probably stay home that day.
Show me the data. There is also ample evidence from peer reviewed studies that masks "do" work.
The mask is fundamentally different: The mask doesn't protect YOU, it supposedly protects others FROM YOU.
If it only protected you, then the only person you are potentially hurting is yourself by not wearing it. But one has to wear it to "protect" other. That is the insidious nature of the mask mandates.
“There is also ample evidence from peer reviewed studies that masks “do” work.”
We don’t need to guess. We can look at states that have put masks requirements in place...and watch as their cases continue to climb for weeks. The incubation time for the virus is 5 days, with most well under 10 days. If wearing masks in public was very effective in cutting transmission, cases would start to fall significantly in 10 days.
DOES NOT HAPPEN.
This isn’t guess work. We’ve tried it in places like California. On 18 June, masks were required statewide. What has followed? “Records have been shattered in recent days....”
https://www.latimes.com/projects/california-coronavirus-cases-tracking-outbreak/
Cases per day are DOUBLE what they were when the masks became mandatory. With a state sample size of 40 million! I think we KNOW how effective masks are. Just look at California!
https://www.kcra.com/article/coronavirus-map-graphs-cases-deaths-curve-california-july20/33367606#
I never wore one till the governor started threatening business licenses if they allowed maskless into their business. Being in a very rural area with a great local farmers market 2 miles away that is very heavily used, and has a horrible number of “Karens” that I can only assume come from town ten miles away. I wear one (but way under my nose so I can breathe) just to try and keep them from closing this great mom-n-pop store. These idiots are going to businesses, taking phone pictures and sending them to the head ‘Karen’ governor. Four restaurants got licenses yanked because of these busybodies.
Do what you want. I do what I want. It is called freedom...and has inherent risks.
‘Which brings me to the nub of the matter. Redfield has convinced me that if I wear a mask, we can beat this plague.’
jeez, when you’ve lost Emmet Tyrell...
"...So, in your opinion, no one should wear a mask because some don't do so properly??..."
I Wonder, Warthog, how you ever got that opinion from what I wrote.
BTW, solutions can be better or worse. More optimum is nonsense, as in more best.
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