Yes. Like most measures it doesn't eliminate the spread but it reduces the spread. Even using the cloth masks many use are much better than nothing, surgical masks better still and a well fitting P2/N95 mask better again.
SARS CoV-2 coronavirus / Covid-19 (No tin foil hat silliness please)
- Thread starter Don't Kill Bill
- Start date
NSW Health recommend a return to masks wearing and working from home.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...ome-but-hazzard-not-keen-20220311-p5a3xe.html
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...ome-but-hazzard-not-keen-20220311-p5a3xe.html
In theory, I would agree.
In reality, considering how people wear it and touch it with their hands, and how often they change it, I seriously doubt it has any use.
I mean, I was pro mask the entire pandemic, and I wore it more than any person I knew, but any time I visited some store, restaurant, etc., anything that involed getting my hands dirty and not having the option to wash my hands before touching the mask again, I seriously couldn't see the efficiency.
The data says differently. Transmission by touch is believed to be a minor pathway for infection with droplet and particularly aerosol the main route. So masks help even if you touch them.
The government of Ontario has set March 21st as the end of mask mandates.
I will stop wearing them on the 21st whenever possible, although I may have to wear one at certain times once a week in the office from March 30th (we'll see what HR says).
I am ok with people not wearing masks now but it might depend on the situation.
Well data has been proved so many times wrong in this thread so I will not put much faith in it that much this time.
Yeah, I agree. Let’s go with your hunch since data has been proven wrong previously.
I’ve had 2 x J&J vaccines, and I have the option for a third shot of either J&J or Pfizer. Am I right in thinking Pfizer is definitely the better option?
With two J&J's definitely. Even if just for increasing broadness of immunity, added to the better efficacy of Phizer.
The real situation is that Omicron has been too contagious and it spreads real fast. The government DID try to seal buildings when they found new cases at the beginning of this 5th wave, but then there were just so many cases that the government couldn't track. The testing capacity also couldn't meet the demand.Spoke to a Chinese guy (anti-Mao, but lately pro-Xi, he lives in Macao now) who blames HK cases on "HK people want to be free" - their govt doesn't seal buildings when they detect a single case, unlike what happens with the disciplined Chinese people
He's happy with low cases and things being mostly open in China, but unhappy at lack of life on the streets (blames online shopping that started in 2020).
Politically, Macau people tend to receive false information from Chinese media. Fact is, the "dynamic zero tolerance strategy" is unsuitable for this highly transmissible variant, as reflected from outbreaks in mainland China. This is why Hong Kong people want to live with the virus, not simply "want to be free".
I always wonder why westerners struggle to handle masks properly.
Has it? What else are you going to trust? A guess? A hunch? A feeling?
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/masking-science-sars-cov2.html
@Amar__
It's kind of like if the whole country had AIDS or HIV -
It would make sense then to make everyone wear a condom to stop that sexual spread by protecting the sexual way.
Likewise Covid is spread from the mouth and lungs so that is protected to stop sending the infection just as much as it could protect you a bit by wearing a mask too.
Plus, the mask is not the only thing that happens - when a whole country is following wearing a mask (like the country I'm currently visiting) - they do things like check your temperature at every single shop you visit, meaning that if you are showing signs of illness then you are not coming in.
It's kind of like if the whole country had AIDS or HIV -
It would make sense then to make everyone wear a condom to stop that sexual spread by protecting the sexual way.
Likewise Covid is spread from the mouth and lungs so that is protected to stop sending the infection just as much as it could protect you a bit by wearing a mask too.
Plus, the mask is not the only thing that happens - when a whole country is following wearing a mask (like the country I'm currently visiting) - they do things like check your temperature at every single shop you visit, meaning that if you are showing signs of illness then you are not coming in.
He'll just say: You can't ensure people wear condoms correctly, so condoms can't stop the sexual spread.
The mask thing is a bit of a side issue at this stage. Effects are close to insignificant compared to the effect of an effective vaccine roll-out. I know every little helps (in theory) but a lot of people/countries seem to be exaggerating the beneficial impact of an intervention with very marginal gains. They’re pretty diligent with masks in Hong Kong, right?
Similarly the US is rife with in-fighting about masks when by far the most urgent issue is dealing with states/regions that have poor vaccine uptake. I actually wonder if over zealous mask advocates in the US have increased the divides in the covid culture war and increased the numbers of the vaccine hesitant?
Similarly the US is rife with in-fighting about masks when by far the most urgent issue is dealing with states/regions that have poor vaccine uptake. I actually wonder if over zealous mask advocates in the US have increased the divides in the covid culture war and increased the numbers of the vaccine hesitant?
Masks help a lot in reducing the spread in Hong Kong. Many asymptomatic (or even symptomatic) carriers go to work and their colleagues are still uninfected. The current outbreak is largely due to the dense population living in a small environment, leading to plenty of household transmission or vertical transmission within a residential building (where people don't wear masks).
I'm always supportive about vaccines and I get both jabs as soon as I could. Problem is they are much less effective against this Omicron variant, especially in terms of stopping transmission. Shame that the second generation vaccines are not available sooner.
If Masks and vaccines stop transmission, how did France end up with the highest global per capita case load this year?
Not only did they have vaccine passports well before but also a strictly enforced indoor and outdoor mask mandate.
I have no idea about measures in France. Do you live there and can you explain a bit?
See that’s what happens when you’re celebrating not wearing a mask.. boom, the Rona gets you
on a serious note apparently ireland is experiencing its highest positive surge since restrictions lifted. My next door neighbours have it, loads of kids at school have it. It’s just everywhere at the moment
Yep, that's where I'm at. When we were fighting for every marginal gain to push the R rate down - they may have helped move it from R=1.1 to 1.0 etc. They also have the side-effect of keeping the pandemic on people's minds - reminding us about social distancing, making us question going into crowded or enclosed spaces etc.
Do the typical cloth masks and gaping surgical masks do more than that? It's unlikely, particularly where people are in close proximity - like in classrooms - for long periods. Ventilation does massively more and is less intrusive.
Do correctly worn/fitted FFP2/N95 masks protect the wearer? Yes, there's strong evidence from fully analysed trials that they work to protect healthcare and other high risk workers. So they'll work to protect anyone who wants to wear them. They don't rely on other people's behaviour to do that either. If there are still mask messages need to go out, that's the most important one for most people - you can choose to continue to protect yourself, if that's what you feel you need to do.
The vaccines weren’t great at preventing transmission with previous variants either. They seem to be doing an exceptional job at keeping people out of hospital (and especially well at keeping them off vents) which is the only realistic goal of any intervention now.
Yeah, 100%. We’ve shifted from everyone wearing masks to protect others (dubious evidence base) to the most vulnerable wearing masks to protect themselves (decent evidence base) Which is also the most acceptable approach for society as a whole.
Yeah, we’re definitely going through another surge. The great news is that ICU occupancy continues to fall. The last time there was this few covid patients on a ventilator was August last year.
I have an oximeter. 2 days ago I was registering 99, today 97/96. At what point if it continued to drop should I be concerned?
if i take a reading lying down it actually says 96. The others are from sitting up straight
if i take a reading lying down it actually says 96. The others are from sitting up straight
Posture will affect the reading. So make sure you’re comparing apples with apples.
Do you have covid?
3 lateral flows this past week negative.
I have an ongoing cough, sniffles, sore throat, sore head, have had tummy issues, feel a bit fluey overall. So far about a week.
but it could be just a regular cold, as i haven’t had a bad one in a few years for obvious reasons
I had a rotten dose about a fortnight ago. Couldn’t get out of bed for two days. Was absolutely convinced it was covid and the negative antigen tests were all wrong.
Now I actually have covid I feel a hundred times less sick but the test was strongly positive.
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Are pcr tests for flying ever gonna be dropped?
The UK seem to be aiming to drop those rules along with passenger locator forms etc by next month apparently.
To be replaced by VCR tests, which is part of a BETA test
I wouldn't be too worried unless it drops below 94%.
Well only people with really small dicks can compare masks efficiency with condom efficiency, considering condoms and masks aren't even comparable in terms of protection in normal terms.
Mine was 87 when I went to the doc with a chest infection, he ended up testing himself to make sure it was working. Then sent me to hospital for further tests.
Thanks
People in hospital with covid up by 60% in ireland, a good few of them in for other reasons and found to have covid
So I’ve defeated the ‘rona. Massive anticlimax after waiting two years for it. 24 hours scratchy throat/tickly nose and that’s all she wrote. Feel 100% normal now. Currently regretting getting tested/telling anyone as I have to self-isolate until next weekend. If I hadn’t tested myself I could get out and about from 48 hours after symptoms resolve. So basically Tuesday. Seriously stupid guidance if you ask me.
well good you are ok
4 health experts take on the Pandemic response
https://theconversation.com/we-supp...-failures-of-the-covid-response-so-far-178705
https://theconversation.com/we-supp...-failures-of-the-covid-response-so-far-178705
I’m almost certain the UK has no testing requirements if you’re fully vaccinated. I’m sure EU countries have differing requirements, but that would depend individually on the country.