I’m not so sure about that. I live hear a high school. Sometimes, at lunch time and school day end, I see students walking in the neighborhood. Those walking away from the school usually still have their masks on, so it is not like they dislike wearing them so much that they want to remove them as soon as allowed. The ones with masks off are usually the ones who just picked up lunch and are eating it on the way back to school.
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You’re never going to convince me that the Covid death rate wouldn’t have been much, much greater without modern medicine even prior to vaccines. If Covid had hit 100 years ago when there were no ventilators, etc, the death rate would have been much, much worse. The fact that it compares relatively equally to a less fatal illness is meaningless.
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I have no problem with this as long as you also don’t go anywhere that requests or requires you to mask.
For a required area (like the USVI currently), you’re truly making lives miserable for others who have to keep reminding you to put one on or not serve you lest they get fined themselves.
For a requested area (some stores and businesses in many places), you’re really just being mean and saying your “right” supersedes theirs. There are definitely some people who feel this way and insist upon not wearing a mask, but to me, they’re the ones who look bad. (My Christian faith probably affects my view since the Bible outright tells us to be kind to others - walking two miles if asked to go one, etc.)
If it’s somewhere that doesn’t care (many places), I see no problem not wearing a mask and counting on our vaccines to protect us.
I suppose it all leads up to my personal views… masking or not? What are the factors involved? Wearing a mask is no different to me than wearing any other article of clothing from sunglasses to gloves or shoes.
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Many of the people getting covid would not have been alive to begin with a century ago. Few lived past 80, or with the serious chronic conditions some have now. The medically fragile part of our population has soared due to modern medical miracles.
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That’s an entirely different issue and doesn’t change that fact that all the younger people (meaning middle age) who have survived due to ventilators and monoclonal antibodies (plus other meds) wouldn’t have survived back then. The folks who wouldn’t have been alive back then to catch Covid also weren’t alive to catch (and die from) the Spanish Flu.
Well actually, it is relevant. Covid was deadly, by and large, for a much older and sicker public than we had in 1900
But I expect a majority of those who were put on ventilators wouldn’t have survived 100 years ago - and those weren’t available back then. Those also aren’t all older and sicker folks today.
On the flip side, how many of those who died 100 years ago would have lived if the Spanish Flu had entered the world in 2020? Likely oodles.
Well an update from our not high vax area. Our 7 day average of daily case counts had hit a low in the 30s/day per 100K a couple of weeks ago and started to slowly rise. Now I just checked, and we are almost at 70/day per 100K. Ugh. But, the percent positivity is down to 12%. So maybe more people are getting tested/caught. Who knows
In contrast to covid, the Spanish flu attacked primarily young healthy young adults aged 16-40.
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And many likely would have lived with modern medicine - they didn’t 100 years ago. That’s my point with the flip side.
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I will go anywhere I want. If a mask is required I wear it, but it is no longer required indoors where I live. If it is requested it will depend. I know how to stay away from people. I will go in without a mask and stay away from others. Other people can certainly turn and go the other way from me. I have a mask with me most of the time and will put it on if politely asked. But in a place where it is not required there is no reason for anyone to be rude about it.
There has been only one time where it was not required that someone asked me to pull up the mask. Funny thing is, I was not near another human and had not been closer than 10-12 feet from anyone until this person approached me to pull the mask up. That person put themselves more at risk than if they had just stayed away and ignored me.
I’m not rude about any of it but I am not voluntarily wearing a mask anymore where it is not required, unless politely asked or elderly.
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Many of those “healthy” young adults likely had latent TB. There were articles on this topic.
We’re not much different then. To me though, a request (sign or in person) is the same and is something I don’t mind complying with.
In our recent travels 99% of the people have been great with wearing masks where required. Those 1% are truly annoying to see.
We’re soon to be back where we live and I seriously don’t expect to see many wearing masks - nor signs even requesting such.
For me it all depends upon what others want or require TBH. I’m trusting the vaxxes to do what they can for me and H. They’re my “seatbelt.”
ETA: I’d feel the same way about masks if it were due to Covid or cancer or anything else. If someone else (company or individual I’m around) wants me to wear a mask as evidenced by a sign or discussion, I see no reason to be rude and “that 1%.” It wouldn’t match my personality or faith at all.
its possible the case rates were also higher then, but unknown, as many people tested at home and never reported it, as getting to testing places was not easy. Now more people might be getting tested formally again. I know that my H and I had Covid, but according to our county/state, they have no idea , since we handled it with home tests. in January it was impossible to get tested anywhere.
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CDC estimates that 140 million in the US (43.3% of the population) have been infected (based on nucleocapsid antibodies). Could change as time goes on, of course.
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The CDC site you linked says the 43.3% of the population infected does not include vaccinated people. And the US is currently around 65% fully vaccinated (and 43.8% boostered) per the CDC tracker. If we just add the two populations, that would say that 108.3% of the US has either been infected or fully vaccinated; obviously there must be some overlap since that exceeds 100% (some fully vaccinated people who got breakthrough infections would be my interpretation). If “herd immunity” was the vaunted goal, are we there yet? I would love for that to be the case, but am concerned about the next variant and I will continue to mask indoors until I see the numbers stay super low for more than just a few days.
Watching the SOTU address last night and seeing so many of our government officials in there unmasked, I sure do hope we are in the clear. I know negative test results were a requirement for attendance, which was good since some invitees came up with positive results and ended up changing their plans. This is not a time in the world where the US can have any leadership vacuum in the government. 
It says that " These percentages do not include people who have been vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 and have no history of infection." (emphasis added)
So adding the 43.3% previously infected to the 65% vaccinated would be incorrect, since there is a group who have had both.
Here is how previous infection can be distinguished from vaccination:
| Vaccinated | Previously Infected | Anti-Spike Antibodies | Anti-Nucleocapsid Antibodies |
|---|---|---|---|
| No | No | No | No |
| No | Yes | Yes* | Yes* |
| Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes* |
*Antibodies from previous infection tend to be more variable than from vaccination, so some false negatives are likely.
Obviously, the Yes / Yes antibody status alone can be ambiguous, but most people know whether they have been vaccinated or not, so distinguishing between those statuses is not difficult.
But for the purpose of counting previous infection (regardless of vaccination), only the anti-nucleocapsid antibodies need to be checked for in population samples.
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I’m sure all in the attendance were tested by rapid PCR or NAAT. Some lawmakers from my state did not attend because of the positive test.
Yes, everyone tested. I think 4 people tested positive and couldn’t attend.
I’m good with going back to some normalcy. I was in Walgreens today and they had plenty of rapid tests. I’m vaccinated and boosted. And really want to travel and go to restaurants again.
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They said everyone had been tested. SOTU speech.