Again, it comes down to interpretation. So, first, I don’t intend to diminish problems of mask wearers - I don’t have problems but I have not been required to wear one extensively and I have fortunately not had to endure the “problems that some people have with wearing masks.”
As for " I was not clear - “communal masking” is not effective - community masking does not change the course of Covid." The fact that masking and distancing “are less powerful than we might wish” does not mean they are not effective. Nuance.
Finally, I was appreciating your analysis and viewpoint until - “Remember, not only have Democratic voters been avoiding restaurants and wearing masks.” Why, oh, why? My circle includes scores of Republican voters who have been avoiding restaurants and wearing masks - why did you need to bring it there? I would love to see you back up your statement that mitigation has not caused large differences in case rates. Perhaps if you are speaking only of incidence of infection - then you might have me there. And yes, incidence is relevant and may ultimately play into longer term post viral challenges. But, for the umpteenth time, the design of the vaccine was never to reduce incidence of infection - look at the structure of the vaccine studies. They did not test for infection as part of the study structure - so clearly avoiding infection was not the goal. They were designed to reduce severed disease and death. I don’t think you can find data that refutes the fact that vaccines and other mitigation have been successful to that end.
Finally, with respect to health effects from lockdowns and isolation. Probably many. But, at the time, with limited information, that choice was believed best. Will those effects be worse - at a macro societal level - than an alternative that may (may not) have resulted in more/different death. Really no way to know. We did the best we could. I am distressed that it became partisan - ideally I believe we all want to keep everyone safe and healthy - why it turned into us v them and D v R is sad. It is a global pandemic. We all lose - wouldn’t it be nice if we at least were unified in wanting to minimize all the losses - death and other side effects.
I believe the poster was quoting the NY Times article which highlighted that distinction in its analysis of the efficacy (or lack thereof) of various mitigation measures.
The question for many is how to minimize the overall cost ( including learning loss, suicide, etc) of the pandemic, not just the deaths.
Here is the NYTimes article that is being quoted. Best for all to read the entire thing. If it’s paywalled, many libraries offer free digital NYTimes access so if you have a library card, check access that way.
Not sure of the relevance of you wearing a mask. It’s incredibly contagious. A KN95 mask won’t stop everything. That doesn’t mean masks aren’t effective. You might have gotten a large viral load. There is no way of knowing.
So masks are effective but omicron is incredibly contagious so wearing a mask won’t stop you from getting covid. I am pretty sure that most people define effective as stopping them from getting covid. If it only stops me from getting covid when I’m exposed to such a small viral load that I would probably not have gotten Covid standing six feet away unmasked then it’s not effective.
The CDC’s use of the new “Community Level” metric certainly demonstrates the lack of importance attached to an individual’s risk of getting covid – as long as there are hospital beds/medical capacity to treat the very ill, that is all that matters.
While public health focuses on the population and not the individual, there is no forethought to what is going to happen if/when there is a large population-level incidence of long covid. Minimizing this because of distaste for masks is very shortsighted.
As long as you wear one when it’s mandated (and my preference is to add when requested as most folks would for any other reason, like a cancer patient), then I have no problem when/if you wear one.
People who irritate me are those who feel laws don’t apply to them (esp after they agreed to the law as with going to the USVI last month) and those who don’t give a hoot about how others feel because I truly expect their actions would be different if it were cancer vs Covid.
Here where I live pretty much no one wears masks now outside of medical facilities. I’ve been grocery shopping (twice) and went to the post office plus watched a movie with no mask myself (only saw 4 others masked while grocery shopping the first time). Nonetheless, I still keep one with me - just in case. It’s seriously not a problem.
When you mused that those with long Covid have it because they think they have it, I can’t help but think it’s similar to those with mask problems. Many could, indeed, have problems because they are expecting them. The brain can work that way.
I fully agree that vaccines are the #1 best help against Covid including long Covid. USVI has done remarkably well by requiring testing (to come) and masks everywhere though.
Technically I am exempt from the mandate under the ADA. I still end up wearing a mask because people are incredibly obnoxious about mask compliance in my area. Since I am not in a wheel chair I could not possibly have any real issue😡.
Me pointing out a study done on long Covid is hardly me “musing.” I am relaying the results from a scientific study, mostly to show that there is no set science on Covid. Which should probably stop people being so dismissive of new information.
The better research uses verified COVID-19 infections. In any case, lots of long COVID cases are in people who are other than middle aged women who may have confounding symptoms from menopause.
That was more of a study on how the brain works than it was on Covid if they weren’t using people known to have had Covid. That’s why it’s similar to those who insist they have problems from wearing a mask, but no medical proof.
