Covid becoming just another bug

Granny1London Face shields are about as much use as a chocolate teapot. The aerosol infecton just drifts in round the sides and under the gap round the chin. You might as well just clutch a lucky four leaved clover.

Biscuitmuncher Yes, we were told masks weren't necessary at the start, but it was blindingly obvious at the time that the reason they said that was to stop people buying masks that were desperately needed for health workers.

That is why I made my own masks and wore them from day one - and vinyl disposable gloves as well.

COVID was a new and unknown disease and as the pandemic progressed it became clear that the main means of transmission was aerosol spray breathed out by infected people and breathed in by uninfected people, who then caught the disease. The advice was then changed and we were all told to wear to wear masks. However it became clear that transmission by touch was very rare and, like others, I dispensed with the gloves.

While I sympathise with the problems you have wearing a mask. I am farly hardline and I believe that if you cannot wear a mask, you should not go into a public enclosed space. Obviously now the rules have relaxed that does not apply,

We have just come back from a visit to France where masks in public enclosed spaces are still mandatory. My DH has breathing problems that make mask wearing impractical so he just didn't go into shops, I shopped alone and we limited the places we visited to outdoor locations where masks were not required. He managed to wear one for the short walk from restaurant entrance to table and back, but we tried where possible to eat outside.

All of us, at some time or another have to restrict our activities to protect our health. A member of my family has severe food allergies triggered by an autoimmune disease. She has to avoid several major food groups, that I love. When she comes to stay I make sure that I have none of the foods in the house and do not serve them. It is a small price to pay for her health. This pandemic is a similar circumstance writ world wide.

Biscuitmuncher

cupcake1 I find it very hard to wear a mask. As soon as I put it on I start to panic, I'm soaked in sweat, I struggle to breathe. And I loose all coordination. And all that for something I was told at the beginning made no difference

You are right that initially we were told not to bother but later there were lots of studies done that proved this to be wrong. You can find any number of papers on Google Scholar.

I'm truly sorry you feel panic and fear in a mask and are afraid of wearing one. This is a much better reason to be reluctant to wear one than not believing the science!

If you need to wear one in future I would "train up" at home, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes say, whilst listening to soothing music and relaxing. And buy a decent one that fits comfortably and nicely.
Good luck.

When you see televised programs showing health care providers wearing masks, I doubt it is a fashion statement or to appear like they are providers. Maybe they know masks can limit exposure for others. Surgical teams wear masks not for themselves, but for a patient they are caring for. If my mask can limit my droplet exposure to you, consider it a gift freely given.

rosie1959

If I remember correctly Lucca none wore masks early last year we were told it was not necessary and of no benefit

Pretty I did as soon as lockdown started. A friend made two for me.

I sympathise Biscuitmuncher and haven't been able to wear a mask either.

I was talking generally Lucca

Lucca some bloke called Chris Whitty said masks served no purpose. I don't know if he's on Facebook

Did he say that recently Biscuitmuncher ?

None of this mess is years ago is it

I do hope there won't be a backlash against wearing masks by the anti-mask, free-will brigade. Because I want to go on wearing one whenever I feel happier in one or for others' sake.

We need to start thinking of it as an everday thing, like in Japan. I don't want to be made to feel awkward about doing something I think is for the common good.

I have to consider both myself, an asthmatic, and my elderly mother who I live with. We've both been double vaxxed but who knows how bad even a milder case of covid could be to either of us.

chrissy08

Biscuitmuncher

All you mask lovers, what good did they actually do?

None at all.
Been proved that wearing a mask is detrimental to health but no proof they prevent any infections.

That's nonsense!

Chris Whitty is very much pro-mask "to protect other people".

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMHnC0GbvbY

The vaccine is here so let's enjoy our freedom. We have had far too many lockdowns, and I am glad everything is back to normal. Lockdowns are bad for the economy. Just look at the people who are thrown out of work. The unemployment now is terrible.

songstress In August the unemployment rate was less than 1% higher than before the pandemic. www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/employmentintheuk/august2021

I know that there are employment blackspots, but overall, thanks to government policy (and I am NOT a Comservative voter or supporter) employment has held up.

Elsewhere on GN there has been an extensive discussion about the shortage of lorry drivers and we know that farming, hospitality and the care sector are facing problems from a shortage of workers. Retail is struggling bcause of the accelerated change in shopping habits, but some industries decline as others rise and so it has always been. Seen any candlestick makers recently?

DD started a new job at the beginning of August and was job hunting May - July. She was overwhelmed by job offers.

Lockdowns should be a last resort if all else fails. In order to make sure the country doesn't have a lockdown imposed, mitigations (mask wearing, vaccinations, testing, social distancing, etc) have to be effective.

Biscuitmuncher

Lucca some bloke called Chris Whitty said masks served no purpose. I don't know if he's on Facebook

I agree he did initially. However that advice was changed quickly
I found this article very easy to read and full of common sense.
www.newstatesman.com/politics/health/2020/09/what-we-should-learn-face-mask-u-turn

wrt candlestick makers, there is actually a return to skilled craft. I don't know if you have seen this charity I find it all very interesting

I believe we told at first that masks make little difference because there was insufficient PPE for the medics, who desperately needed it. The tune was changed when sufficient PPE was sourced. Am I cynical? Probably!

Unless you're wearing something like the gas mask my mother had to wear at the age of 9 y.o. during the second World War, anything else has been a waste of time. Those 'protective face masks' you buy in 10's etc. gape at each side of your cheeks therefore blowing behind anything you exhale. Imagine an octopus when it wants to make a quick getaway, it blows through it's breathing tube. Also if you haven't worn goggles, like swimming goggles, viruses enter the body through mucus membranes which means your eyes are a perfect entrance into the body. Far better, building your immunity and give your body's defence systems to arm themselves with the kind of cells that kill viruses. How have we survived decades without doing what's happened this last 18 months?

This might help with the mask question:

I do think it's sad to see many older people walking about in the open air wearing masks. Where I live, quite often, the nearest person to them is me and I'm usually on the other side of the road! I often see people driving their cars, quite alone in their motor bubble, wearing masks. Of course, if you're in a crowded place or in a queue, protect yourself by wearing a mask.

An Oxford study found that, globally, fewer than 10% of covid infections were picked up outdoors and that was in all outdoor settings, including crowded places. If there's no one closer than two metres, outdoors, it's surely not necessary to encumber your breathing with a mask.

effalump

Unless you're wearing something like the gas mask my mother had to wear at the age of 9 y.o. during the second World War, anything else has been a waste of time. Those 'protective face masks' you buy in 10's etc. gape at each side of your cheeks therefore blowing behind anything you exhale. Imagine an octopus when it wants to make a quick getaway, it blows through it's breathing tube. Also if you haven't worn goggles, like swimming goggles, viruses enter the body through mucus membranes which means your eyes are a perfect entrance into the body. Far better, building your immunity and give your body's defence systems to arm themselves with the kind of cells that kill viruses. How have we survived decades without doing what's happened this last 18 months?

Wrong. Just wrong, anything is better than nothing.

lizzypopbottle

I do think it's sad to see many older people walking about in the open air wearing masks. Where I live, quite often, the nearest person to them is me and I'm usually on the other side of the road! I often see people driving their cars, quite alone in their motor bubble, wearing masks. Of course, if you're in a crowded place or in a queue, protect yourself by wearing a mask.

An Oxford study found that, globally, fewer than 10% of covid infections were picked up outdoors and that was in all outdoor settings, including crowded places. If there's no one closer than two metres, outdoors, it's surely not necessary to encumber your breathing with a mask.

Agree about outdoors, But indoors it makes sense.

effalump

Unless you're wearing something like the gas mask my mother had to wear at the age of 9 y.o. during the second World War, anything else has been a waste of time. Those 'protective face masks' you buy in 10's etc. gape at each side of your cheeks therefore blowing behind anything you exhale. Imagine an octopus when it wants to make a quick getaway, it blows through it's breathing tube. Also if you haven't worn goggles, like swimming goggles, viruses enter the body through mucus membranes which means your eyes are a perfect entrance into the body. Far better, building your immunity and give your body's defence systems to arm themselves with the kind of cells that kill viruses. How have we survived decades without doing what's happened this last 18 months?

So how does a person "build immunity"? Sorry, but there are so many misunderstandings about the immune system. I would like to know what people seriously think can be done to fight Covid through the immune system. Certainly, a person can improve the respiratory system and/or lose weight etc., which might help with reducing the effects of the virus, but I have never heard about anything apart from vaccination and previous infection which can reduce the risk of catching something in the first place.