Info Value of Masks and other factors to lower Covid-19 Risk while Traveling

[Centrals]

Italy paid a hefty price in the beginning of the outbreak around end of Jan 2020. Two confirmed cases from two chinese tourists on 31st Jan.
Our first confirmed case was on 23rd Jan 2020 by a chinese tourist from Wuhan. Mask was already in short supply in mid Jan when we realized what has been happening in Wuhan. Cluster of large outbreak were found in bar, restaurant, dance hall, place of worship, gym ie. confined place.
The Director General of WHO! He did not have a clue on the matter.

 

[Centrals]

Who was the Director General of WHO before the present one?
None other than our Margret Chan!

Margaret Chan - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Absolutely USELESS.

 

[tursiops]

Do masks diminish vehicle borne transmission diseases?

• Zoonoses.
• Rabies.
• Some Vectorborne Disease.
• Salmonellosis from Pets.
• Ebola.
• SARS.
• Influenza.
• Prion Diseases.

I wonder if "vector-borne" is intended here rather than "vehicle-borne"?
If so, then I would think that masks are exactly intended to reduce the risk of transmission.
The huge reduction in flu cases during he pandemic would be consistent with that.

 

[Joneill]

I wonder if "vector-borne" is intended here rather than "vehicle-borne"?
If so, then I would think that masks are exactly intended to reduce the risk of transmission.
The huge reduction in flu cases during he pandemic would be consistent with that.

Not necessarily masks at all. People were not having gatherings and many were working from home… so dramatically reduced close interactions with folks outside immediate families/co-habitants for a large % of the population…

 

[Centrals]

Not necessarily masks at all. People were not having gatherings and many were working from home… so dramatically reduced close interactions with folks outside immediate families/co-habitants for a large % of the population…

We do not have such a luxury in HK.
10 or more independent flats on the same floor. And if you are living on 40th floor what is the chance of not meeting anyone on the elevator(going up or coming down)? Practically ZERO.
And we are not alone:

Accommodating the Spread – Migrant Worker Accommodation Driving COVID Infections (Pt 2) |

Exploring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on migrant workers across South East Asia, IHRB Regional Advisor Guna Subramaniam looks at the specific risks of poor worker accommodation provision in driving the spread of infections.

www.ihrb.org

Mask will not work in such a living conditions.

This hotel is infamous as ground zero for a SARS 'super spreader' in the 2003 outbreak—here's what happened

As coronavirus, or COVID-19 spreads in China, some are reminded of another outbreak. In 2003, roughly 4,000 of the world's total cases of respiratory infection SARS could be traced back to one infected doctor's stay at a Hong Kong hotel. The doctor died, along with multiple other guests who all...

www.cnbc.com

 

[Alaskan Scuba Dude]

More COVID blurb to confuse and alarm the masses, but in hindsight, a mask didn’t prevent me from contracting full-blown COVID (Omicron variant), which persisted for 24hours before symptoms subsided. In comparison with the flu, the only significant variance being swelling of the eyes and coping with constricted breathing during the night. Joint pain, headache, high temperature, sore throat and blocked nose corresponded with previous influenza strains. The media relish bringing together rampant members of the hypochondriasis club.





I can live without acceptance and acknowledgment—can you?

 

[tursiops]

More COVID blurb to confuse and alarm the masses, but in hindsight, a mask didn’t prevent me from contracting full-blown COVID (Omicron variant), which persisted for 24hours before symptoms subsided. In comparison with the flu, the only significant variance being swelling of the eyes and coping with constricted breathing during the night. Joint pain, headache, high temperature, sore throat and blocked nose corresponded with previous influenza strains. The media relish bringing together rampant members of the hypochondriasis club.





I can live without acceptance and acknowledgment—can you?

You assert you got Covid even though you were wearing a mask. But the masks are not perfect, they simply lower the risk and improve your odds. There is no way to know if you might have gotten it earlier and worse if you had not worn a mask.
A seat belt does not prevent auto accidents; it just lessens the potential for serious injury.
I'm sorry you got Covid, but leaping to the conclusion that masks do not help and that the media are complicit in hysteria is not a logical conclusion from you catching Omicron.

 

[Boarderguy]

You assert you got Covid even though you were wearing a mask. But the masks are not perfect, they simply lower the risk and improve your odds. There is no way to know if you might have gotten it earlier and worse if you had not worn a mask.
A seat belt does not prevent auto accidents; it just lessens the potential for serious injury.
I'm sorry you got Covid, but leaping to the conclusion that masks do not help and that the media are complicit in hysteria is not a logical conclusion from you catching Omicron.

Masks don't lesson the affects of covid. They are worn improperly by most people because they have decided it isn't worth saying this is ridiculous. The other 10% have their 2 year old children wearing cloth masks that do nothing to prevent the airborne spread of disease. If you are so set on believing that covid is the death of everything then wear a proper mask and stay away from the rest of us. If masks work and all your vaccinations keep you free from spreading it then continue doing what you do and let the rest of us live. Just remember, masks and vaccinations haven't stopped those who wear masks and have been boosted from getting it. Be safe.

 

[Curious_George]

To the two trolls on this thread: it doesn’t count when this is your idea of mask wearing:
#chin diaper

 

[Angelo Farina]

Just remember, masks and vaccinations haven't stopped those who wear masks and have been boosted from getting it. Be safe.

Statistically this is not true. People wearing proper masks (FFP2, or, as me, FFP3), who wear them in a perfectly airtight way (which requires some training), and who get boosted at recommended intervals (I just got my 4th Pfizer shot), have shown a significantly much lower rate of infections and hospitalizations.
So these measures do work, although not providing a 100% protection. Probably they lower the risk "just" by a factor 4 or 5, which indeed is a very good result, for me. Definitely worth the small additional cost of an FFP3 top-quality mask, and the 30s required for air-tighting it properly. The shots are free and have no drawbacks, so not getting them appeared stupid to me.
Then I respect the opinion of people who choose to take higher risks in their life. What I do not respect is the attempt of a small percentage of people to convince ME to take the same risks, which instead I prefer to avoid.
Mandatory obbligations often do not work, as they are not applied properly by most people, exactly because they are mandatory.
In my opinion there was no need to make masks mandatory: if people had been informed and trained as me (a firefighter), then people had known the big benefits of an high quality respirator mask, worn properly, and had decided to use them voluntarily.
Of course it would have been advantageous to provide FFP2 or even FFP3 masks for free to everyone.