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Slide 21 >Given higher transmissibility and current vaccine coverage, universal masking is essential to reduce transmission of the Delta variant Well that's v

• caetris1 5y ago
  This virus will be here for eternity. It's a plot point in our story.
• dylan604 5y ago
  I know I'm tired now. When I read your "masked world", I heard it to the tune of REM's "Mad World"
  • mnd999 5y ago
    Tears for Fears surely.
• tomjen3 5y ago
  Forever, or not another day. Depends on how we want to fight this.
• arpa 5y ago
  what's wrong with masked world? it helps stop the spread of other airborne diseases as well, it filters out (to some extent) the smog, facial recognition software has more trouble, so we regain at least some privacy...
  • carnitas 5y ago
    Oh I don’t know, crushing depression, psychological atmosphere of fear, no biggy
    • arpa 5y ago
      If you think masks are depressing and fearful, just wait for the climate wars...
    • _Microft 5y ago
      I understand that it must be depressing for people who see masks only as infringing on their freedoms and nothing else, because they are currently at the mercy of society. If someone sees mask wearing instead as a joint effort to fight the pandemic, as means to get out of it earlier by limiting the spread of the disease or as a way that they can do something to protect themselves no matter what others might do, then it is absolutely not depressing. Self-efficacy influences mood positively a lot.
      • deleted 5y ago
        [deleted]
    • trainsplanes 5y ago
      Wild how westerners make these dystopian associations, while in Asia it’s just part of basic hygiene, like expecting people to wipe their ass or wash their hands.
      • rayiner 5y ago
        Where in Asia is everyone walking around masked unless they’re actively sick? In Tokyo you can always see a few masked people, but that’s totally different than everyone being masked.
        • trainsplanes 5y ago
          Everyone in Japan is currently walking around masked. People here also walk around with masks during allergy season, or doing flu season even when they’re not sick. In Taiwan and Vietnam I saw (and wore) masks on days when the air was particularly dirty.
          • 5y ago
  • seattle_spring 5y ago
    Sorry, what did you say? I can't see through these fogged glasses.
    • arpa 5y ago
      I feel you man, but that means the seal on your nose is leaking. Pushing down on the flexible strip for better seal usually helps.
      • packetlost 5y ago
        It helps but it's near impossible to get it to stay that way
  • colechristensen 5y ago
    The masks most people wear basically only diffuse sneezes and coughs which makes immediate droplet transfer lower. A piece of ordinary cloth on your face does not filter smog, does not prevent any airborne infection droplets from reaching you, essentially only lowers the chance of your cough hitting somebody else. You need an N95 or better to really do anything to protect yourself. Also even if you have a high grade mask, wearing it so it actually seals to protect you is hard and most people don't do it well.
    • mike_d 5y ago
      This should help make it clear: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/368/6498/1422/F1.large.jpg https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/368/6498/1422/F1.... Masks do more to protect others than they do you. Which is why we are safest when everyone wears a mask.
      • busymom0 5y ago
        Unless we are talking about fitted N95 masks, CDC used to say the opposite even about transmission to others: "There is limited evidence for their effectiveness in preventing influenza virus transmission either when worn by the infected person for source control or when worn by uninfected persons to reduce exposure." https://www.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/5/19-0994_article https://www.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/5/19-0994_article > Disposable medical masks (also known as surgical masks) are loose-fitting devices that were designed to be worn by medical personnel to protect accidental contamination of patient wounds, and to protect the wearer against splashes or sprays of bodily fluids (36). There is limited evidence for their effectiveness in preventing influenza virus transmission either when worn by the infected person for source control or when worn by uninfected persons to reduce exposure. Our systematic review found no significant effect of face masks on transmission of laboratory-confirmed influenza.
        • ceejayoz 5y ago
          That's like trying to dunk on astronomers from the 1980s saying "there is no evidence yet of extrasolar planets".
  • SheinhardtWigCo 5y ago
    > facial recognition software has more trouble Not really though.
    • arpa 5y ago
      sadness. Care to elaborate with a link perhaps?
      • SheinhardtWigCo 5y ago
        https://www.facewatch.co.uk/2020/05/11/facewatch-launches-facemask-recognition-upgrade/ https://www.facewatch.co.uk/2020/05/11/facewatch-launches-fa... https://www.sensory.com/finally-a-biometric-solution-that-recognizes-users-wearing-face-masks-and-doesnt-require-touch https://www.sensory.com/finally-a-biometric-solution-that-re... https://qz.com/1803737/chinas-facial-recognition-tech-can-crack-masked-faces-amid-coronavirus/ https://qz.com/1803737/chinas-facial-recognition-tech-can-cr...
        • arpa 5y ago
          thank you, sincerely
  • throwawaysea 5y ago
    I find it very constricting as well as depressing. Regarding the constriction - the extra insulation causes me to sweat more, fogs up my glasses, and makes it harder to breathe. The depressing bit comes from not being able to see people's faces, smiles, and emotions as easily. It is especially difficult if you have a disability like deafness, where seeing lips is crucial to navigating everyday interactions.
    • ixacto 5y ago
      Not sure if I’m on the spectrum or what but it’s horrible trying to read expressions in a masked conversation, as in I can’t. Masks were not great for mental health, but apparently that doesn’t matter as much as virtue signaling.
  • busymom0 5y ago
    The inability to see people's smiles, emotions is pretty sad. This is especially bad for new borns and kids. Also I don't know how people do it with having to smell their own breath for long. Regardless of how well the oral hygiene is, breath gets bad after eating some food. Also cloth masks are pretty much useless considering their penetration level of 97%. Moisture retention, reuse of cloth masks and poor filtration may result in increased risk of infection: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4420971/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4420971/ > Penetration of cloth masks by particles was almost 97% and medical masks 44%. This study is the first RCT of cloth masks, and the results caution against the use of cloth masks. This is an important finding to inform occupational health and safety. Moisture retention, reuse of cloth masks and poor filtration may result in increased risk of infection. Further research is needed to inform the widespread use of cloth masks globally. However, as a precautionary measure, cloth masks should not be recommended for HCWs, particularly in high-risk situations, and guidelines need to be updated. https://www.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/5/19-0994_article https://www.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/5/19-0994_article > Disposable medical masks (also known as surgical masks) are loose-fitting devices that were designed to be worn by medical personnel to protect accidental contamination of patient wounds, and to protect the wearer against splashes or sprays of bodily fluids (36). There is limited evidence for their effectiveness in preventing influenza virus transmission either when worn by the infected person for source control or when worn by uninfected persons to reduce exposure. Our systematic review found no significant effect of face masks on transmission of laboratory-confirmed influenza. > We did not consider the use of respirators in the community. Respirators are tight-fitting masks that can protect the wearer from fine particles (37) and should provide better protection against influenza virus exposures when properly worn because of higher filtration efficiency. However, respirators, such as N95 and P2 masks, work best when they are fit-tested, and these masks will be in limited supply during the next pandemic. These specialist devices should be reserved for use in healthcare settings or in special subpopulations such as immunocompromised persons in the community, first responders, and those performing other critical community functions, as supplies permit.
    • annexrichmond 5y ago
      Indeed, saying cloth or even surgical masks are effective is like using a wired fence to keep rodents out of your backyard.
  • dnzkw 5y ago
    I'm tired of living in this new depressive, sterile world with no emotions. Also masks make it harder to breathe. And why not say it. The fact the government is forcing me to wear a mask indoors makes me want to get rid of it asap.
    • deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
  • Rd6n6 5y ago
    I read recently in a hn thread that masks have surprisingly little effect on facial recognition accuracy
  • kalaido 5y ago
    That's so wrong
• colechristensen 5y ago
  >How long will we be living in a masked world? We won't be. People will simply be unwilling to do so long term and what doesn't get prevented by vaccines will burn through the population until everyone has antibodies and the disease weakens and "the common cold kills people" becomes the new normal. There have always been diseases around that killed people, we were lucky for quite a while because the rate was fairly low and now it seems to be permanently bumped up a bit again. Eventually the disease is going to run out of people to infect the first time.
  • denton-scratch 5y ago
    > Eventually the disease is going to run out of people to infect the first time. VE for Delta apparently wears off after ~180 days.
• SkyMarshal 5y ago
  Asia has been living in a masked world for at least two decades. It's not a major inconvenience, and it doesn't infringe on anyone's freedoms. Westerners really need to stop being such spoiled entitled children about this situation, and cowboy up and do what it takes to eradicate this pandemic.
  • SpicyLemonZest 5y ago
    Well, see, this is the kind of attitude that gets people concerned. I'm not aware of any expert or health official who believes that eradicating the pandemic is possible. If you've gotten the impression that our public health response is about reaching some future point where Covid-19 is gone and nobody ever has to worry about it, you're being misled.
    • dnzkw 5y ago
      It's a common lie like the lie that we just needed to vaccinate to go back to normal - now we are realising this is nothing but a perennial treadmill.
      • SpicyLemonZest 5y ago
        I think it's important not to overcorrect here. The CDC issues all kinds of guidelines: wash your hands after petting a dog, always use a meat thermometer, definitely don't eat eggs with a runny yolk or raw cookie dough. (Less family friendly but more directly on point, they insist on dental dams for STD protection, which is probably even more widely ignored than the dog petting thing.) "Normal" doesn't mean the CDC will stop offering strict guidance on how to keep yourself healthy, it just means that most people feel okay slacking off on the parts that would be too annoying.
    • SkyMarshal 5y ago
      > I'm not aware of any expert or health official who believes that eradicating the pandemic is possible. There are plenty of experts and health officials who believe that eradicating the pandemic is possible. Including some with experience eradicating other pandemics like Ebola and Zika [1], along with the editor-in-chief of the Lancet [2], among others. Eradicating a pandemic is not unprecedented, it can and has been done. > If you've gotten the impression that our public health response is about reaching some future point where Covid-19 is gone and nobody ever has to worry about it, you're being misled. Clearly our COVID19 response is not currently about that, or no one would have to advocate for it. [1]:https://necsi.edu/corona-virus-pandemic https://necsi.edu/corona-virus-pandemic. (Ebola: https://necsi.edu/ending-pandemics https://necsi.edu/ending-pandemics) [2]:https://www.endcoronavirus.org/ https://www.endcoronavirus.org/
• blooalien 5y ago
  > How long will we be living in a masked world? Forever, because too many self-centered people refused to do the few simple things it would have taken to get the situation even remotely close to under control. It's already gone on longer than it needed to, and because of human selfishness it's almost certainly just going to get worse.