10 ms·
Ready for an N95? Here's how to find a high-quality one that fits you well
- fallingknife 5y agoI used to work in the oilfield. We had to be clean shaven on site because in an emergency we may be required to use masks, and your face needs to be clean shaven to form a seal. That's how things are done when there is a real safety risk. The lack of CDC guidance on this point speaks volumes as to how serious this is.
- ceejayoz 5y agoA perfect seal is somewhat more important in that situation than going to the grocery store.
- spicybright 5y agoBeards and thick facial hair severely compromises the effectiveness of an N95. When I was an EMT we got fitted for them in case we had to transport patients with tuberculosis or other aliments. Firefighters and other emergency responders are generally required to shave for this reason.
- ceejayoz 5y ago> Beards and thick facial hair severely compromises the effectiveness of an N95. Yes. A little stubble, less so. (I'd wager it's still fairly effective at keeping the wearer's germs in, though.) > When I was an EMT we got fitted for them in case we had to transport patients with tuberculosis or other aliments. Sure, but as with the oil worker example, that's a slightly different scenario than a member of the general public going to the grocery store.
- 04rob 5y agoThis has been studied. A beard does compromise the seal, but to a lesser extent on n95s than in other masks: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34006963/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34006963/
- the_svd_doctor 5y agoThey kind of do https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/effective-masks.html https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/effect... Also https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/pdfs/facialhairwmask11282017-508.pdf https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/pdfs/facialhairwmask11282017...
- fallingknife 5y agoYeah, I know they are aware of the concept. It's just that they are mandating masks, but barely mentioning the facial hair issue outside of a few publications that, lets face it, basically nobody reads. It just screams politics over actual safety.
- ceejayoz 5y agoWe can barely get folks to wear the things in the first place, let alone over the nose. You want the CDC to add "oh and you have to shave your beard off" to the mix? Really?
- fallingknife 5y agoIf you're not ready to require that the masks be effective, why require them at all?
- ceejayoz 5y agoBecause effectiveness is not binary.
- tasha0663 5y agoWhen authorities are spot-checking your mask fit you run the risking of crossing into "you're under arrest because we don't like your face" territory.
- Barrin92 5y agogiven the hysteric reaction of the American public to mask mandates I don't want to know what happens if the government tells people to shave. It sure does smell of politics but not from the CDCs side, they just have to make guidelines under consideration of how the public reacts Within 10 minutes you'd probably have discrimination claims from angry hipsters, barbershops and a dozen different religious groups or something.
- dredmorbius 5y agoThe CDC have you covered: Facial Hairstyles and Filtering Facepiece Respirators https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/pdfs/FacialHairWmask11282017-508.pdf https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/pdfs/FacialHairWmask11282017...
- nescioquid 5y ago> The lack of CDC guidance on this point speaks volumes as to how serious this is. It speaks volumes, at least. Heckuva job, Brownie. I'm still flummoxed by Fauci's -- let's call it -- equivocation about masks being pointless, for which he later apologized and explained he was trying to conserve the supply of N95s for medical personnel. There is certainly an admixture of manipulating the public to achieve a desired outcome (rather than leveling with the populace) and gross incompetence and callous indifference at play. If they really believed it were that serious, I hardly trust they'd do any more than cover their assess.
- kevin_thibedeau 5y agoHis boss at the time did have him on a leash.
- tasha0663 5y ago> There is certainly an admixture of manipulating the public to achieve a desired outcome (rather than leveling with the populace) and gross incompetence and callous indifference at play. When they decided they had to skip Xi variant, it was made pretty clear that the patricians have no intention of leveling with the plebs again.
- jorblumesea 5y agoIt speaks to the politics of it more than the science.
- khuey 5y agoThe 3M Aura N95s are pretty comfortable and cost a couple dollars each at Home Depot. They're also pretty good about directing your breath away from the top so your glasses won't fog up when wearing them.
- pacomerh 5y agoThat's the one I use and it covers really well. The only downside is that you can't put it on super quick.
- BugsJustFindMe 5y agoThey cost a lot less if you buy them in larger quantities from a bulk distributor. I get them for 1.50 each.
- TylerE 5y agoYep, and they've gone up... they were about $1.20/ea when I bought my last batch. I've been buying them from ISP: https://www.industrialsafetyproducts.com/3m-9210-aura-n95-particulate-respirator-niosh-approved/ https://www.industrialsafetyproducts.com/3m-9210-aura-n95-pa... (As a bonus, they have the 9210, which has better straps, retail you generally only see the 9205, which is ok too, but the straps are just rubber bands and they don't fit as securely.
- hedgehog 5y agoThe Auras are great to wear but the straps on the 9205s really are flimsy and often fail after only a couple uses. 9210 is worthwhile if you can get them.
- booleandilemma 5y agoImagine showing this article headline to someone from 2018.
- tomohawk 5y ago
- mindslight 5y agoImagine showing this article, complete with the date, to someone from March 2020. Two years into the pandemic and the news media is just finally getting around to recommending that people wear basic respiratory protection? They would wonder if our manufacturing capacity had been destroyed in a war! This whole pandemic has demonstrated abject failure of our institutions. It was very easy to pin it on a terrible micromanager whose most intelligent moment was brainstorming that people could inject bleach, but it's not like the CDC did an about face when the "experts" were left to their own devices either. High quality N95+ masks and face shields should have been distributed door to door by USPS as soon as the manufacturing capacity became available, as well as testing kits that they're just finally rolling out (credit where credit is due), hand sanitizer, and whatever other Covid paraphernalia I'm forgetting from the past two decades^Wyears. Using any of these things is inconvenient and uncomfortable, but the point of leadership is to show people the right direction, ask them to do the work, and to acknowledge that it is indeed work. Instead we got pandering to irresponsibility and performative altruism, and laissez faire choose-your-own-solipsistic-adventure - want to sew ersatz masks from old shirts and pretend you're not in an industrialized society? Cool! Want to pretend to fight creeping totalitarianism by assaulting a grocery clerk? Also cool! Unsurprisingly, Covid Likes This :thumbsup: One of the last things we need is even less faith in our public institutions and general society, but downplaying the scope of the failure out of tribal loyalty isn't the right thing either.
- pugworthy 5y agoImagine showing this to some people on January 15, 2022 and having them tell you it's crap. That's the way it is at times and that's depressing.
- 5y ago
- DannyCasolaro 5y ago
- dmix 5y agoSo where can I buy N95 in Canada? I see one on Amazon.ca but doesnt arrive until March. Edit: Found a few industrial retail sites, I'll try them out: - https://www.sycorp.ca/safety/respirator/3m-aura-9205-n95-niosh-particulate-respirator-made-in-canada/ https://www.sycorp.ca/safety/respirator/3m-aura-9205-n95-nio... - https://egrimesdirect.com/products/3m-aura-particulate-respirator-9205-n95-440-per-case?variant=41665587904661 https://egrimesdirect.com/products/3m-aura-particulate-respi... - https://www.internationalsafety.com/skus/3m-9205-box-3m-aura-particulate-respirator-9205-n95-box-of-20-individually-sealed-masks https://www.internationalsafety.com/skus/3m-9205-box-3m-aura... - https://apexlabco.com/products/single-pack-3m-n95-respirator-9205-aura?variant=39300603248675 https://apexlabco.com/products/single-pack-3m-n95-respirator... Edit: Found a decent list of retailers here https://www.finder.com/ca/buy-n95-face-mask-online https://www.finder.com/ca/buy-n95-face-mask-online
- sergers 5y agoI just received my vitacore can95e black order from December now. They are made in Burnaby bc You can checkout London drugs if they have one in your area. The fit is nice. Huge amount of n95 orders is leading to alot of backorders.
- stanmancan 5y agoHome Depot has them quite often, otherwise the only place I’ve ever found N95 is a small local hardware store. KN95 can be found in Asian supermarkets quite frequently.
- antoniuschan99 5y agoI trust Korean Supermarkets like hmart for kn95! But even still some I got were counterfeit after doing the candle test: One tool is a candle test, where people put on a mask and try to blow out a lit candle. If the candle can be blown out while the mask is worn, it’s a likely indication that aerosols can go through, according to Aaron E. Glatt, MD, MACP, FIDSA, FSHEA, chair of the department of medicine and chief of infectious diseases at Mount Sinai South Nassau. “If you can blow out a candle, that means that’s a relatively flimsy mask, it’s going to be a single ply, and it basically has holes in it," Glatt told Verywell. "If your breath can go through it, that means something else can come in as well."
- WaxedChewbacca 5y ago
- leishman 5y ago
- GeekyBear 5y agoScientists spent several years trying to convince the powers that be that Covid spread was airborne. >In an open letter published today (July 6 2020), 239 scientists from 32 countries urge the World Health Organization and other bodies to address the potential for airborne transmission of the coronavirus. The authors write that a growing body of evidence suggests “beyond any reasonable doubt” that the virus spreads indoors through tiny aerosols—a finding that should be reflected in the WHO’s recommendations. https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/scientists-urge-consideration-of-airborne-sars-cov-2-transmission-67702 https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/scientists-urge-c... How sad that it has taken this long to reach acceptance that you need a mask capable of filtering the air you breathe.
- tasha0663 5y ago> How sad that it has taken this long to reach acceptance that you need a mask capable of filtering the air you breathe. A lot of us were lied to about masks at the beginning of this, so it's not terribly surprising.
- GeekyBear 5y agoUnfortunately, it got politicized, at which point facts no longer matter. When we thought that Covid spread by the large droplets you spray out when you cough or sneeze, wearing a cloth mask to catch those droplets before they landed on people or surfaces that people will touch made sense.
- robbrown451 5y agoPart of it is the pre-Omicron, it took more virus to typically infect people. So the more typical masks helped a lot. Now even a tiny bit can easily infect, so aerosol (as opposed to droplets) was not nearly as big an issue.
- GeekyBear 5y agoRegular cloth masks do not filter virus floating in the air you breathe and they never did. Here's one of the scientists from President Biden's Covid advisory council being interviewed on PBS last year: > I have had concerns that date back to april of 2020 about the concept of masking. Needless to say it's a political hot button beyond anything I've ever seen in public health, and yet at the same time i think we've all done a disservice to the public. When you actually look at face cloth coverings, those cloth pieces of hang over your face, they actually only have very limited impact in reducing the amount of virus that you inhale in or exhale out. In fact in studies that have been done show that if an individual might get infected within 15 minutes in a room, by time and concentration of the virus in the room, add a face cloth covering you only get about five more minutes of protection. I've been really disappointed with my colleagues in public health for not being more clear about what can masking does or does not do. On the other hand if you use the n95 respirators and fit them tight to your face, you can actually spend 25 hours in that same room and still be protected. https://www.pbs.org/wnet/amanpour-and-company/video/do-masks-provide-much-protection-we-think-bglhwy/ https://www.pbs.org/wnet/amanpour-and-company/video/do-masks...
- emptybottle 5y agoHow are the popular N95s with glasses? I’ve settled on classic nurse masks for now because they seal well around the nose and dont cause my glasses to fog.
- stanmancan 5y agoIf your glasses are fogging with an N95 then it definitely doesn’t fit properly.
- owenmarshall 5y ago3M Aura’s cured my fogging glasses.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- yeetaccount4 5y agoMaybe for the next variant. Omi was asymptomatic after delta and a bunch of shots.
- colechristensen 5y agoI really don’t see the point unless you’re immune compromised or at some other high risk. Omicron is the evolutionary result you wait for, better at spreading and less health impact so it significantly outcompetes other variants (it has, something like 95% of infections). Peak omicron is coming withina master of days or already passed across the US. It’s virulence is such that you can only delay not expect to forever avoid or extinct the virus. It’s time to admit defeat and plan for what that looks like and stop pretending like anything at this point is going to make this virus go away. It’s here, it’s going to kill about one person in a thousand of those left, and if you choose to not get vaccinated that’s your choice and if you’re not young you’re taking a significantly higher risk of death. But unless you work in healthcare or care for the elderly you’re not going to do anything but slightly delay exposure to your neighbors because the new variant is so easily spread. The moral issue is passed, the chance to save anyone but the most vulnerable is passed, and any efforts are only going to marginally delay the inevitable. You want to gamble and not get vaccinated, go for it. People will be in denial about this for a long time and beating the morality drum for a long time, but in a hundred years a covid strain will still be around and people will be telling their children about how great grandpa got covid in 2020, like I just heard tell of my great grandfather getting the 1918 flu preparing to go out to WWI getting treated in a bed outside because there was no hospital space. That flu is still around this century and covid still will be next century. Sorry, we lost, there are still going to be consequences but I can’t imagine anything changing regardless of what you do besides a matter of weeks of when you get exposed. Fauci said as much, that everyone being exposed was now more or less unavoidable. If you disagree what long term changes do you think can be realistically achieved by doing anything whether or not it’s practical?
- fubarr 5y ago
- daveevad 5y ago> N95s aren't regulated for children, so if a mask says it's an N95 for kids, don't trust it. This makes me think we're still floundering at the basic protections. Our kids' school in the Bay Area recommends N95s for kids which, if this statement is true, don't exist.
- bcwarner 5y agoI think the statement says that there are no legitimate N95s specifically labeled for kids, so any "N95" that has that labeling is suspect and may not live up to performance. But yeah, I can't imagine N95 designers were anticipating kids to ever need them.
- Spooky23 5y agoIt’s easy to get caught in compliance paralysis. Generally speaking, masks will be designed or optimized for heads in different sizes. Until you get to really young kids where they don’t fit, there’s no magical reason that they won’t work.
- parrellel 5y agoOther countries may have not been dropping the ball on this quite so badly as ours. Looking for stuff that's been okayed for kids in Korea has served me well. I got a crate of KF94s for my kids shipped. Of course, then it takes research and time to make sure you don't get ripped off with counterfeits and what have you.
- frogpelt 5y agoFrom the beginning it has been obvious that the decision makers did not know what to do about this pandemic. I am not convinced that lockdowns and masks have decreased the positive cases based on comparisons between places that were heavy on lockdown and mask mandates and those that weren’t. Almost no one is wearing N95 masks. And many of those who wear masks only wear them some of the time or incorrectly. On a flight I took recently, they asked a man to remove his N99 mask in favor of the standard issue, light blue surgical mask you see everywhere. Masks to me are symbolic. People wear them to show that they care and that want to obey the pleas to “do your part”. But with the implementation I’ve seen they probably haven’t helped much.
- mberning 5y agoNo not really. I’m ready for the government and everybody else to move on from this whole debacle.
- iratewizard 5y ago
- jorblumesea 5y agoCool let's just tell the virus to chill out.
- Proven 5y ago
- jorblumesea 5y agoIt's mind blowing how 3 years into a pandemic, we're just having the conversation about N95 and mask fit vs kn95 vs cloth mask. What a huge miss in public health. Should have been done summer 2020. The most effective, cheapest solution was just to wear a properly fitted n95. Sure, vaccines good, retrovirals, yes, but this should have been done long ago. Given the airborne and aerosolized nature having a real mask would have gone a long way to reduce community spread. This was a known thing, not new science. I think the issue is sadly political, once masks became a lightning rod, the idea of more mask guidance or more restrictive masks became a problem. Hard enough to get people wearing masks in the first place.
- frogpelt 5y agoI heard this conversation at the beginning too. We all expected this fizzle out before now.
- tamaharbor 5y agoYou don’t trust the mask your wife made for you using material from an old t-shirt and a pattern she got from the internet? /s
- Erik816 5y agoSince the beginning, I have been using N95s when I'm actually worried about catching the virus and think I might be able to prevent it (like grocery shopping early on, flights, etc.) I use cloth masks pretty much everywhere else for compliance or because I think the situation is low enough risk.
- dehrmann 5y agoI did find it very interesting that the people most excited about masks were, for the most part, not particularly interested in masks that are actually effective.
- alfor 5y agoThere is also many simple things we could have done to reduce covid effects: vit D Vit C quercetin Sauna/hot shower/simulated fever reduce BMI sun exposure cardio source: Medcram https://youtu.be/vN30emwcNS4 https://youtu.be/vN30emwcNS4
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- quanto 5y agoFit is critically important. There is no point in having an advanced filter material if the mask fit itself is leaking air everywhere. >"An N95 is more protective because it has a better face seal in general than a KN95 or a KF94," N95 does not require manufacturers to test for fit. However, the headband normally ensures a better face seal. KF94 has a fit-test requirement, but it's bar is low -- 11% leakage to pass the test. The ear-loops really don't do much and in terms of face seal and filtering inbound air. Leakage is far greater source of pollutants than the filter failure (94%, 95%, 99% filtration). I use common sense -- if the mask fits loosely and is easy to breathe in with, it probably is not filtering much. Edit: I didn't mention anything about politicized matters or even covid. I discussed the mask certification standards and filtration effectiveness (well established before the pandemic).
- josephcsible 5y ago> if the mask [...] is easy to breathe in with, it probably is not filtering much For the past 2 years, haven't pro-mask people been telling anti-mask people to stop pretending that masks are so hard to breathe with?
- btgeekboy 5y agoIt takes more effort to wear an N95 than nothing. But it’s certainly not impossible, and for most people (including my overweight, out-of-shape self), it’s not insurmountable. It’s like wearing pants. You’d have a lot more mobility if you didn’t, but we do it anyway.
- coredog64 5y agoI’m not asphyxiated, but after 15 minutes in a KN95 I can definitely tell that something is on my face. I had zero problems with cloth. It’s fair to say that opponents have overblown the negatives, but there are negatives.
- javajosh 5y ago>and is easy to breathe in with My understanding is that for Covid your mask is expected to filter exhalation, protecting others from any virus you may have in your system. My understanding is that masks do very little to protect you from inhaling unwanted virus carrying particles. Of course, it seems to me that a good mask should really be doing both jobs at once, with a good seal. Which means no beards and headbands. My understanding since the beginning of this pandemic was that everyone was going to get this bug, it was just a matter of "flattening the curve". So, why are we still talking about masks? I sometimes fear that the right has turned it into a political issue, and in response the left has ALSO turned it into a political issue, instead of a rational one.
- glofish 5y ago
- pacomerh 5y agogasp... come back to earth. Of course you can, with the right fit you are basically filtering it out. What's so hard to understand
- TylerE 5y ago> FP2 or N95 do not work either. You can't stop an airborne virus with a mask. Bullshit. Not even worth refuting someone so far removed from reality.
- CoastalCoder 5y agoCan you please share some sources that led you to this conclusion? I don't have a settled view on this, and I'm eager to find good sources of information.
- TylerE 5y agoWell, I mean, i understand the size of an airborn virus particle and the effectiveness of an N95 at filtering said particle sizes. Virus aren't magic.
- CoastalCoder 5y agoMy understanding is that there are relevant factors beyond just particle-size. So I could be wrong, but I don't think we can get away with such simple reasoning.
- glofish 5y agono worth refuting because you have zero evidence that they work. All the empirical evidence (like the epidemic curves in countries that do require N95) points that they don't.
- dghughes 5y agoThe CEO of my local provincial health authority Dr. Michael Gardam had some comments on N95 masks. He said visitors to the hospital here were asked to remove their N95 masks and were given medical/surgical masks instead. Partly due to not knowing how old or contaminated the masks were of visitors but also for mask performance issues. Dr. Gardam said, paraphrasing, N95 are good at filtering when you breathe in but when exhaling they are not so great (poor fit?). The medial masks were good filtering both in an out maybe not as good as the N95 for filtering inward of very small particles. N95 are best at filtering small particles but larger droplets can be filtered by either the surgical or N95 masks.
- mindslight 5y agoI too encountered anti-maskers at the hospital. A security guard wanted me to remove my P100 (in+out) and wear their cosplay mask instead. I escalated and talked to the Hospital's Director of Infection Control, who confirmed the policy. When I told them that I was not comfortable with their ask, I was met with all of the standard anti-mask tropes - "wearing a better mask is unnecessary" "Covid is too small to be filtered" "hard to breathe" "you will pass out from lack of oxygen" etc. It was bizarre. Eventually we agreed that I could come back with an N95 and wear their cosplay mask over my N95, which was acceptable per their official policy (and that it would be on me if I were to pass out). Why they couldn't lead with that option, or even post signs with examples of acceptable PPE combos, I don't know. What I do know is we're two years into this pandemic and ignorance continues to dominate at every level.
- yosito 5y agoWait, anti maskers demanding cosplay masks are making the rules at the hospital? Or am I misunderstanding something?
- sergers 5y agoI am wondering if was a typo/spellcheck error for cosplay. Confused that they enforcing wearing a cosplay mask. All hospitals in my area make you take off your mask and wear a level 3 surgical mask. If you want to double up, wear your own mask on top is fine.
- spqr0a1 5y agoIt boggles my mind that the general public, media, and even healthcare workers treat N95 mask as if they are as good as it gets. Industry routinely uses elastomeric half- and full-face respirators with P100 filters, and they have been easy to find in stock again since August 2020. P100 is a comparable grade to HEPA, both 99.97%. Respirators are more comfortable and seal well easier than purely fabric masks, they don't pull on your ears, they don't fog glasses, it's just silicone making contact with your skin instead of gross wet fabric so they are much more comfortable. They are also much more effective for smoke and pollen. I wear a 3M model 7502 face piece with model 7093 filters.
- JohnTHaller 5y agoDoes that model have an unfiltered exhalation valve? That would make it useless to protect others, which is a big point of masks.
- hedgehog 5y agoYou can cover the exhaust with filter material, that's what I did.
- tomjen3 5y agoThe one I have does not filter the exhalation, but I seem to remember that the goal of masks were to stop the spread and this one does.
- JohnTHaller 5y agoIf it doesn't filter the exhale, you're spreading to others. Especially if you're asymptomatic. That's one reason why many places (correctly) forbid masks with valves.
- seanmcdirmid 5y ago> That's one reason why many places (correctly) forbid masks with valves. No wrong. The CDC has written guidelines here in favor of exhalation valves on N95 masks (which are filtered), the guidelines specifically recommend against not forbidding such masks if they are NIOSH-approved N95 ones: from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/respirator-use-faq.html https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/respirator-use... My N95 filtering facepiece respirator has an exhalation valve. Is that ok? Will it protect both me and others? Yes, an N95 filtering facepiece respirator will protect you and provide source control to protect others. A NIOSH-approved N95 filtering facepiece respirator with an exhalation valve offers the same protection to the wearer as one that does not have a valve. As source control, findings from NIOSH research suggest that, even without covering the valve, N95 respirators with exhalation valves provide the same or better source control than surgical masks, procedure masks, cloth masks, or fabric coverings. In general, individuals wearing NIOSH-approved N95s with an exhalation valve should not be asked to use one without an exhalation valve or to cover it with a face covering or mask. However, NIOSH-approved N95 respirators with an exhalation valve are not fluid resistant. Therefore, in situations where a fluid resistant respirator is indicated (e.g., in surgical settings), individuals should wear a surgical N95 or, if a surgical N95 is not available, cover their respirator with a surgical mask or a face shield. Be careful not to compromise the fit of the respirator when placing a facemask over the respirator. [end quote] Many countries will require N95 masks (many of which have valves, so that is acceptable). So on a plane from Amsterdam to Beijing, you might have to switch masks during the flight (because the Dutch, for reasons, don't allow valves in favor of less effective cloth/surgical masks, while the Chinese...for reasons, require N95 masks that might have valves).
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- dehrmann 5y agoSo, um, there's no real next step after this if/when there's a 2x omicron. We're nearing the practical limits of the efficacy of masks.
- DannyCasolaro 5y ago
- ars 5y agoI have no intention of wearing one. I'm immunized, and I intend to expose myself to COVID frequently to ensure my immune response remains high, and if I get sick it'll be minor (and I'll quarantine in that case, since I don't intend to expose others). There is no longer any reason to wear a mask or stay away from others if you are immunized, unless you are actually sick.
- yosito 5y agoN95s are effective, but I really don't understand the endgame of healthy, vaccinated people wearing N95s at this point. I know there are benefits in certain high risk situations, but covid is going nowhere, are we really gonna spend the rest of our lives wearing masks everywhere? At a certain point, we just need to accept that life comes with risks and we can't avoid them all, and trying to just ruins our ability to enjoy life.
- pugworthy 5y agoIt goes two ways - you spreading it, and you catching it. From the spreading perspective, even if you are healthy and vaccinated, you might have it and you might be spreading it. Especially with omicron variant. And from the catching perspective, even if you're careful, vaccinated, boosted, etc. you still can catch it and get sick. Maybe it's not going to kill you, but it turns you into a potential spreader.
- yosito 5y agoI never panicked in the past about spreading the flu. I'd wear a mask and avoid visiting grandma if I were sick. But I won't live in a bubble just because there are things in the world that could hurt people. You can't reduce risk to zero. Why are we willing to fuck everything up to try?
- nradov 5y agoEveryone will catch it. At best wearing masks will only delay that a little. Fortunately the vaccines and other therapies are pretty effective at preventing severe symptoms. https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/vinay-prasad/94646 https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/vinay-prasad/94646
- simsla 5y agoI expect I'll get infected eventually. I'd prefer not to get infected at a point when the system is (about to be) overloaded. Omicron can't be meaningfully stopped, but it can be rate limited.
- pugworthy 5y agoMy challenge is that the over the ear ones just don't work with my hearing aids. They have a tendency to pull them off, and let's just say at $3k a pop, I'm rather careful I don't lose one. I do think it's good that people learn to detect fakes, but the challenge in a way is trying to order 20 of them. You don't want to wait a week for the order to show up, and discover you now have 20 fakes.
- sergers 5y agoTrue n95 have a head strap, no over earloops. Over earloops are generally consumer version with minor difference. N95 aura or true n95 are all headstrap
- thepasswordis 5y agoThe discussion here about masks is interesting. Many people talking about what their own personal preference for masks, exposure, etc. are. I'd just like to say: the problem, and where the division (which causes bad health outcomes!) comes from is: deciding what your strategy is, and then trying to force other people to do the same thing. If my strategy was: don't wear masks and hope to get omicron, and then I forced others to do the same thing, they would rightly be upset at me for it.
- jondwillis 5y agoI want to point out that the strategy of trying to get Omicron for future natural immunity against other strains, while probably one that will work based on what we know about viral competition, is wishful thinking and not based on scientific fact (show me a study and I’ll change my mind.)
- thepasswordis 5y agoImagine if somebody said you were required to take an injection which infected you with omicron, else you would be prohibited from participating in society. I'd be okay with the option, but not the requirement.
- seanmcdirmid 5y ago> Imagine if somebody said you were required to take an injection which infected you with omicron, else you would be prohibited from participating in society. But we just have to imagine that, since it doesn't occur in reality, right? Vaccines actually have some verification before they are thrown into the world, they aren't just injecting Omicron into your blood stream (which, actually, many anti vaxxers would prefer, since they are paranoid about mRNA vaccines for some reason).
- kcplate 5y agoThe messaging flip flop by the authorities were were supposed to trust contributed too. Then the statistics seemed to suggest that it didn’t seem to matter as well (areas with mask mandates vs areas without them). Then, they simply became a virtue signal—“I am taking the pandemic seriously” To me, I’ll wear a mask if required of a place I want to patronage, but will not at any other time. The efficacy vs discomfort equation is simply not worth it to me.
- horns4lyfe 5y agoFor whatever reason, people in this site seem to be cloistered in places that have mask mandates, when in most states this is a moot point because most states don’t have mask mandates. And at some point people will start leaving places with these mandates for places without them, because for some reason no one wants to admit that wearing a mask is really annoying.
- dmix 5y agoI wouldn't be surprised if we dont see a flock of people leaving Quebec now that they are adding a taxation. The courts even prevent you from seeing your own children: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-judge-suspends-unvaccinated-man-rights-child-1.6312426 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-judge-suspend... I'm far from an antivax supporter but reckless obedience to the degrading of liberty would have me looking elsewhere quick
- nathanaldensr 5y agoIt's just a selection bias. The story is about being "ready for an N95," so naturally people who live their lives via masking will be interested. Meanwhile, people in other areas simply go to the supermarket like they always did, go out to eat, etc. with no drama and no signalling.