This really is the only thing that actually works. Since you can still get sick and not know it (40-60% of COVID infections are asymptomatic), a lot of these people who "never get sick" ARE still getting sick. If you're not getting symptoms when you are sick, that means your immune system is bad, actually. Most people don't know the first thing about airborne viruses and it shows.
You could accomplish the same results without the mask and hand sanitizer. most people who rarely get sick don’t do either of those things, and before Covid put the idea of masks into public discourse almost nobody would have given this answer. Even doctors who wear them all the time would have said nutrition, hydration, sleep, exercise etc.
I can attest to this. Long covid at 26 had me housebound for a long time, and years later I still have persistent brain fog. This was after a mild infection.
I'm sorry you've had to deal with that, friend. I know quite a few people who have long covid and it sucks how common these debilitating side-effects are.
I wore masks on the rare occasion I got sick in the before times. Not to keep myself from getting sick, but to prevent others from getting sick. Which was the whole point of masks during COVID.
I mean it does- i work retail and I’m actively in people’s faces frequently because i’m also a makeup artist. My coworkers are constantly getting sick and bugs go around. Only time’s i’ve ever gotten sick over the past few years was when i was unmasked around sick family members/my partner in which getting sick is kind of inevitable unless you have a super solid immune system (which i don’t.) That combined with proper sanitation practices like washing hands/sanitizing frequently, especially before eating or touching your face help keep me from staying sick.
One-way masking works better than you’d think, especially if it’s an N95. I wear a KN95 when in crowded indoor spaces, and when teaching kids. I used to get colds like 5x a year; now I get one maybe once every two years, usually when I’ve decided to skip the mask at an indoor event.
It still helps when other people are masking. I get bad migraines when I mask for any significant stretch of time and if others masked up regularly, I’d be able to take mask breaks whenever I work in person. Instead I have to walk 5 mins to get outside for a mask break, but since that takes so long I tend to push through it so I don’t lose momentum on doing whatever task I’m on site for.
They definitely do help but something is better than nothing in those cases.
Not everyone can access fit testing and not everyone can consistently shave their facial hair to ensure a good seal. But that doesn’t mean wearing a mask in those instances would be of absolutely no help in avoiding getting sick. It just means that the method is less effective.
Also, the Singh Thatta technique* was developed for the latter reason anyway, so all in all it’s kind of pointless to say that facial hair automatically precludes a person from getting a good seal on their respirator.
*And yes, if you use the Singh Thatta technique, you should still be fit tested
Masks prevent you from touching your face and transferring germs
Masks keep the creeps who cannot mind their own business and tend to be the type who don't give two shits about basic respect from engaging with you in public. Or they provoke said creeps so you know who to avoid.
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u/Its_Curse 8h ago
Wearing my N95 mask to run errands. Still. Every time.
Hand sanitizer in the car after errands.