Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like, you would rather get it repeatedly even if it's going to take 20 years off your life? Because you don't want to mask? Even if it takes 40 years off your life? Even if it makes you have a heart attack in 2 years? Because you don't like masking THAT much?

It's a strange hill to die on, but okay.

If I thought masks would do what you seem to think they do, I’d mask too. But since they don’t…

How could you seriously be this stupid? Do you realize that doctors have worn masks forever and have worked w/ people w/ COVID, Ebola, any numbers of infectious diseases and the doctors don’t get it. WTF kind of magic do you think that is? Yes of course masks work. But they have to be worn properly and worn all the time (when you are being exposed). So i agree, like condoms, they don’t ‘work’ bc people don’t F**king wear them 100% of the time they needed to. But masks work EXTREMELY well when used properly. You can admit you don’t want to wear a mask properly at all the relevant times, but that is NOT THE SAME THING as the mask not working. That’s you and your stupid decision.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want to know why everyone is getting so sick so often these past few months, this is why. Even mild cases of Covid cause immune system damage that shares some similarities to HIV (in that it destroys T cells) and may be permanent. Repeat infections increase the damage. People think because they feel fine after they recover, that Covid is nothing. But people felt fine after they were infected with HIV too, often for a couple of years. The damage is cumulative and takes some time to emerge. https://nationalpost.com/health/is-covid-prematurely-aging-our-immune-systems

Study is interesting. But conclusion could be dead wrong. It will take years to know this.

If you read the article there searchers say, multiple times, that any immune damage is only happening to some people. So no, this is not why "everyone is getting sick so often".

Anonymous wrote:If you want to know why everyone is getting so sick so often these past few months, this is why. Even mild cases of Covid cause immune system damage that shares some similarities to HIV (in that it destroys T cells) and may be permanent. Repeat infections increase the damage. People think because they feel fine after they recover, that Covid is nothing. But people felt fine after they were infected with HIV too, often for a couple of years. The damage is cumulative and takes some time to emerge. https://nationalpost.com/health/is-covid-prematurely-aging-our-immune-systems

Study is interesting. But conclusion could be dead wrong. It will take years to know this.

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Anonymous wrote:What surprises me is how quickly people have turned against masks. I went to the Kennedy center recently and very few people were wearing masks. Sitting for 3 hours in a crowded poorly ventilated space during a surge, not speaking, not exercising — there’s almost no reason NOT to wear a mask. We were shocked so few people were wearing them. At this point, I’m not obsessive about the masks but I still wear them on crowds when it’s no real hardship to do so.

It only feels "sudden" in the DC area because people kept wearing them for so long here. Go almost anywhere else in the country and masks fell away a while ago.

But yeah, if you're high risk, you need to keep up the social distancing, avoid crowded places like event venues, airplanes, Disney etc.

We went to Disney recently, wore masks everywhere, ate outside, and didn’t get Covid. Masks work if you wear them consistently and properly.

I’ve been to Europe three times in the last 7 months, 9 flights, train rides, use metro frequently and never wear a mask. Not masking works too.

Exactly. The PP who is on her high horse about masking at Disney and therefore not getting sick is misguided. Just because you didn't get sick doesn't mean your mask worked. You could've not worn the mask and not have gotten sick too, ya know.

DP. I didn’t hear a high horse. But I heard more logic from PP than whatever you are smoking. Risks are much higher for transmission for those who do nothing. It doesn’t mean you will get sick, but odds are much greater.

What you will never acknowledge is that the benefit of masking in specific environments is pretty much unknown and also varies depending on factors like case levels, ventilation, how far you are from people and the infectiousness of the variants. It's not that there is no benefit, we just don't know what that benefit is.

To me, a masked trip to Disney sounds horrible. I would never pay that amount of money to walk around masked.

Well luckily for you, you don’t have to do it. I’m not interested in what exacting level of benefit it offers - of course there are many factors at play in any given situation. All I care about is protecting my family. I know for a fact that masking and ensuring a good seal has helped to keep us healthy along with other mitigations. I won’t give up masking in higher risk situations any more than I’d give up fresh air and good ventilation.. We have traveled all over Europe and chosen to eat outside. Why that remains a big deal to some of you is a mystery, but you are free to remain unmasked. I don’t care either way.

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Anonymous wrote:What surprises me is how quickly people have turned against masks. I went to the Kennedy center recently and very few people were wearing masks. Sitting for 3 hours in a crowded poorly ventilated space during a surge, not speaking, not exercising — there’s almost no reason NOT to wear a mask. We were shocked so few people were wearing them. At this point, I’m not obsessive about the masks but I still wear them on crowds when it’s no real hardship to do so.

It only feels "sudden" in the DC area because people kept wearing them for so long here. Go almost anywhere else in the country and masks fell away a while ago.

But yeah, if you're high risk, you need to keep up the social distancing, avoid crowded places like event venues, airplanes, Disney etc.

We went to Disney recently, wore masks everywhere, ate outside, and didn’t get Covid. Masks work if you wear them consistently and properly.

I’ve been to Europe three times in the last 7 months, 9 flights, train rides, use metro frequently and never wear a mask. Not masking works too.

Exactly. The PP who is on her high horse about masking at Disney and therefore not getting sick is misguided. Just because you didn't get sick doesn't mean your mask worked. You could've not worn the mask and not have gotten sick too, ya know.

DP. I didn’t hear a high horse. But I heard more logic from PP than whatever you are smoking. Risks are much higher for transmission for those who do nothing. It doesn’t mean you will get sick, but odds are much greater.

What you will never acknowledge is that the benefit of masking in specific environments is pretty much unknown and also varies depending on factors like case levels, ventilation, how far you are from people and the infectiousness of the variants. It's not that there is no benefit, we just don't know what that benefit is.

To me, a masked trip to Disney sounds horrible. I would never pay that amount of money to walk around masked.

Well there’s no doubt we will have plenty of 3+ covid patients to study long term effects on

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Anonymous wrote:What surprises me is how quickly people have turned against masks. I went to the Kennedy center recently and very few people were wearing masks. Sitting for 3 hours in a crowded poorly ventilated space during a surge, not speaking, not exercising — there’s almost no reason NOT to wear a mask. We were shocked so few people were wearing them. At this point, I’m not obsessive about the masks but I still wear them on crowds when it’s no real hardship to do so.

It only feels "sudden" in the DC area because people kept wearing them for so long here. Go almost anywhere else in the country and masks fell away a while ago.

But yeah, if you're high risk, you need to keep up the social distancing, avoid crowded places like event venues, airplanes, Disney etc.

We went to Disney recently, wore masks everywhere, ate outside, and didn’t get Covid. Masks work if you wear them consistently and properly.

I’ve been to Europe three times in the last 7 months, 9 flights, train rides, use metro frequently and never wear a mask. Not masking works too.

Exactly. The PP who is on her high horse about masking at Disney and therefore not getting sick is misguided. Just because you didn't get sick doesn't mean your mask worked. You could've not worn the mask and not have gotten sick too, ya know.

DP. I didn’t hear a high horse. But I heard more logic from PP than whatever you are smoking. Risks are much higher for transmission for those who do nothing. It doesn’t mean you will get sick, but odds are much greater.

What you will never acknowledge is that the benefit of masking in specific environments is pretty much unknown and also varies depending on factors like case levels, ventilation, how far you are from people and the infectiousness of the variants. It's not that there is no benefit, we just don't know what that benefit is.

To me, a masked trip to Disney sounds horrible. I would never pay that amount of money to walk around masked.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What surprises me is how quickly people have turned against masks. I went to the Kennedy center recently and very few people were wearing masks. Sitting for 3 hours in a crowded poorly ventilated space during a surge, not speaking, not exercising — there’s almost no reason NOT to wear a mask. We were shocked so few people were wearing them. At this point, I’m not obsessive about the masks but I still wear them on crowds when it’s no real hardship to do so.

It only feels "sudden" in the DC area because people kept wearing them for so long here. Go almost anywhere else in the country and masks fell away a while ago.

But yeah, if you're high risk, you need to keep up the social distancing, avoid crowded places like event venues, airplanes, Disney etc.

We went to Disney recently, wore masks everywhere, ate outside, and didn’t get Covid. Masks work if you wear them consistently and properly.

I’ve been to Europe three times in the last 7 months, 9 flights, train rides, use metro frequently and never wear a mask. Not masking works too.

Exactly. The PP who is on her high horse about masking at Disney and therefore not getting sick is misguided. Just because you didn't get sick doesn't mean your mask worked. You could've not worn the mask and not have gotten sick too, ya know.

DP. I didn’t hear a high horse. But I heard more logic from PP than whatever you are smoking. Risks are much higher for transmission for those who do nothing. It doesn’t mean you will get sick, but odds are much greater.

Anonymous wrote:Like, how do you anti-maskers think masks are supposed to work, exactly? You realize that air is supposed to go in and out of the mask, right? To allow you to breathe? Otherwise you would be breathing the same air over and over and would die of oxygen deprivation. The mask is just supposed to trap the aerosol particles. But air is supposed to come in and air is supposed to come out through the mask!

Yes, through the mask itself. Ideally, the air is not supposed to come out of the sides of the mask where they touch your face. In reality, that does not happen for most people. I certainly don't spend time checking the seal on the edges of the mask every time I put it on. Maybe in healthcare settings where these are fit-tested it is different. I don't know.

Like, how do you anti-maskers think masks are supposed to work, exactly? You realize that air is supposed to go in and out of the mask, right? To allow you to breathe? Otherwise you would be breathing the same air over and over and would die of oxygen deprivation. The mask is just supposed to trap the aerosol particles. But air is supposed to come in and air is supposed to come out through the mask!

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Anonymous wrote:What surprises me is how quickly people have turned against masks. I went to the Kennedy center recently and very few people were wearing masks. Sitting for 3 hours in a crowded poorly ventilated space during a surge, not speaking, not exercising — there’s almost no reason NOT to wear a mask. We were shocked so few people were wearing them. At this point, I’m not obsessive about the masks but I still wear them on crowds when it’s no real hardship to do so.

Why would you go to the Kennedy Center at all if you consider it so high risk? Masks only take you so far. People don't wear them because they hate wearing masks. Going to the Kennedy Center is totally optional, they are not going to pay to be uncomfortable for hours.

But that’s my points. I’m living life pretty much as I normally would and it’s so easy to throw on a mask when there’s no downside to me. Even if it gives me incremental benefit, the cost is almost nothing. Why not do it? Fwiw, I’ve been living normally for a while now, traveling, take metro nearly every day, etc. I did get covid once from my kid who was eating indoors in a crowded school cafeteria every day so that was largely unavoidable. I’m really surprised so many people view it as a hardship. I have asthma and it doesn’t bother me unless I’m exercising or walking hard. Just sitting in a theater or on metro, it’s zero hardship.

It's zero hardship for you. I find it incredibly uncomfortable. I find wearing a good mask limits my field of vision (which is important when you have a toddler in crowded places). It fogs up my glasses. Luckily I am past this stage but for many people it gives them horrible acne (which can cause permanent facial scars). Just saying since you are so confused why everyone (most people) do not act like you do.

+1, especially to fogged glasses. If I thought I needed to wear a mask to the Kennedy Center, I wouldn't go, and I didn't do things like that when they were required. The experience wouldn't be worth it if I had to wear a mask.

Right? Like some people will pretend it's our fault for wearing the wrong type of mask. But the fogging happens with the best N95 masks (I've tried different sizes) especially in certain types of weather.

This is a big problem for me too, regardless of the type of mask.

My nose also itches near constantly, regardless of the mask. Cloth, surgical, N95.

If eyeglasses are fogging (mine do too), isn't that a clear indication that our breath is escaping the mask and therefore the mask isn't doing much?

I think it's a clear indication that most people do not have fit-tested N95s and nobody is seal testing them when we slap them on to go to the grocery store. Obviously, it doesn't mean the mask is not catching any aerosols or droplets before they spread. It's just not catching all of them.

You guys are the worse.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like, you would rather get it repeatedly even if it's going to take 20 years off your life? Because you don't want to mask? Even if it takes 40 years off your life? Even if it makes you have a heart attack in 2 years? Because you don't like masking THAT much?

It's a strange hill to die on, but okay.

If I thought masks would do what you seem to think they do, I’d mask too. But since they don’t…

This. Only one person in my family has had Covid and he got it when masks were still required for all at school and his class happened to have the “outdoor classroom” for lunch that week. He had been one place other than school in the two weeks prior and masks required there as well and nobody was eating. So he got it from school either during outdoor lunch or while wearing a mask. Oh and this was 6 weeks after he finished his primary vaccine series. I’d mask if I thought it would help. I’m not otherwise going to limit my actions one bit.

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Anonymous wrote:What surprises me is how quickly people have turned against masks. I went to the Kennedy center recently and very few people were wearing masks. Sitting for 3 hours in a crowded poorly ventilated space during a surge, not speaking, not exercising — there’s almost no reason NOT to wear a mask. We were shocked so few people were wearing them. At this point, I’m not obsessive about the masks but I still wear them on crowds when it’s no real hardship to do so.

Why would you go to the Kennedy Center at all if you consider it so high risk? Masks only take you so far. People don't wear them because they hate wearing masks. Going to the Kennedy Center is totally optional, they are not going to pay to be uncomfortable for hours.

But that’s my points. I’m living life pretty much as I normally would and it’s so easy to throw on a mask when there’s no downside to me. Even if it gives me incremental benefit, the cost is almost nothing. Why not do it? Fwiw, I’ve been living normally for a while now, traveling, take metro nearly every day, etc. I did get covid once from my kid who was eating indoors in a crowded school cafeteria every day so that was largely unavoidable. I’m really surprised so many people view it as a hardship. I have asthma and it doesn’t bother me unless I’m exercising or walking hard. Just sitting in a theater or on metro, it’s zero hardship.

It's zero hardship for you. I find it incredibly uncomfortable. I find wearing a good mask limits my field of vision (which is important when you have a toddler in crowded places). It fogs up my glasses. Luckily I am past this stage but for many people it gives them horrible acne (which can cause permanent facial scars). Just saying since you are so confused why everyone (most people) do not act like you do.

+1, especially to fogged glasses. If I thought I needed to wear a mask to the Kennedy Center, I wouldn't go, and I didn't do things like that when they were required. The experience wouldn't be worth it if I had to wear a mask.

Right? Like some people will pretend it's our fault for wearing the wrong type of mask. But the fogging happens with the best N95 masks (I've tried different sizes) especially in certain types of weather.

This is a big problem for me too, regardless of the type of mask.

My nose also itches near constantly, regardless of the mask. Cloth, surgical, N95.

If eyeglasses are fogging (mine do too), isn't that a clear indication that our breath is escaping the mask and therefore the mask isn't doing much?

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Anonymous wrote:Like, you would rather get it repeatedly even if it's going to take 20 years off your life? Because you don't want to mask? Even if it takes 40 years off your life? Even if it makes you have a heart attack in 2 years? Because you don't like masking THAT much?

It's a strange hill to die on, but okay.

If I thought masks would do what you seem to think they do, I’d mask too. But since they don’t…

DCUM is such a strange world. People here are in complete denial that a lot of transmission is inevitable. Not all of it, but most of it.

And yet, we mask with N95s and are the healthiest weve been in years.

And if/when you remove your mask, you will be China - just delaying the inevitable.

Why would we need to remove them if they help keep us healthy? If it's NBD after close to 3 years of wearing, what is the downside to wear them in perpetuity? Like are there actually any documented risks to oral health, etc. from long-term mask usage? My dentist told me there have been studies showing that the bacterial "biome" in our mouths shifted slightly due to masking, but nothing necessarily negative. He still wears masks when seeing patients.

Dentists have been wearing masks when seeing patients since long before Covid. It’s the standard of care.

Yep, and they wear them to prevent body fluids spilling from their mouth or nose when seeing you. They are not wearing them to 'stop the spread'

TWO MORE WEEKS!

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:What surprises me is how quickly people have turned against masks. I went to the Kennedy center recently and very few people were wearing masks. Sitting for 3 hours in a crowded poorly ventilated space during a surge, not speaking, not exercising — there’s almost no reason NOT to wear a mask. We were shocked so few people were wearing them. At this point, I’m not obsessive about the masks but I still wear them on crowds when it’s no real hardship to do so.

It only feels "sudden" in the DC area because people kept wearing them for so long here. Go almost anywhere else in the country and masks fell away a while ago.

But yeah, if you're high risk, you need to keep up the social distancing, avoid crowded places like event venues, airplanes, Disney etc.

We went to Disney recently, wore masks everywhere, ate outside, and didn’t get Covid. Masks work if you wear them consistently and properly.

I’ve been to Europe three times in the last 7 months, 9 flights, train rides, use metro frequently and never wear a mask. Not masking works too.

Exactly. The PP who is on her high horse about masking at Disney and therefore not getting sick is misguided. Just because you didn't get sick doesn't mean your mask worked. You could've not worn the mask and not have gotten sick too, ya know.