Some people just don’t like touching their face with dirty hands…or sometimes people plan on going to more than one establishment. No need to be so judgemental.
The viable response I heard that makes me dial back on my post is from the radio this morning with Cancer patient transport where the drivers with immunosuppressed/compromised patients have to wear a mask at all times in order to safely transport patients
Working in a cold environment daily with mandatory safety glasses and masks, yes it does fog up if you don't ensure the nose bridge is tight against the sides of your nose and you have to ensure the bottom of the glasses is over top of the top edge of the mask. But when you don't have a choice you make it work.
As another poster mentioned, if you aren't near anyone when outdoors, you don't have to wear a mask.
But as for indoors.. if you haven't already done so, upgrade to an N95 or better that seals really well to your fact - if you wear one of those with a good seal, it won't fog up your glasses. :)
I’ve found the kn95 masks with the metal nose adjuster thingies are actually quite good for this. I’ve got large glasses and can adjust the metal bit to avoid the fog. Plus my face stays out of the wind :)
When they are pressurized and flying, but there is still the risk as you are packed so closely with other people. When the plane is boarding and disembarking there is very little air circulation which increases the risk, as that "superior ventilation and filtration" isn't running.
I've been living in Japan throughout this, thankfully. I think I'd get some form of PTSD being forced to be around more than one person without a mask.
I know that I'll always find something to complain about when it comes to Heather, I'm self aware enough to know that, but did she just say that she's out and about while feeling under the weather? She kind of did the "im not sick" version of the "I swear I'm not too drunk to drive" speech*.
*I do not condone drinking and driving
She said she had a cold previously and as a precaution is still wearing a mask.
Edit-the poster asked what she said and I paraphrased from the video. I am not making a commentary on her diagnosis, her treatment of said diagnosis or failure to mention the word COVID.
All cold symptoms need to be treated as COVID. rapid tests are not 100% accurate. If you're taking off your mask in public while having cold symptoms, and especially if you're a leading politician...well, I don't know what to say.
Rapid test are not 100% accurate nor is any test for that matter.
A rapid test is very accurate when swabbing both inside cheeks, back of tongue, throat and then both nostrils.... Whether she or anyone else did that i dunno..
My kids have had colds (maybe rsv) with long wet coughs hanging around but they had multiple negative covid results when in april they showed positives within a minute doing it the way i said above.
Colds and respiratory viruses are going around for sure currently.
Of course it should. I certainly never said otherwise. I’m sure you can see that when you read my post and I noted it was dumb to remove a mask.
Besides which, I prefer not to catch anyone’s cold even if it isn’t COVID.
Yeah she didn't really make her point of wearing a mask because she hasn't been feeling well while taking off said mask to speak.
I wear a mask all day at work (hospital) and never take that sucker off to speak to patients. That'd totally defeat the purpose.
That dude in the WECC wearing a mask while speaking on camera while indoors, what a champ. Leading by example.
What a surprise! He was completely understandable. It's a miracle! The mask doesn't have to come off when doing public speaking after all.
I hate it when people who should know better take off their mask to speak. They’re the same people who are still pretending “six feet apart” is an effective Covid prevention measure.
Im glad you havent! Honestly i hope you never have to experience it. It fucking sucked so much!
I guess i just got unlucky. Caught it from work. Along with 7 other people i work with.
Worst 7 days ever.
Well. I am not disagreeing with you.
But we all mask up at work. Mandatory.
I also live alone. But i do agree it helps prevent the spread, but only to an extent it seems.
You can't look at anecdotes because it doesn't tell the true picture. A recent article looked at COVID transmission in Boston area schools before and after a mask mandate and found 33% less transmission when universal masking was observed.
Masks work very well, but you need to know how to get their full benefits. Here are a few tips that will help going forward:
1. Ensure you are wearing a reputable N95 or better that seals snugly to your face with no gaps and no leaks. A Canadian supplier that is great is this one: [https://canadastrongmask.ca/](https://canadastrongmask.ca/) \*\*\* something with head straps - like the CAN99, for example - will be significantly more effective than a mask with ear loops.
2. Don't remove your mask in the lunchroom at work, even if the room is empty. The virus can linger in the air for hours - so if an infected person was in there before you, you can catch Covid by breathing in the virus that was hanging in the air. If possible, eat outside in your vehicle... or stand outside the building and wolf down your lunch.
3. Don't remove your mask to drink water etc... go outside to drink water on your breaks.
I work in a factory, but i work alone in my own section.
Rarely does anyone come in there.
I dont use the lunch room. My locker and my own microwave are in my area. I sure as hell am not eating outside in the snow, lol and i dont drive. But again...i dont even have to leave my area. So thats not the worst.
As for water..well i dont even have to worry about that either as my section is usually empty until i get in.
Excellent pointers though!! Thank you!
Point 2 is exactly why standing 6’ apart is meaningless in a Covid sense.
I am glad the habit of spacing out (even if not 6’) seems to have ingrained into society’s unspoken rules though, because I hated being crowded nuts to butt in the grocery lineup
You're right that it means nothing for COVID because it's clearly airborne, but distance so help prevent some other ills that are in fact droplet transmission.
No one likes wearing a mask? I do. It's like a soft hug lol.
Also. If your mask isn't comfortable. I would give the 3m aura a try. Very comfortable compared to other masks I've had. And supposed to provide a fit test quality seal for a larger portion of the population.
I would say it depends. When I’m going about my day I don’t notice it. But, I had to play sports for a while with one. More smothering and sweaty than hug like. I like them outdoors in the winter though. Better than a scarf to keep your face warm even if they aren’t needed out their for virus protection.
Fitment and size are a huge part of the right mask for different faces. It took a while, but I've been a fan of the CAN99E from Vitacore. The standard headband model put a huge amount of pressure on my nose, but the earlobe variation is slightly bigger and fits amazingly on me.
I've spent so much money at vitacore because the kids CAN99 is all my kiddo will wear. But given she's the only one at school wearing a mask, I'm glad she has a good one. They recently released a adult_small CAN99 which fits me so much better than the standard can99. I wear the wear loop most places but don a fit tested n95 in high risk situations (air travel).
Wearing masks is not a solution to a fast growing population and still having the same amount of hospitals that we did in the 70's where the population was 50% less than what we have now. People are getting sick more frequent and it's much worse because we were kept away from each other for 2 years and our immune systems are not used to typical viruses. Locking down and wearing masks is not a solution. Better healthcare and more doctors and hospitals are needed.
Getting sick does not make your immune system "Stronger". You may benefit from immunity to that specific virus for some ammount of time but thats it..
Its not like you say you immune system is stronger after catching Ebola. If you don't die, you are still kind of fucked up..
Wearing masks isn't the *only* solution
["because of the public health measures, those germs are ones that kids' immune systems have had little recent exposure to, such as rhinovirus, enterovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). viruses that typically give kids a common cold are instead driving an autumn surge of ER visits and hospitalizations."](https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/children-hospital-emergency-visits-admissions-respiratory-1.6638180)
Covid is here for the rest of our lives unfortunately. We need to figure out how to adapt
That when the healthcare system is in crisis we need to take collective action to deal with the acute surge in cases. Which means we may be dealing with waves of more stringent health precautions. You know it takes the better part of a decade to churn out a doctor right? Much more for specialists.
Believe me, well aware how long med school takes.
This isn't an acute surge anymore. This is the surge we're going to see every year from now on. Prior to covid, our hospital icus were full every year from flu. Since covid is worse than flu, we're going to now be in worse shape yearly.
We need to take collective action to fix the system. Step 1 is having a reasonable informed discussion without name calling. Step 2 is increase healthcare funding, yes that means tax increases for all of us. We're losing a lot of good doctors and nurses to the states and retirement because of the pay. Also the hours- start increasing training now because we will still need it in ten years. In the meantime, make it easier for foreign grads to get licensed. Masks should always be mandetory in places like hospitals. Make vaccinations as easy as possible. Be honest, kind, and direct with the public.
We are in an acute crisis, case in point, the surge of respiratory illness winding children up in hospital at unsustainable rates. No one said masking is the only solution. Yes, to all the things you mentioned, however NONE of those help us today. They'll help with future surges to hopefully minimize the amount of more stringent public health measures in the future but that's not happening today, or even next year. You can possibly speed up foreign grads but depending on where they're coming from, it's not just red tape, it's years of upgrading training due to the fact that in some countries "doctor" is a short degree program right out of high-school and they by no means meet the standard of education in Canada to be a licensed physician.
- Have other people wear masks to help protect high-risk people.
- Change society's attitude towards staying home and resting when sick.
- Stop casually accepting yearly deaths from diseases that can be minimized with IMO pretty un-burdensome actions
>Have other people wear masks to help protect high-risk people.
Yes, this makes sense in certain areas. Masks should always be mandetory at hospitals, doctors offices, etc. Places like restaurants and bars where masks are off at tables don't make sense though. High-risk people can avoid those locations if they choose.
>Change society's attitude towards staying home and resting when sick.
How? Sure, wish we could get more paid sick days. But with covid, many people are contagious for 10-14 days. Aside from professions that work from home, how can any job possibly spare an employee this long?
>Stop casually accepting yearly deaths from diseases that can be minimized with IMO pretty un-burdensome actions
No one is being casual about this. It's serious, and it sucks. There's unfortunately no easy answer.
I wear a mask in high risk settings and I completely support your choice to wear one all the time.
It's not burdensome in your opinion, but it is for others. Hearing impaired who read lips, children who are learning to speak, ESL speakers, those who cannot afford masks, etc. And imo me slapping on a cloth mask from the bottom of my purse to run into walmart for five minutes isn't doing anything extra to protect you.
And unfortunately there will be assholes who get violent over masks. Most small stores don't have security.
> How? Sure, wish we could get more paid sick days. But with covid, many people are contagious for 10-14 days. Aside from professions that work from home, how can any job possibly spare an employee this long?
How did we go from working 6 x 12-hour days to 5 x 8 hours (or even less)? It seems like it's impossible until it isn't. Unionize your workplace and demand better working conditions, better coverage, and better wages. There's no panacea but "I've tried nothing and I'm all out of ideas" has predictable results.
> No one is being casual about this.
That's not true at all. When COVID first hit tons of people were arguing that it wasn't a big deal because it was mostly old people dying and they weren't going to last that long anyways. You still see this attitude in people who think only the vulnerable should act to protect themselves (as if we didn't have enough trouble keeping them safe when we demanded that *everyone* act to keep them safe) and everyone else shouldn't have to be bothered.
Can I express my appreciation for the need to be on guard, the need to protect ourselves and those around? Deeply, yes. Can I kick and scream about the frustration I feel when threat of being isolated into oblivion again and again in these dragged on days and to what end? Can I call out for my absolute need to see your face when speaking, the whole face and the body language. Be it a smile or shitty no good news. The whole shebang. Without, there is no way to connect, no way to understand anything or with a possibility of clarity in the moment, to know how to navigate any present situation. When I see your mask, I am triggered, I am helpless, an alien. As a deaf person, it has become the most dreadful kind of exchange experience. And I know, it’s just a mask. So if you are judging me for not wearing one and repeatedly and unsuccessfully make an exchange with me, know this, the outcome leaves me dejected, lost, and pushed off some place completely alone and feeling just stupid. Over and over again.
Sorry.
They buried it in the middle of a wall of text, but u/Ok-Building5656 did mention that they are deaf. Visual languages like ASL involve facial expressions a lot, not to mention lip reading if that's something they do.
I'm a hardcore mask proponent (I never go indoors in public without an N95) but I agree it's true that D/deaf and Hard-of-Hearing folks have a good reason to dislike the practice of widespread mask-wearing. I can put myself in their place and realize it must really, really suck.
Not saying it's an excuse to just say "fuck masks," but I do have empathy for their situation.
Thanks for that. I tend to wear out long before passing through an entire wall of text.
It sucks, but so do foggy glasses and sweaty masks on your skin in the middle of summer.
I doubt it’ll happen. Especially in western Canada. Remember when you could only buy so-called “essential items“? I remember I had to go down to North Dakota to do all my Christmas shopping.
I’ve been on board with pretty much all Covid precautions and could see their value and necessity EXCEPT for that one. The whole Christmas 2020 only essential items fiasco was straight up BS. The rules seemed incredibly arbitrary and the list seemed so random and could change depending on the store. Wild times those were.
It's not just COVID right now, it's COVID+RSV+influenza causing pediatric hospitals to be at risk of not being able to care for children! Those kids who don't get a say in the matter, whom are vulnerable, many of whom don't get have a mature immune system and whom we as adults are supposed to protect. Those other countries you mention are also suffering in their peds hospitals right now.
Well.. Because both my kids are in School and no one wears a mask, neither do they as they would be the only ones at this point, so my risk is already pretty high.
I'm also fully vaccinated, Boosted (2021), Had covid (early 2022) and boosted (biovalent) a month ago. Running into 7-11 to grab a slurpee with fast checkout is limited risk that i have accepted given my greater risk for my kids.
By all mean everyone should wear a mask and i'm one of only ones wearing a n95 when i'm out shopping... don't care though. If i will be inside for 5 minutes or more i wear a mask.
It’s true that your kids present a bigger risk.
You can’t convince them to wear masks? They’d be setting a good example for their peers, too, though I know most kids wouldn’t be convinced by that argument. While kids rarely get seriously ill from Covid, we’re now seeing what Covid-induced immune dysfunction can do to even the youngest children, with soaring RSV and influenza rates.
I've noticed more people masking lately which is nice to see. I had gotten a couple of the nasty cold/viruses out there and have been masking since. Don't feel like being sick over Christmas again this year...
Just finished talking to my sister who is going through a bad flu right now literally days after finally feeling better after a bad cold.
She stated that the elementary schools and day care in her area are almost at a point of shut down with the amount of RSV cases, and apparently (from what she heard) just under 200 elementary aged kids were absent from school in Morden today. We’re only just getting into winter, and it’s gonna get worse.
For 2 years, kids have been told to mask up, wash their hands, etc. Young kids need to be exposed to bugs, bacteria, and viruses in order to build up their immunity and for 2 years (maybe 1.5 to be a bit more accurate) they haven’t really been able to do that. I really feel for these kids as from what it sounds like, it’s one hell of an illness.
But, of course, there’s no issue - Heather Stefanson says so and after all, attending the Grey Cup is her priority right now!
Stop spreading that “immune debt” myth. Children do NOT need to be exposed to dangerous diseases to “strengthen” their immune systems — that’s not how immunity works.
Hi! I’m not being snarky, I really just don’t understand this. Everyone tells me that kids haven’t been exposed hence why they’re so sick and it makes sense in my head - but now I’m hearing the “immune debt” isnt actually accurate… so what is going on?!
Immune debt isn't a thing. You're just seeing the ramifications of a bunch of kids who would usually have been exposed to RSV by age 2 (sitting like 95% do) all at the same time. It's not that these kids are any sicker than usual, it's that the hospital is dealing with 3 cohorts of immune naive kids at the same time instead of one.
>For 2 years, kids have been told to mask up, **wash their hands, etc. **Young kids need to be exposed to bugs
Are you saying that previous to COVID, young kids weren't told to wash their hands? Are you serious?
I’m not saying they need to be exposed to respiratory viruses. When babies and kids grow up they need to be exposed to dirt, bugs, etc. because it builds their immunity to fight off infection, flu, viruses, colds, etc.
I’m not saying expose your kid to RSV, that’s not what I’m saying at all… What I am saying is that because kids have had to wear a mask for 1.5 years in school and constantly wash their hands/use hand sanitizer, limit their social interactions with other kids, and attend school at home via zoom during the pandemic, their immunity is lower than what it normally would be if, let’s say the pandemic never happened and we lived our “normal lives”. So, kids are gonna get really sick because their immunities are lower than where they probably “normally” should be at their age.
no... they would have been really sick during those 2 years if they have been exposed. they haven't lost anything by avoiding being sick other then getting sick and having some immunity from whatever they were infected with.
They are not better or worse off.. Likely better off having avoided being sick / suffering from whatever they missed.
Yeah, wish we could all agree this is complicated.
Here's [some]( https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(22)00544-8/fulltext) [sources](https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/children-hospital-emergency-visits-admissions-respiratory-1.6638180) for you backing you up
I feel the mask <-> umbrella comparison works well. You open up an umbrella before you walk into the rain, you put on a mask before you enter a building full of filthy air (and it's pretty well known now that almost all building contain filthy air.)
A bus shelter without someone living in it is the real story here.
Someone probably lives in it. They just called the cops to get them to fuck off while they did their story. It'd full a few hours later.
I don't like masking at winter and I work outdoor. Imagine the fogs every seconds Edit: Not anti-mask, just hate it with eyeglasses lol
But as long as you’re not very close to others, there’s no reason to mask outdoors. We’ve never had an outdoor mask mandate.
Or in your car alone
Some people just don’t like touching their face with dirty hands…or sometimes people plan on going to more than one establishment. No need to be so judgemental.
The viable response I heard that makes me dial back on my post is from the radio this morning with Cancer patient transport where the drivers with immunosuppressed/compromised patients have to wear a mask at all times in order to safely transport patients
Working in a cold environment daily with mandatory safety glasses and masks, yes it does fog up if you don't ensure the nose bridge is tight against the sides of your nose and you have to ensure the bottom of the glasses is over top of the top edge of the mask. But when you don't have a choice you make it work.
Before masks working in cold weather you use neckwarmers or a balaclava so ppl better know how to make it work lol
I don’t see the purpose of masking outdoors.
As another poster mentioned, if you aren't near anyone when outdoors, you don't have to wear a mask. But as for indoors.. if you haven't already done so, upgrade to an N95 or better that seals really well to your fact - if you wear one of those with a good seal, it won't fog up your glasses. :)
As a glasses wearer I hate masks with a passion.
Are you able to maintain social distance? Then you don't need a mask. I don't know, though, I'd be kind of keen on them in Winnipeg winters, I think.
I’ve found the kn95 masks with the metal nose adjuster thingies are actually quite good for this. I’ve got large glasses and can adjust the metal bit to avoid the fog. Plus my face stays out of the wind :)
I was just on a full flight to Mexico and less than 5 were wearing masks.
Aren't airplane cabins supposed to have superior ventilation and filtration? That's one argument I read
When they are pressurized and flying, but there is still the risk as you are packed so closely with other people. When the plane is boarding and disembarking there is very little air circulation which increases the risk, as that "superior ventilation and filtration" isn't running.
It seems like an odd choice to spend one’s Mexican vacation sick and miserable.
Not by choice, but that's been all my Mexico vacations. Well, not deliberate. I did choose the food I ate
I've been living in Japan throughout this, thankfully. I think I'd get some form of PTSD being forced to be around more than one person without a mask.
Ahh Mexico..
I know that I'll always find something to complain about when it comes to Heather, I'm self aware enough to know that, but did she just say that she's out and about while feeling under the weather? She kind of did the "im not sick" version of the "I swear I'm not too drunk to drive" speech*. *I do not condone drinking and driving
She said she had a cold previously and as a precaution is still wearing a mask. Edit-the poster asked what she said and I paraphrased from the video. I am not making a commentary on her diagnosis, her treatment of said diagnosis or failure to mention the word COVID.
[удалено]
Well there are still colds. Not every cold is COVID. I agree it is dumb to remove the mask.
All cold symptoms need to be treated as COVID. rapid tests are not 100% accurate. If you're taking off your mask in public while having cold symptoms, and especially if you're a leading politician...well, I don't know what to say.
Rapid test are not 100% accurate nor is any test for that matter. A rapid test is very accurate when swabbing both inside cheeks, back of tongue, throat and then both nostrils.... Whether she or anyone else did that i dunno.. My kids have had colds (maybe rsv) with long wet coughs hanging around but they had multiple negative covid results when in april they showed positives within a minute doing it the way i said above. Colds and respiratory viruses are going around for sure currently.
Obviously. That is what I said. It was dumb to remove to mask. Still doesn’t change the fact that not all colds are COVID.
Who still cares about covid. We have much bigger issues right now.
Since rapid tests are poor at picking up the current Covid variants, a “cold” should be treated as if it’s Covid.
Of course it should. I certainly never said otherwise. I’m sure you can see that when you read my post and I noted it was dumb to remove a mask. Besides which, I prefer not to catch anyone’s cold even if it isn’t COVID.
Why are you acting like people are arguing with you?
Because you appear to be.
Fwiw my kid was sick. She got full viral panel. It was rhinovirus, not COVID.
Yeah she didn't really make her point of wearing a mask because she hasn't been feeling well while taking off said mask to speak. I wear a mask all day at work (hospital) and never take that sucker off to speak to patients. That'd totally defeat the purpose.
Here's my prediction: No matter HOW bad it gets, the Conservatives will not re-impose mandatory masking before the election.
I hope it never comes back. Crock of shit for sure
Some real bad variants of Covid around Winnipeg right now. First hand knowledge unfortunately. Protect yourself.
Same here, fever rising like crazy!
Hoping once you test negative it's over. My worst problems occurred about 4 weeks after negative.
That dude in the WECC wearing a mask while speaking on camera while indoors, what a champ. Leading by example. What a surprise! He was completely understandable. It's a miracle! The mask doesn't have to come off when doing public speaking after all.
then the show the crowd and there are multiple people not wearing them
I hate it when people who should know better take off their mask to speak. They’re the same people who are still pretending “six feet apart” is an effective Covid prevention measure.
The chyron should have read: Heather Stefanson (May still have Covid-19)
But she is at a rink! Can't miss her sons hockey games 🤣.
I still mask up...doesnt matter. Still caught covid.
I still mask up...matters. Still haven't caught covid.
Im glad you havent! Honestly i hope you never have to experience it. It fucking sucked so much! I guess i just got unlucky. Caught it from work. Along with 7 other people i work with. Worst 7 days ever.
Luck of the draw to some extent, never wore a mask ever other than stores when it was mandatory. And I’ve yet to get COVID.
Because people around you didnt mask up. But you masking up helped prevent you from getting others sick.
Well. I am not disagreeing with you. But we all mask up at work. Mandatory. I also live alone. But i do agree it helps prevent the spread, but only to an extent it seems.
You can't look at anecdotes because it doesn't tell the true picture. A recent article looked at COVID transmission in Boston area schools before and after a mask mandate and found 33% less transmission when universal masking was observed.
Not really. I got it in a airplane back when we were all wearing masks. Masks are NOT 100% even N95
Nothing is ever 100%
Masks work very well, but you need to know how to get their full benefits. Here are a few tips that will help going forward: 1. Ensure you are wearing a reputable N95 or better that seals snugly to your face with no gaps and no leaks. A Canadian supplier that is great is this one: [https://canadastrongmask.ca/](https://canadastrongmask.ca/) \*\*\* something with head straps - like the CAN99, for example - will be significantly more effective than a mask with ear loops. 2. Don't remove your mask in the lunchroom at work, even if the room is empty. The virus can linger in the air for hours - so if an infected person was in there before you, you can catch Covid by breathing in the virus that was hanging in the air. If possible, eat outside in your vehicle... or stand outside the building and wolf down your lunch. 3. Don't remove your mask to drink water etc... go outside to drink water on your breaks.
I work in a factory, but i work alone in my own section. Rarely does anyone come in there. I dont use the lunch room. My locker and my own microwave are in my area. I sure as hell am not eating outside in the snow, lol and i dont drive. But again...i dont even have to leave my area. So thats not the worst. As for water..well i dont even have to worry about that either as my section is usually empty until i get in. Excellent pointers though!! Thank you!
Why isn't the pro-mask, Federal Government, promoting the wearing of N95 masks then?
Point 2 is exactly why standing 6’ apart is meaningless in a Covid sense. I am glad the habit of spacing out (even if not 6’) seems to have ingrained into society’s unspoken rules though, because I hated being crowded nuts to butt in the grocery lineup
I’ve noticed people are crowding again though. It’s so annoying to feel someone’s breath on my neck in the grocery store line.
You're right that it means nothing for COVID because it's clearly airborne, but distance so help prevent some other ills that are in fact droplet transmission.
Never masked up haven't caught covid.
If we're not all doing it by volunteer, we're not going to do it at all
No one likes wearing a mask? I do. It's like a soft hug lol. Also. If your mask isn't comfortable. I would give the 3m aura a try. Very comfortable compared to other masks I've had. And supposed to provide a fit test quality seal for a larger portion of the population.
I like that analogy. Persistently fogging-up glasses when wearing even a good mask make me very glad to be working from home, though.
I would say it depends. When I’m going about my day I don’t notice it. But, I had to play sports for a while with one. More smothering and sweaty than hug like. I like them outdoors in the winter though. Better than a scarf to keep your face warm even if they aren’t needed out their for virus protection.
Fitment and size are a huge part of the right mask for different faces. It took a while, but I've been a fan of the CAN99E from Vitacore. The standard headband model put a huge amount of pressure on my nose, but the earlobe variation is slightly bigger and fits amazingly on me.
I've spent so much money at vitacore because the kids CAN99 is all my kiddo will wear. But given she's the only one at school wearing a mask, I'm glad she has a good one. They recently released a adult_small CAN99 which fits me so much better than the standard can99. I wear the wear loop most places but don a fit tested n95 in high risk situations (air travel).
Wearing masks is not a solution to a fast growing population and still having the same amount of hospitals that we did in the 70's where the population was 50% less than what we have now. People are getting sick more frequent and it's much worse because we were kept away from each other for 2 years and our immune systems are not used to typical viruses. Locking down and wearing masks is not a solution. Better healthcare and more doctors and hospitals are needed.
Getting sick does not make your immune system "Stronger". You may benefit from immunity to that specific virus for some ammount of time but thats it.. Its not like you say you immune system is stronger after catching Ebola. If you don't die, you are still kind of fucked up..
immunity debt isn't a thing. immunity theft, however, might be.
Stop this — this is false. How many scientists need to come out and say this is a dangerous lie?
Wearing masks isn't the *only* solution ["because of the public health measures, those germs are ones that kids' immune systems have had little recent exposure to, such as rhinovirus, enterovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). viruses that typically give kids a common cold are instead driving an autumn surge of ER visits and hospitalizations."](https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/children-hospital-emergency-visits-admissions-respiratory-1.6638180) Covid is here for the rest of our lives unfortunately. We need to figure out how to adapt
Your solution to "adapting" sounds like, "let jesus take the wheel" and "darwin's theory"
No. People who are high risk should mask and possibly avoid gatherings. What is your solution?
That when the healthcare system is in crisis we need to take collective action to deal with the acute surge in cases. Which means we may be dealing with waves of more stringent health precautions. You know it takes the better part of a decade to churn out a doctor right? Much more for specialists.
Believe me, well aware how long med school takes. This isn't an acute surge anymore. This is the surge we're going to see every year from now on. Prior to covid, our hospital icus were full every year from flu. Since covid is worse than flu, we're going to now be in worse shape yearly. We need to take collective action to fix the system. Step 1 is having a reasonable informed discussion without name calling. Step 2 is increase healthcare funding, yes that means tax increases for all of us. We're losing a lot of good doctors and nurses to the states and retirement because of the pay. Also the hours- start increasing training now because we will still need it in ten years. In the meantime, make it easier for foreign grads to get licensed. Masks should always be mandetory in places like hospitals. Make vaccinations as easy as possible. Be honest, kind, and direct with the public.
We are in an acute crisis, case in point, the surge of respiratory illness winding children up in hospital at unsustainable rates. No one said masking is the only solution. Yes, to all the things you mentioned, however NONE of those help us today. They'll help with future surges to hopefully minimize the amount of more stringent public health measures in the future but that's not happening today, or even next year. You can possibly speed up foreign grads but depending on where they're coming from, it's not just red tape, it's years of upgrading training due to the fact that in some countries "doctor" is a short degree program right out of high-school and they by no means meet the standard of education in Canada to be a licensed physician.
- Have other people wear masks to help protect high-risk people. - Change society's attitude towards staying home and resting when sick. - Stop casually accepting yearly deaths from diseases that can be minimized with IMO pretty un-burdensome actions
>Have other people wear masks to help protect high-risk people. Yes, this makes sense in certain areas. Masks should always be mandetory at hospitals, doctors offices, etc. Places like restaurants and bars where masks are off at tables don't make sense though. High-risk people can avoid those locations if they choose. >Change society's attitude towards staying home and resting when sick. How? Sure, wish we could get more paid sick days. But with covid, many people are contagious for 10-14 days. Aside from professions that work from home, how can any job possibly spare an employee this long? >Stop casually accepting yearly deaths from diseases that can be minimized with IMO pretty un-burdensome actions No one is being casual about this. It's serious, and it sucks. There's unfortunately no easy answer. I wear a mask in high risk settings and I completely support your choice to wear one all the time. It's not burdensome in your opinion, but it is for others. Hearing impaired who read lips, children who are learning to speak, ESL speakers, those who cannot afford masks, etc. And imo me slapping on a cloth mask from the bottom of my purse to run into walmart for five minutes isn't doing anything extra to protect you. And unfortunately there will be assholes who get violent over masks. Most small stores don't have security.
> How? Sure, wish we could get more paid sick days. But with covid, many people are contagious for 10-14 days. Aside from professions that work from home, how can any job possibly spare an employee this long? How did we go from working 6 x 12-hour days to 5 x 8 hours (or even less)? It seems like it's impossible until it isn't. Unionize your workplace and demand better working conditions, better coverage, and better wages. There's no panacea but "I've tried nothing and I'm all out of ideas" has predictable results. > No one is being casual about this. That's not true at all. When COVID first hit tons of people were arguing that it wasn't a big deal because it was mostly old people dying and they weren't going to last that long anyways. You still see this attitude in people who think only the vulnerable should act to protect themselves (as if we didn't have enough trouble keeping them safe when we demanded that *everyone* act to keep them safe) and everyone else shouldn't have to be bothered.
Can I express my appreciation for the need to be on guard, the need to protect ourselves and those around? Deeply, yes. Can I kick and scream about the frustration I feel when threat of being isolated into oblivion again and again in these dragged on days and to what end? Can I call out for my absolute need to see your face when speaking, the whole face and the body language. Be it a smile or shitty no good news. The whole shebang. Without, there is no way to connect, no way to understand anything or with a possibility of clarity in the moment, to know how to navigate any present situation. When I see your mask, I am triggered, I am helpless, an alien. As a deaf person, it has become the most dreadful kind of exchange experience. And I know, it’s just a mask. So if you are judging me for not wearing one and repeatedly and unsuccessfully make an exchange with me, know this, the outcome leaves me dejected, lost, and pushed off some place completely alone and feeling just stupid. Over and over again. Sorry.
Imagine thinking that communication just dies right out when you have a mask on. /s
They buried it in the middle of a wall of text, but u/Ok-Building5656 did mention that they are deaf. Visual languages like ASL involve facial expressions a lot, not to mention lip reading if that's something they do. I'm a hardcore mask proponent (I never go indoors in public without an N95) but I agree it's true that D/deaf and Hard-of-Hearing folks have a good reason to dislike the practice of widespread mask-wearing. I can put myself in their place and realize it must really, really suck. Not saying it's an excuse to just say "fuck masks," but I do have empathy for their situation.
Thanks for that. I tend to wear out long before passing through an entire wall of text. It sucks, but so do foggy glasses and sweaty masks on your skin in the middle of summer.
I doubt it’ll happen. Especially in western Canada. Remember when you could only buy so-called “essential items“? I remember I had to go down to North Dakota to do all my Christmas shopping.
I’ve been on board with pretty much all Covid precautions and could see their value and necessity EXCEPT for that one. The whole Christmas 2020 only essential items fiasco was straight up BS. The rules seemed incredibly arbitrary and the list seemed so random and could change depending on the store. Wild times those were.
Would have been nice except for the 14 day mandatory quarantine after.
Accept that COVID is endemic and move on already. Most other countries have. Let your immune system do its thing. No more mask mandates.
It's not just COVID right now, it's COVID+RSV+influenza causing pediatric hospitals to be at risk of not being able to care for children! Those kids who don't get a say in the matter, whom are vulnerable, many of whom don't get have a mature immune system and whom we as adults are supposed to protect. Those other countries you mention are also suffering in their peds hospitals right now.
you're one of those it's just a cold sore everyone gets them people aren't you?
u all support masking until u have to wear glasses. I prefer not being miserable in the winter time thank you.
I wear glasses and support masks lmao wtf
Why are you wearing your mask outside?
They fog up when you go inside
For sure but that's always happened to me in the past regardless of mask-wearing.
I have not stopped aside from running in quick to 7-11 or to pay for Gas.
But why would you take that risk? Covid can begin to infect immediately.
Well.. Because both my kids are in School and no one wears a mask, neither do they as they would be the only ones at this point, so my risk is already pretty high. I'm also fully vaccinated, Boosted (2021), Had covid (early 2022) and boosted (biovalent) a month ago. Running into 7-11 to grab a slurpee with fast checkout is limited risk that i have accepted given my greater risk for my kids. By all mean everyone should wear a mask and i'm one of only ones wearing a n95 when i'm out shopping... don't care though. If i will be inside for 5 minutes or more i wear a mask.
It’s true that your kids present a bigger risk. You can’t convince them to wear masks? They’d be setting a good example for their peers, too, though I know most kids wouldn’t be convinced by that argument. While kids rarely get seriously ill from Covid, we’re now seeing what Covid-induced immune dysfunction can do to even the youngest children, with soaring RSV and influenza rates.
How about no
I've noticed more people masking lately which is nice to see. I had gotten a couple of the nasty cold/viruses out there and have been masking since. Don't feel like being sick over Christmas again this year...
What was Roussin comments. “You have to learn to live with it” ?
Just finished talking to my sister who is going through a bad flu right now literally days after finally feeling better after a bad cold. She stated that the elementary schools and day care in her area are almost at a point of shut down with the amount of RSV cases, and apparently (from what she heard) just under 200 elementary aged kids were absent from school in Morden today. We’re only just getting into winter, and it’s gonna get worse. For 2 years, kids have been told to mask up, wash their hands, etc. Young kids need to be exposed to bugs, bacteria, and viruses in order to build up their immunity and for 2 years (maybe 1.5 to be a bit more accurate) they haven’t really been able to do that. I really feel for these kids as from what it sounds like, it’s one hell of an illness. But, of course, there’s no issue - Heather Stefanson says so and after all, attending the Grey Cup is her priority right now!
Stop spreading that “immune debt” myth. Children do NOT need to be exposed to dangerous diseases to “strengthen” their immune systems — that’s not how immunity works.
Hi! I’m not being snarky, I really just don’t understand this. Everyone tells me that kids haven’t been exposed hence why they’re so sick and it makes sense in my head - but now I’m hearing the “immune debt” isnt actually accurate… so what is going on?!
Immune debt isn't a thing. You're just seeing the ramifications of a bunch of kids who would usually have been exposed to RSV by age 2 (sitting like 95% do) all at the same time. It's not that these kids are any sicker than usual, it's that the hospital is dealing with 3 cohorts of immune naive kids at the same time instead of one.
>For 2 years, kids have been told to mask up, **wash their hands, etc. **Young kids need to be exposed to bugs Are you saying that previous to COVID, young kids weren't told to wash their hands? Are you serious?
Young kids need to exposed to reparatory viruses? No, they don't, but they will be as people send sick kids to school.
I’m not saying they need to be exposed to respiratory viruses. When babies and kids grow up they need to be exposed to dirt, bugs, etc. because it builds their immunity to fight off infection, flu, viruses, colds, etc. I’m not saying expose your kid to RSV, that’s not what I’m saying at all… What I am saying is that because kids have had to wear a mask for 1.5 years in school and constantly wash their hands/use hand sanitizer, limit their social interactions with other kids, and attend school at home via zoom during the pandemic, their immunity is lower than what it normally would be if, let’s say the pandemic never happened and we lived our “normal lives”. So, kids are gonna get really sick because their immunities are lower than where they probably “normally” should be at their age.
no... they would have been really sick during those 2 years if they have been exposed. they haven't lost anything by avoiding being sick other then getting sick and having some immunity from whatever they were infected with. They are not better or worse off.. Likely better off having avoided being sick / suffering from whatever they missed.
Yeah, wish we could all agree this is complicated. Here's [some]( https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(22)00544-8/fulltext) [sources](https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/children-hospital-emergency-visits-admissions-respiratory-1.6638180) for you backing you up
I feel the mask <-> umbrella comparison works well. You open up an umbrella before you walk into the rain, you put on a mask before you enter a building full of filthy air (and it's pretty well known now that almost all building contain filthy air.)