SHOULD YOU STILL WEAR A FACE MASK?

In May of 2021: 

The CDC said fully vaccinated individuals can, in most cases, drop protective face wear and no longer need to stay six feet apart. Unvaccinated people still need to follow stricter guidelines, as they remain at risk.

Then a few months ago, mask mandates began returning.  The new subvariants seemed to infect those who already had suffered from this virus, or even if you were vaccinated, so the vulnerable, like 80-year old Joe Biden, were advised to wear masks.

There are those who don't fear much getting respiratory infections, and there are those who do.  The latter wear a face mask just about anywhere.  The former, just the opposite.  As of September of this year, only 12% of Americans said they wore a mask outside their home always or most of the time over the past seven days.  That's down from 27% in January of this year and 60% in January 2022.

So this posting is for those who don't know whether to wear a mask or not.  

• It is clear to most of us that it is safest to wear a face mask in an indoor environment.  Not only do you largely prevent catching Covid-19, but also the flu, colds, and this thing called RSV, which is Respiratory Syncytial Virus.  We tend to take the mask off at home, even though it's safer to keep it on.  Hey, there is a limit to all this.
• Let's face it, a mask is uncomfortable, and in, say, an exercise room, limits activity.
• Of course, we take the mask off when jogging outdoors, or when visiting a zoo, etc.

But what if you travel?  Conde Nasté Traveler asked experts, and here is what they said.

• Ideally, everyone should wear a mask.  But clearly this does not happen.  Just happened to return from a Japan trip, and way less than 50% of those at the airport wore masks.  And Japanese are especially cautious and naturally wear masks when they, themselves, are ill, but need to leave home.  In one estimate:

...as of October 2023, approximately 40% of Japanese respondents still always wear masks in public (that number never really moved), and another 30% wear them situationally. On average, it’s likely that around 65-70% report wearing masks sometimes in public.

• 
  First of all, wear the right type of mask.
• Those cloth masks are not effective.  Not worth wearing them.
• Do wear those N95 or KN95 masks.  
• They now cost less than $1.50 when purchased in bulk.
• Note that N95 means made in the USA, while KN95 masks are made in China.
• 
  Are they then the same?  I guess not, for the Mayo Clinic says N95s give the most protection, and KN95s and medical masks provide the next highest level of protection.
• In Europe, the N95 is known as FFP2, Australia P2, Korea KMOEL and Japan DS.  They all appear to look pretty good:

• 
  This source says that the combination of a fabric and surgical mask is as good as one N95.  But this involves two masks.
• Sure, a surgical mask is better than a cloth mask, but the medical profession generally does not recommend a surgical mask for respiratory diseases.
• So why do doctors use a surgical mask in an operating room.  This mask reduces the probability of infectious material transfers.  The mask itself is not good enough to keep out a virus like Covid-19 when it is in the air.  More and more, doctors are now using N95 masks.
• 
  But should you wear a good mask on an airplane?
• Yes, both in the airport and on the plane.  
• This what the CDC recommends.

Most viruses and other germs do not spread easily on flights because of how air circulates and is filtered on airplanes (the air in an airplane cabin is fully renewed every 2-3 minutes, which is more frequent than most other locations in which people spend time). However, social distancing is difficult on flights, and you may have to sit near others, sometimes for hours. This is why CDC recommends the wearing of a face mask an important additional measure against exposing yourself or others to COVID-19.   It is important to follow basic guidance on wearing a face mask and frequently washing your hands or using hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. For more information see CDC’s Travel During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

• 
  What about when you're drinking something or having a meal?  Best to keep taking the mask off when necessary, and put it back on when not.  This article suggests another method, which I think is not exactly terrific. 
• That same source indicated:

As the Wall Street Journal notes, a recent medical study by a group at the University of Greenwich in London showed “a 59% higher risk of viral transmission during a one-hour meal service on a 12-hour trip compared with staying fully masked for the whole flight.”

• Me?  I'm a bit too cavalier about wearing a mask for a long flight.  I take a chance, and have been lucky.  I have not yet contracted Covid-19...and have traveled a lot.

Actually only 8.75% of those around the world were infected with Covid-19.  

• This number should be lower, for some got it more than once.  
• On the other hand, the world has undercounted by quite a bit, so this percentage should be much higher.  
• Early in the pandemic, it was estimated that only 10% of Covid-19 deaths were reported in Africa.
• A more recent analysis speculates that the world has had 2.74 times more deaths than those reported.  Thus, instead of 7 million deaths, it should be 19.18 million.
• Thus, that 8.75% should be closer to 24%, still lower than the U.S.
• In the USA, 34% were infected.  The re-infection rate is 3%, so 31% of Americans, or about a third, were nailed by this virus.
• Deaths.
• Using the updated world numbers, there was a one chance in 419 of dying from Covid-19
• In the U.S., your odds of death stands at one in 273.
• The USA had the most Covid-19 cases in the world.
• #1    USA  109,863,813
• #2    India  45,003,830
• #3    France  40,138,560
• #7    Japan  33,803,572
• #10  Russia  23,537,803
• #92  China  503,302 (this is, of course, far too low)
• Deaths
• #1    USA  1,189,353
• #2    Brazil  708,021
• #3    India  533,309
• #90  China  5,372 (c'mon).
• Of course, China does not report as it should.  One estimate has their death number as of the end of last year at 1.5 million.  So China had the most deaths in the world.
• Of course, it makes more sense to compare countries per capita, so for cases/million population
• #1      San Marino  742,027
• #2      Brunei  708,826
• #3      Faeroe Islands  703,959
• #4      South Korea  673,523
• #9      France  612,013
• #27    New Zealand  515,722
• #37    Germany  461,480
• #58    USA  328,142
• #76    Japan  269,169
• 104    Russia  161,432
• 132    World  89,747
• 228    China  347 
• Deaths/million population.
• #1      Peru  6595
• #2      Bulgaria  5648
• #3      Hungary  5088
• #15    USA  3552
• #51    Germany  2136
• 109    World  893
• 114    Taiwan  796
• 122    S. Korea  700
• 129    Japan  595
• 221    China  4
• Using the multiplier as above, this number should be 1117, placing China at 95, still not bad.
• Note also that Japan and S. Korea had the most number of weekly cases, by far during the final year of the pandemic.  Yet, their death rate was so low.  That is because of vaccinations.  Those countries that were infected later in the pandemic all had low death rates.  The USA had so many deaths because of poor administrative policies during the Trump White House.

Finally, more than anything else, if you haven't been vaccinated for covid, do it now!  Just one more reason why.

By the way, Time magazine just reported on the LONG flu.  14% of you will someday suffer from this ailment.  15 Craigside had a flu outbreak while we were away.  Apparently the flu shot we took (and a very high percentage of residents and staff was inoculated) was ineffective.  Did you know there is a test for the flu?

Some funny face masks.  

The following can be purchased from Amazon.  While the top one is currently unavailable, the Chimp with scarf sells for $10.

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