We should get Bill Gates involved. The guy has been fighting viruses since Windows 95.
I recall that around 75% of infections in Wuhan were caused by asymptomatic carriers.
Don't forget that you can cough or sneeze irrespective of the fact that you are also carrying SARS-CoV-2 but have not had any symptoms yet (average is around 5.1 days.)
LeoNow think of that a little bit more. If you have no symptoms then it is unlikely you cough and/or sneeze. So what is the primary carrier of the infection in such a case? How does the virus jump from one person to the other?
I'm aware of that study that suggests the virus easily survives days on plastic or metal surfaces and stays active. This has been demonstrated in the lab only, by infecting bacteria cultures in a petri dish. It's not yet clear how/if this study can be transferred into real world risk. The study only shows, if you put a droplet full of virus onto a plastic or metal sheet and then let it dry for a certain amount of time (some hours, days) the virus is still able to infect a petri dish full of bacteria in optimal environment.
You didn't address any of what I just said above.
I linked to the recommendations of the WHO that clearly imply that masks are to be used if you may be infected, or if you're dealing with someone who is. The WHO you keep mentioning writes that. Have you actually read what they say?
The only thing I'm questioning at this point concerning what they say is that they seem to restrict the use of masks only if you or someone you have to be close to is infected, and my questioning is because there are likely a lot of people not showing any symptom but that are also clear potential vectors.
I do not agree again that only if you cough or sneeze heavily you're a hazard. We keep emitting very small droplets all the time without noticing it. And anyway, we may just cough or sneeze randomly without being able to control it just because of dust or anything else. So my point is NO you don't have to have developed clear symptoms to be contagious.
Now given the scarcity of masks, it can make sense to be cautious about promoting them unreasonably. This is risk and resource management. I personally think that if they had recommended for everyone to wear masks regardless of their condition, this would have triggered an uncontrollable panic as we just can't provide them. That I understand fully. I also agree with the point that most people don't know how to put them on properly, but still think some barrier is better than none at all.
For the rest, I again haven't seen in the WHO recommendations a clear point saying that masks are useless, since they recommend using them in the above cases.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/nsw/aboard-the-ruby-princess-how-one-cruise-spawned-a-covid-19-outbreak-20200323-p54d2f.html
The NSW government and the Federal government fail to accept responsibility and accountability for this utter debacle, preferring to point the finger at each other. No leadership at all. They must fear what is going to happen to them because of this.
Reminds me of the NSW government and the dangerous iPad chargers being sold. An innocent young woman was electrocuted and they lied to the public to protect their own own arses.
Geez, you guys are still arguing about freakin' masks?
Wear 'em if you got 'em. Can't hurt.
But if you're really smart you'll grab one of them big 5 gallon water bottles and wrap it around your head instead.
Geez, you guys are still arguing about freakin' masks?
Wear 'em if you got 'em. Can't hurt.
But if you're really smart you'll grab one of them big 5 gallon water bottles and wrap it around your head instead.
A sample of some South Korean people thoughts on how they think their country is faring better than others.
Geez, you guys are still arguing about freakin' masks?
Wear 'em if you got 'em. Can't hurt.
"You seen 'em, you play 'em." (Buster Scruggs)
I bought 50 masks about 5 years ago and have mailed some out to those in need in concealed packages because of mask theft in the mail.
Crime will be different now. As India is in lock down we won't be getting as many phone calls from low-life Microsoft Help Desk scammers for a couple of weeks. I suspect house burglaries will plummet. Carjackings will drop. Some good side effects will come out of this virus.
A sample of some South Korean people thoughts on how they think their country is faring better than others.
inSKKR the virus at first spread within a religious sect
..As India is in lock down we won't be getting as many phone calls from low-life Microsoft Help Desk scammers for a couple of weeks..
Geez, you guys are still arguing about freakin' masks?
Wear 'em if you got 'em. Can't hurt.
But if you're really smart you'll grab one of them big 5 gallon water bottles and wrap it around your head instead.It can hurt. That's the whole point.
..
Again: a mask on Joe Averages' face will not protect him. But it will protect others from Joe spreading the virus without knowing. But so does a scarf. Should you therefore wear a mask that would better suit a medical professional - NO. Should you wear a scarf - Yes, by all means.
Again: a mask on Joe Averages' face will not protect him. But it will protect others from Joe spreading the virus without knowing. But so does a scarf. Should you therefore wear a mask that would better suit a medical professional - NO. Should you wear a scarf - Yes, by all means.
People here playing with numbers tell you you're 50% likely to be in the same space as an infected person while shopping food. Without getting hung up on the assumptions going into these calculation and their merits, let's just assume it being very likely. You'll casually meet this person with a certain probability. You'll become infected with a certain probability. Now imagine everyone wears a scarf in front of their mouth. Does this reduce the risk of getting infected or not?
In the end, your whole train of argument boils down to just one: People shouldn't wear masks because they will feel protected and exhibit risky behavior. But they do that anyway and wearing protection isn't going to make it worse. The instructions and procedures for wearing face masks are designed for highly infectious and hazardous environments. Your local Costco is no such environment. The London Underground - not so sure. Best avoid entirely, with a mask or not.
The whole idea behind all recommendations to not wear masks is anyway not increased risk of infection to the wearer, but because they are needed elsewhere and creating additional competition for the resource is a really bad idea right now. If the resource was plentiful, nobody would be making such recommendation. Rather, the opposite.
Again: a mask on Joe Averages' face will not protect him. But it will protect others from Joe spreading the virus without knowing. But so does a scarf. Should you therefore wear a mask that would better suit a medical professional - NO. Should you wear a scarf - Yes, by all means.
People who 2 weeks ago thought WHO was a rock group are now experts.
(okay, that wasn't mine, I heard it from a friend yesterday, but still it's hilarious).
Experts who know better than the actual experts at that. You either need a lot more than two PhDs for that, or a lot less.