only way to stop yourself from getting it is possibly with an n95 but dont hog those when our medical professionals need them

Based on Data, the masks definitely aren’t even close to the most effective way to stop the spread either. In order I believe it’s Isolation, Quarantine, Handwashing, Social Distancing, and **THEN** masks. Not that they aren’t effective at all, but they are promoted as these devices of absolute protection. It’s ridiculous. Plus over 80% of people who got COVID were wearing masks anyways. It just doesn’t make sense.

> Based on Data, the masks definitely aren’t even close to the most effective way to stop the spread either. In order I believe it’s Isolation, Quarantine, Handwashing, Social Distancing, and **THEN** masks. Not that they aren’t effective at all, but they are promoted as these devices of absolute protection. It’s ridiculous. Plus over 80% of people who got COVID were wearing masks anyways. It just doesn’t make sense.
@Eagle Right.. when it comes to your ‘run of the mill’ surgical mask, it prevents a virus size of .25 or something along those lines.. and Covid 19’s size is.. wait for it... .003

It’s like trying to stop a bb with a chain link fence.

besides it is possible for the virus to transmit through other orifices, like the eyes

no, actually it is much more like a feild with metal poles spaced every six feet apart and you have to sprint though it blindfolded

> I think the main thing to take away from the whole mask debate is wear one if youre sick, but its better to stay home. Other than being sick and stopping others from getting it, it wont really prevent you from getting sick
@The Guy Behind You My question is.. do you behave like this during flu season? Because Covid 19 is just a nasty flu.. and yeah, some people lost their lives.. my heart goes out to their families... but the numbers the media has been feeding us are false.

also if one gets through thats ok, do we want to talk about viral load?

the less corona in you system the easier it is for your body to respond

@The Guy Behind You yeah, but that is free flowing, breathing offices *pull in* stuff from the air around you, your eyes and ears do not

@Al <3 I do not behave that way even now, I personally do not wear a mask unless a business absolutely requires me to do so, due to my low exposure to sick people. It can conceivably help those who have the flu to keep from spreading it, but only to a limited effectiveness.

@chaz that is true, however it is due to the fact that those orifices have higher traffic of airflow that masks prove to be less effective than most think

Some countries wear masks during regular influenza seasons but it is only the individuals that are sick that wear them. In addition to that it mostly comes from a culture that is typically exposed to other air pollutants that have created the belief in the effectiveness of masks. like asian countries for instance which have had high levels of industrial pollutants in their air. of course the industrial pollutants come in much larger particles that can actually be prevented somewhat more effectively by the wearing of masks

This is just disgusting, a false narrative of fear for someone WHO IS EXEMPT.

The fact that these people get away with shit like this for months is disgusting. Thank goodness the law looks out for people https://www.dailysignal.com/2020/10/21/faced-with-lawsuit-cuomo-reverses-closure-of-jewish-school-in-new-york-city/

> Some countries wear masks during regular influenza seasons but it is only the individuals that are sick that wear them. In addition to that it mostly comes from a culture that is typically exposed to other air pollutants that have created the belief in the effectiveness of masks. like asian countries for instance which have had high levels of industrial pollutants in their air. of course the industrial pollutants come in much larger particles that can actually be prevented somewhat more effectively by the wearing of masks
@The Guy Behind You So then why does WHO recommend wearing them around other people?

Because the WHO believes that the little protection that they do offer outweighs the potential other risks that they present. Also they operate mostly based upon scientific studies, which are mostly surrounding the use of medical grade masks and do little to explain the benefits of commercial/homemade cloth masks

Well I mean if is the belief of scientists from around the world then why should a I take the belief of someone on discord not do

It all depends on what your personal beliefs are and thats the point. Those that want to wear masks can do it, but there is not sufficient evidence to support the mandate of mask wearing

Not enough evidence except the same organisation that was involved in the "eradication of smallpox, the near-eradication of polio, and the development of an Ebola vaccine" is now suddenly wrong

it just doesn't add up man

I'm not discounting the accomplishments of scientists around the world, but on these topics the science changes rapidly. Even on those topics you mentioned its not like there has always been a 100% consensus of the science. Doesn't mean that the WHO is completely wrong, in fact they are correct about some of the benefits of the medical grade equipment. But the fact of the matter is that there is a lot of conflicting information surrounding regular cloth masks that isn't settled by the WHO or anyone really around the world

I believe that the majority of people at the WHO wants to do the best that they can for the world, therefore they create recommendations based on what is currently available, even if it is not complete science. I know scientist who are a part of the WHO and they are good people, but when it comes to advice that they give, it is only based on the best available information they can gather, not only on fully flushed out scientific evidence

I doesn't even seem the WHO is suggesting cloth masks atm

well like even if they know a little, it is still the best we have

as these people are some of the best in the world you can't ignore what they do and what advice they give over your own you know?

No I think it would be wrong to completely ignore their advice, but it's also important to consider the evidence that they have before them. When considering my personal beliefs, I may have more information than the typical person regarding these topics since I work in the bioinformatics field, but I tend to rely on organizations when they have presented sufficient evidence

well some people don't consider it at all and think coronavirus is a massive hoax it annoys me

and why trump wants to terminate funding to a internationally beneficial organisation is beyond me i just don't get it

For instance Dr. Fauci is a very great scientist. In fact I know people that have worked with him. But unfortunately you have many people politicizing his information and now he has become a bit of an icon as opposed to someone exclusively investigating the evidence.

The same thing is happening to many worldwide organizations

politics influences a lot of their information

i just don't see how wearing a mask is something political

COVID-19 obviously isn't a hoax, but many people begin to believe it because of the holes that can be poked in a lot of information surrounding it. Just like any serious issue in the world, politics makes its way into the information, clouding what really can be counted as fact

thats the point, it shouldnt be political, but it has become that way

people take little kernels of truth and run with it, in either direction

but how is wearing a mask political in this way? i probably don't disagree about the politic things now that you say it because i heard some news on it

but like how if you get what i mean

its become political because people have polarized the situation depending on your viewpoint. If you want people to have liberties with mask wearing you are seen as contributing to covid spread, but if you want to encourage people to wear masks you seen as impeding on peoples freedom. The reality of the situation should be somewhere in between, but like anything in this political environment it is seen as a black and white scenario

i don't get it

how is preventing the spread of a virus impeding on people's freedoms