It's just weird. Are you so antisocial that you don't like seeing another human's face? Or do you just like the fact that you get to compel someone else to do something they don't want to do?
On August 24, Oregon governor Kate Brown instated a state masking requirement that requires everyone five years and older, regardless of vaccination status, to wear a mask, face covering, or face shield in outdoor spaces if they are less than six feet apart from individuals not in their household.
“Cases and hospitalizations are at a record high,” said Governor Brown. “Masks are a quick and simple tool we can immediately deploy to protect ourselves and our families, and quickly help stop further spread of COVID-19.”
On August 24, Oregon had 49,889 active cases of COVID-19. As of yesterday, Oregon had 86,623 active cases of COVID-19 — an increase of 73 percent from the day the governor announced the outdoor mask requirement. Keep in mind, cases merely mean positive tests; an active case does not necessarily mean that person is significantly ill. The seven-day average of daily new cases has actually declined a bit, from a peak of 2,322 on August 30 to 1,616 yesterday. This wave appears to have peaked.
Nonetheless, the fact that the state with the most far-reaching masking requirement has seen a 73 percent increase in active cases in about a month is a vivid illustration of the limitations of masks. The Delta variant is really contagious, and no state can mask their way out of the pandemic. link
How many more examples do we need to see before that truth gets through your skull? And then to force this upon children, who are the least vulnerable population?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quietly removed guidance for phasing out masks and other COVID-19 mitigation efforts in schools, cached versions of the agency’s website show.
The CDC made the changes when it updated its guidance on universal indoor masking for students, staff, teachers and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of their vaccination status, on Aug. 5.
"We believe that our state, as well as teachers unions, probably had an influence over this change," Jonathan Zachreson, an advocate for fully reopening California schools, told Fox News. "It's basically mask indefinitely in schools forever, and there is no off-ramps. So it's really disappointing to see that."
Teachers unions have previously influenced changes to the CDC’s school-related guidance, reports have shown.
These people really are sick.
What gets me, is that if you look at the arguments regarding the masking and vaccinating of children, and look at the actual risk they face, and look at the risks they faced over the last decade or two from regular influenza, then there is no argument currently in circulation that would not apply to kids every single year from now to eternity.
ReplyDeleteThe 2010-11, 2012-13, 2014-15, 2017-18, 2018-19, and 2019-20 flu years saw more pediatric deaths from flu than covid has killed in each of the last two seasons.
So if we insist on masking them for covid, we will have to mask them every single year for flu.
If we insist on vaccinating them for covid, we will have to shoot them up every year for flu.
Lack o' science and stats ed is the answer for some, but $$$ is the true answer. More cash for health care if Typhoid Marys are allowed to spread the virus. More cash for family if those working under the table can stay at work. Little empathy for suffering of others.
ReplyDelete1 person in a group of 600 will not lose his life if all mask with a surgical mask and there is an infected contagious person in the group or so the latest NYT article says. A lot of people value that person, and will mask so that person can have a life, literally and figuratively. However -- if they had the choice of reliable low cost rapid tests ( say like U of I developed)...they might change their minds and choose to have Typhoid Mary isolate and get well while everyone else goes unmasked, as is normally done with pneumonia or flu. So the answer is empathy and $$, they aren't willing to condemn a person to death when they can mask and have good odds of preventing that death.
Right now we are not at the point where people with symptoms will stay home, so the virus spread continues as does the $$$ flow. It will continue until employers can be sued for allowing people with symptoms to come to work and infect others, and individuals can be sued for the costs of deliberately making others ill with covid. That latter isn't far off, there are several cases of people who knowingly spread AIDS living long enough to be imprisoned for killing off their victims. Schools already routinely settle for medical costs of victims in the cases of violent children who weren't supervised adequately as well as the cost of those who acquired a contagious disease from those who were admitted to the classroom when the screener knew they were ill (chicken pox, whooping cough, pinkeye etc).
- lgm
How many Typhoid Marys are out there? And more masks are being worn now than in June 2020, tens of millions are vaccinated--I don't see masks helping anything.
ReplyDeleteOf course, how *could* they, when the vast majority of people being compelled to wear masks aren't carriers?
Masks supposedly reduces your risk down to 3% (from study in Lancet that did metaanalysis). Thing is you don't know if you are asymptomatic or not, so you must assume you are if you have empathy and want to flatten the curve. You flatten if you don't associate; you reduce if you mask, distance, and associate. You spread if you are asymptomatic and attend crowded gatherings for a length of time unmasked. The numbers I am hearing are the 80% of the infected don't know they are infected. The Provincetown outbreak was 1000 confirmed infected of 10,000 attendees over a long weekend. We'll never know how many knew they were infected before the event but we can assume most did not think they were infected.
ReplyDelete--lgm
I haven't found a number for how many Typhoid Marys. It does not seem that UIUC was able to estimate that number for their population...remember the initial model didn't include a prediction that some who knew they were positive would not isolate and would attend group events.
ReplyDelete-lgm
Do masks seem to be working at eliminating the (spread of the) virus?
ReplyDeleteYes, masks seem to be working at reducing the spread. The studies of health care workers seem to be helpful to see that, but there are also studies from schools and universities.
ReplyDeleteDid you check what your alma mater did as students returned? Clear evidence that two weeks isolation isn't enough for all; confirms that the fellow from Utah that was still testing positive 30+ days after getting off his cruise ship is not an anomaly. Testing needed. I haven't heard yet about results of protocol during semester;staff is severely restricted to needed movement only. The WP Band is now allowed to give concerts to those living or working on post, but not to general public, as risk is high in the area.
Spread in my area seems to be via the unvaxxed, newly arrived, and partiers. The same insular religious group that doesn't vax for measles is also not vaxxing for covid. The newly arrived aren't fully vaxxed before moving in to community. And with the Gov not limiting group sizes, more spread when asymptomatic unvaxxed people falsify vax cards and mingle.
--lgm