COVID-19 Outbreak Information Updates (Reboot) [over 150.000,000 US cases (est.), 6,422,520 US hospitilizations, 1,148,691 US deaths.]

SharonT said
This makes no sense, logically, so I have to wonder what the purpose is of repeatedly tying together, forcing, these snippets together to make some...point?

"post-Omicron world" - like there will never be another strain of any virus of any magnitude ever? (even as reports circulate) Or any other world health crisis that may preclude humans working together for the benefit of all?

"anything less than a K95" - like anything less than the best is worthless? What? Why get out of bed without 100% chance zero bad things will happen? Now nothing is better than something?

"theatre" - dog whistle. Literally the definition of theater would be those on soapboxes ridiculing the steps taken to reduce the spread, now that those steps have worked.

"basically the same risk" - No. That's not how viruses work. If no virus is present, no one is at risk of that virus. But there's always some virus of some sort, some mold spores, some irritant or whatnot floating around.

"illusion of safety" - doesn't this sum up every waking moment for all of us? There are no guarantees. We each have our own version of risk assessment.

I guess I don't understand the need to play on people's emotions, with the EXTREME language. Why not just use common sense?

I also don't understand why with everything else going on, The Mask is the enemy. With the planes, you've got people from all over suddenly mixed breathing the same air - perfect opportunity if you're a virus wanting to spread. Sick people have been getting on planes forever. If wearing a mask for a couple of hours reduces the risk of getting any sort of sick from some joker coughing and sneezing, I'm in. I hate missing work. If that coughing joker is wearing a mask, my chances of breathing that in go way down. Common sense.

So, no, not blinking an eye if masking is extended for a bit in certain areas. "Err on the side of caution" may result in work productivity. Don't you think it would benefit all of us if fewer people got sick?

"post-Omicron" - it became clear that, unlike Delta or Alpha, non-KN95 masks offer little to no protection vs Omicron. The most recent variant of concern is even more transmissible, so, that logic still seems pretty sound. Omicron is second only to the measles in recorded history in terms of transmissibility - I think its a fair marking point.

"anything less than a K95" -

Leana Wen, public health professor at George Washington University and an emergency physician, has urged the public to wear high-quality masks and described cloth masks as, “little more than facial decorations.”

https://thehill.com/changing-americ...cloth-face-masks-wont-cut-it-against-omicron/
"theatre" - I'm using it in the same context of TSA security theatre, where we still take off our shoes because of 1 guy who did that thing 1 time 20 years ago. It's not adding any material level of safety or security - it's for show.

I don't think I used any extreme language, and I don't wish covid on anyone. But I strongly dislike dumb rules that aren't based in real risk-based thinking. I am also concerned that the urge to just do something will put us back into masking and/or virtual learning for schools, which has been a slow-moving disaster that we're going to be paying for over a generation or more (IMO).

I am not anti-mask, but I'm not going to pretend they are something they're not. To me, that is using common sense. FWIW I am staunchly pro-vax, as it is the one intervention we have that we know is highly effective in a post-Omicron world.