Covid cases, vaccination rates, masks and Omicron, particularly in the UK

[Oliver2]

The situation here is exacerbated by the risible charismo of some, overwhelmingly young, people refusing to wear masks on public transport for example. It seems to be considered an expression of manhood by the males and one of defiant Karenism by the females.

[Old git]

The situation here is exacerbated by the risible charismo of some, overwhelmingly young, people refusing to wear masks on public transport for example. It seems to be considered an expression of manhood by the males and one of defiant Karenism by the females.

Check out the size of the gaps between the fibres of ordinary masks and the size of virus particles - it's like trying to stop sand with a chain link fence. There's also a few YouTube videos of people exhaling cigarette smoke while wearing a mask - it's clear that most of your breath just shoots out sideways.

Masks were mandated solely to allow governments to be seen to be 'doing something' - national placebos. Their impact is negligible, and possibly counterproductive, by giving a false sense of security..

[Nirish guy]

Just one of MANY sites both Govt and scientific that states mask wearing, if fitted properly and made from the right materials etc, while not perfect by any stretch DO help in the overall aim of reducing the spread of virus.....

"Do masks protect against Omicron variant?

Masks continue to be effective at reducing the risk of contracting or spreading COVID-19, including the Omicron variant, according to the CDC. That's because masks are not variant specific. Instead, they act as a barrier, trapping and filtering out virus particles from the air we breathe, Dr. Schaffner says.

However, masks are an imperfect barrier, meaning some virus particles still slip through. The likelihood some particles escape is probably even greater when it comes to the Omicron variant.

"Omicron produces more virus, even than Delta," Dr. Schaffner says, pointing out that some research has found the variant infects and multiplies 70 times faster than Delta. "So, the masks' capacity to interrupt or reduce transmission back and forth is likewise reduced."

But that doesn't mean masks are worthless against Omicron. Rather, masking is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to protecting you and your community from the variant.

"We have to think of these interventions as though they were a series of Swiss cheese slices," Dr. Schaffner says. "Each slice produces a barrier, but it has holes in it! It's not perfect. So, you can't rely on just one intervention to protect us. We have to do a whole series of things."

Of course, the most robust slice of cheese would be the vaccine. In fact, "vaccines remain the best public health measure to protect people from COVID-19," according to the CDC. Although even those who are vaccinated (or have their booster) should still start, or continue, wearing a mask, especially in crowded indoor situations Danielle Zerr, MD, medical director of infection prevention at Seattle Children's Hospital, tells Health.

As Dr. Schaffner notes, "Omicron can even infect people who are fully vaccinated and boosted, so we don't want to be spreaders to others, even if breakthrough infections are mild."

This echoes CDC guidelines which state people should wear masks indoors in areas where community transmission of COVID-19 is high or substantial."

https://www.health.com/condition/inf...micron-variant

[goji]

Check out the size of the gaps between the fibres of ordinary masks and the size of virus particles - it's like trying to stop sand with a chain link fence. There's also a few YouTube videos of people exhaling cigarette smoke while wearing a mask - it's clear that most of your breath just shoots out sideways.

Masks were mandated solely to allow governments to be seen to be 'doing something' - national placebos. Their impact is negligible, and possibly counterproductive, by giving a false sense of security..

1 Virus particles are often attached to water droplets which ARE big enough to be filtered out by the masks.
2 There have been trials which show proper FFP3 marks are very effective at protecting the wearer from COVID. See link. Of course the anti-vaxxer lobby never look for evidence and never learn anything from it.

https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/...s-dramatically

[dinagam]

How queer for those who are already vaxxed multiple times and who can't wait for the subsequent boosters ad infinitum are poring over the size of virus particles and mask efficacy. Nancy Pelosi has not been perturbed by the viruses and is still strutting about in her designer cloth masks. I wonder if she too is privy to the machinations of the pandemic.

[Dodger]

The situation here is exacerbated by the risible charismo of some, overwhelmingly young, people refusing to wear masks on public transport for example. It seems to be considered an expression of manhood by the males and one of defiant Karenism by the females.

In the U,S, it appears to be more of an expression of "Trumphood" than anything else - as the right-wing supporters of that idiot make up a healthy percentage of the anti-vaxers.

[goji]

In the U,S, it appears to be more of an expression of "Trumphood" than anything else - as the right-wing supporters of that idiot make up a healthy percentage of the anti-vaxers.

Whereas in the UK, vaccine uptake is lower in the urban Labour voting areas. The people who The Guardian claims are "educated" urban voters when their voting pattern matches the Guardian's stance. However, these urban voters are too thick to interpret multiple independent sources of data showing the benefits of vaccines.
The Guardian will not draw any attention to that.

[Brad the Impala]

Whereas in the UK, vaccine uptake is lower in the urban Labour voting area.

Hmm. Those who voted for the government are more likely to follow it's recommendations than those who didn't vote for it. No surprise there!

[Oliver2]

No one could ever accuse me of voting Conservative, ever- and I chose to follow the advice of the NHS, which is under threat of more privatisation but still on the side of the angels. Unlike our politicians, of both sides.