Face masks effectively limit the probability of SARS-CoV-2 transmission

Post by jaclaz » Fri, May 21, 2021, 11:34 AM UTC

xkcd-sucks wrote: post #165

panarky wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The effectiveness of masks, however, is still under debate Effective for the mask wearer, or effective for others in the vicinity of the mask wearer? It's well established that cheap cloth masks and procedure masks don't protect the mask wearer very much. The rationale for cheap masks is that they drastically reduce the spread of particles from the wearer to everyone else nearby . If your goal is to protect yoursel…

I wear "n95" masks while sanding drywall, obviously trying to make the fit as good as possible, and still my boogers end up with tons of plaster in them. I would assume these particles to be bigger than any virion.

Post by ComodoHacker » Fri, May 21, 2021, 11:53 AM UTC

_Nat_ wrote: post #130

rsj_hn wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Indeed this is the money paragraph: "The effectiveness of masks, however, is still under debate. Compared to N95/FFP2 respirators which have very low particle penetration rates (around ~5%), surgical and similar masks exhibit higher and more variable penetration rates (around ~30-70%) (2, 3). Given the large number of particles emitted upon respiration and especially upon sneezing or coughing (4), the number of respi…

tl;dr - There wasn't really a conundrum to explain related to mask-effectiveness at different levels. Rather, it's more like a lack of good data, as prior studies being cited were ridiculously weak. --- This seems like a largely helpful characterization. However: > So they are left with a conundrum that places which use surgical masks seem to be better off, whereas randomized control studies of surgical masks show li…

Post by collyw » Fri, May 21, 2021, 12:46 PM UTC

Post by collyw » Fri, May 21, 2021, 12:51 PM UTC

himinlomax wrote: post #285

crocodiletears wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the US, it's more to do with the way the CDC's messaging throughout the pandemic than any rejection of the evidence concerning a mask's efficacy. People refusing to wear masks rarely question whether or not it works, and more to do with a low estimation of the disease's threat, as well as contempt for both the technocrats who chose to mislead the public about masks early on, and leaders who they believe are overst…

> "Hey, some government people lied to us saying we don't need masks, hence why we won't use masks now" > Great logic there. But hey, cutting your nose to spite your face is nice, no? Stupid people are gonna stupid, but you can't lie to people and then expect them to then automatically trust you when you're telling the truth. Those people are objectively and factually wrong, but they are right to be distrustful. If t…

Post by collyw » Fri, May 21, 2021, 12:54 PM UTC

kelnos wrote: post #266

ddingus wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a strong culture of individuality, and that is coupled with an extreme reluctance to just do what we're told, and what I mean by that is more about trust than Authority. Trust is low here, which is problematic for a scenario like this. Many of us did learn those lessons. For me personally when this all began, checking out what the world is doing seemed the natural thing to do. The US is also very insular, in…

I think it goes further than individuality, though. There's a pervasive selfishness that seems to run through our (American) culture. Many who do believe that COVID is a threat to others (say, to older people, or to immuno-compromised people) but do not believe that they themselves are in much danger will decide not to wear a mask because they don't think it matters to them if they do or not. This is the thing that m…