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Coronavirus discussion thread

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Fopp Feb 2021 9:31pm, 5 Feb 2021 46 posts	Quote Pin Fopp I saw it Slowcoach, Hells Bells doesn't like anecdotal evidence but I am glad that you've remained clear. I suspect you have better disciplines working in a medical setting. My point is not literally that they can't work, it's that they don't in practice. We all know that a substantial amount of people will just use a used covering to grab their shopping and pay nothing but lip service to it, if you'll pardon the pun. I will try to remain open minded and leave it there. Have a nice weekend.
Hunkyteddy Feb 2021 9:31pm, 5 Feb 2021 759 posts	Quote Pin Hunkyteddy Well if someone working on a Covid ward can wear it for an entire shift, in addition to all the other PPE they wear, then I can certainly wear it for 10 minutes in a supermarket. I'm supposed to be wearing one for 15 hours at the elections in May, that will be a bit more challenging
icemaiden Feb 2021 10:34pm, 5 Feb 2021 5,100 posts	Quote Pin icemaiden I really can't understand why we don't have all postal voting if we must have elections this year. I shan't be doing a shift in a polling station this year because I doubt I will be at least 3 weeks post vaccination by polling day.
Little Nemo Feb 2021 10:42pm, 5 Feb 2021 11,838 posts	Quote Pin Little Nemo Even if the evidence isn't here yet I'm happy to carry on wearing a mask when required. It seems to work in places like Singapore and Taiwan and we should learn from places that are dealing with this better than us. I use several during the day so they don't get too manky and I'm sure I'm not alone. I've got loads, maybe when it's all over I can make a memorial patchwork cushion!
Grast_girl Feb 2021 11:21pm, 5 Feb 2021 1,970 posts	Quote Pin Grast_girl Some face masks are definitely better than others, and whether they fit correctly or not makes a big difference to how effective they are. Looking at the deaths data for the UK (because testing was rubbish in lockdown 1), when masks weren't compulsory the gradient of the curve as deaths increased was steeper when we weren't wearing masks than the latest surge. The gradient of the curve down is steeper now than it was then indicating that they are having an effect on the effective R. There are conflicting factors, but I would say that given we have a more transmissible strain now than we had then, that masks are having an effect. If we weren't using masks then I doubt we'd be keeping R below 1.
fuzzyduck79 Feb 2021 11:41pm, 5 Feb 2021 73 posts	Quote Pin fuzzyduck79 I bought some FFP2 masks last week, they feel much more effective than the cloth masks I've used so far. Five layers and you can fit them more to your nose Can see how they would fog up glasses if I was wearing them. I plan to use them where I feel risk is higher - went to pick up an order at local Screwfix recently and it felt like a very tight space, low ceiling with several tradesmen talking loudly at each other or on their mobile, some without masks. I know masks are meant more to protect others but these FFP2 ones feel like they would offer reasonable protection for the wearer. I fully expect this govt to roll them out for mandatory use in another 5 years time.
Hunkyteddy Feb 2021 7:49am, 6 Feb 2021 760 posts	Quote Pin Hunkyteddy I can see why people are kicking against this. We have gone from 'masks are ineffective' from last April to 'wear a mask' now, to 'no, not that mask' in the future.
um Feb 2021 8:33am, 6 Feb 2021 4,231 posts	Quote Pin um Hunky - isn't that called 'learning' ? Or pragmatic ... eg in April all PPE was needed by medical staff & care teams. Then it became 'anything is better than nothing' as a way to facilitate mask wearing. And then, with plentiful PPE all round, 'this is the better type to wear'. Or am I giving too much credit there?
ancient Feb 2021 9:11am, 6 Feb 2021 20 posts	Quote Pin ancient I’m with fuzzyduck - I now wear FFP2 mask when in busy shops and feel safer as a result. Also the added bonus that my glasses don’t mist up as they do with cloth masks!
Velociraptor Feb 2021 9:25am, 6 Feb 2021 51,369 posts	Quote Pin Velociraptor Um, you're probably giving too much credit to a large chunk of the population who don't have sophisticated thought processes and will see the evolving evidence and changing recommendations as, "The experts can't agree about anything, I'll stick with the first thing I heard," or, "Well, the bloke in the shop says masks make things worse because his cousin wore a mask and he got it and died, so there's got to be something in that."