The new variant and masks

[Spider-Dan]

I mean, it's like asking which is most effective at preventing serious injuries resulting from car accidents: not texting while driving, not drinking and driving, or wearing a seatbelt?  They aren't mutually exclusive options; you can wash your hands regularly, wear a mask, and practice social distancing all at the same time.

[Brian Fein]

its also hard to evaluate because a segment of society will object and not participate and its difficult to weed them out statistically.  Covid would have ended in 2 weeks had EVERYONE stayed home and not gone anywhere.  EVERYONE.  That's why lockdowns don't work, because if 10% of people don't participate, its useless.

When I'm out, I avoid going near people in general.  I don't feel the need to wear masks but i also got use to giving people 6 feet space and i just continue doing that now.  We don't need to be all up in each others' junk.

[CF DolFan]

When I'm out, I avoid going near people in general.  I don't feel the need to wear masks but i also got use to giving people 6 feet space and i just continue doing that now.  We don't need to be all up in each others' junk.

I think that is the biggest thing. I unknowingly had Covid for 3 1/2 days at work but no one else caught it as we give each other space when we are talking.

[dolphins4life]

I think that is the biggest thing. I unknowingly had Covid for 3 1/2 days at work but no one else caught it as we give each other space when we are talking.

Are you saying social distancing worked, but the masks did not work?

In the media these days, the narrative is almost 100% the following.

- Lockdowns did not work
- Masks did not work
- Social distancing did not work.

People are looking to Sweden as an example.  Sweden imposed no lockdowns and mask mandates, but they did do social distancing.

According to Wikipedia, Sweden had a much higher death toll than its Nordic Neighbors.  Wikipedia also states that the effect on the heatlhcare system was huge.  It states that "Tens of thousands of operations were postponed, and only emergency and Covid care were available in the Winter of 2020."  It also states that "Stockholm's healthcare system because seriously overwhelmed during the Winter Surge"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_Sweden

Now, as a layman, I have to ask, isn't the point of lockdown to prevent the healthcare system from being overrun?  Isn't the point of preventing the healthcare system from being overrun precisely so people don't have treatments delayed?

Wikipedia goes on to state that in December 2020, the prime minister of Sweden DID start recommending masking.

Oooh, I just realized something.  In this country, after the lockdowns were lifted and the the vaccines started rolling out, during the Delta and Omicron waves, most people in the hospital were not vaccinated.

I just don't understand.  If the Anti-Covid people are wrong, why isn't there any pushback in the media from people saying that they are wrong? 

[Dave Gray]

In the media these days, the narrative is almost 100% the following.

- Lockdowns did not work
- Masks did not work
- Social distancing did not work.

This has not been my experience.  You may be getting algorithm based news.  What are your sources and how are you finding them?

[Pappy13]

The typical masks people wear (NOT N95 type masks) do very little to protect you from GETTING Covid, their purpose is to prevent the WEARER (who already has covid) from spreading it to others.  If you think about a surgeon wearing masks/gloves/etc. it's to protect the patient from catching something from the hospital staff, not from catching something from the patients (yes there are some times it's the opposite, but not normally).

If it were the other way around (wearing masks protected the wearer) why would the government manadate you wearing them? They don't give a shit if you die because you can't be bothered, they are trying to prevent you from killing someone else because you can't be bothered.