Could masks be another vector?

[guest584920]

Consider that when people go about their daily lives they put their hands on everything in their environment; door handles, gas pumps, counter tops, store shelves, etcetera. 

And I notice people constantly touching and readjusting their masks. Some people do it almost subconsciously.

I notice people wearing everything from flimsy & porous cloth masks, to bandanas and surgical masks. I even saw a guy with a full beard wearing an ill fitting N-95 the other day.

It stands to reason that when people constantly touch their masks they transfer germs to the mask with their dirty hands, and subsequently inhale the germs. 

The average size of a COVID-19 virus  particulate is approximately 0.125 Micron or 125 nanometers in diameter so various face coverings provide different levels of protection and some not at all.

In my opinion, masks may help, especially the immunocompromised. But they also give people a false sense of protection, and at worst, may be another vector. 

We've been masking for almost eight months and we continue to see new cases daily.

Thoughts?

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

I agree that mask wearing has lulled people into a false sense of security as it's only part of the equation of wearing masks, keeping six feet distance, and staying out of crowded indoor areas. 

Right now this is all we have. It certainly isn't 100% effective, especially when masks aren't worn snuggly or properly.  But I'm still going to give it a try and if it's all wrong and I wind up being a sheeple, it will be with the best of intentions of keeping myself and others safe.

I think free speech is alive and well as people both on this forum and out there in the internet and the press are free to express themselves and even the wildest of conspiracy theories that are against the current medical mainstream way of thinking have a voice.  I think what they don't like is the clap back and whine that people can't handle a difference of opinion or free speech.  But that's part of free speech, having to listen to what people think about your theories.

I think there is potential there if we're having to help hospitals deal with the surge by helping them with PPE, funding, staffing, the uninsured, and reimbursement etc. for hospitals to take advantage.  At the end of the day, in looking at the hospitals in areas like El Paso and Wyoming for example that are struggling that they aren't making things up to make a profit. I think without the stimulus package the health care system might have collapsed in some areas.   I also think that if someone with a chronic or terminal illness gets covid and quickly dies,  the cause of death is covid, not the other illness.  

 

[SansNom]

7 hours ago, Jack Peace said:

Of course I am a real nurse. But, sadly, it's not worth it to me to post my personal information online, especially when many of my opinions on Covid will go against the mainstream clinicians' views. Which is the reason y'all decided to check into my profile to see who you were dealing with and if I don't think like you then I must not be an actual nurse. Sadly, free speech is becoming a thing of the past, especially when said speech is contradicting what the mainstream news is trying to drill into all our heads. First it was close everything down until we can get a vaccine, now it's "even when the vaccine is widespread, we are still not out of the woods..." And so it goes on and on. But be sure to mask up, because those things are saving lives out there. Do you really want to open that box of "we aren't sure you aren't sick, so we need you to wear a mask and treat you like you are sick", which is no different than "we aren't sure that you don't have more than the allowed maximum of people gathering here in your home at one time, so based on public health safety, we are going to enter your property and do a search"... 

Ah, the good old victim card. This has NOTHING to do with free speech. You can ramble on about a spaghetti monster that lives on the dark side of the moon for all I care, but I'm still going to call you out for it being a stupid theory if there's no evidence to back it up.

Calling someone out for a bad theory or a lack of evidence is not shutting down your free speech. That's just a weak minded way of trying to argue a point that has no basis in facts and reality........"you don't agree with me so I'm going to cry foul! and what I'm saying MUST be true because you don't want me sharing it!"

No one is trying to control you by making you wear a mask. It doesn't even make sense.

[Hoosier_RN, MSN]

3 hours ago, Tweety said:

I agree that mask wearing has lulled people into a false sense of security as it's only part of the equation of wearing masks, keeping six feet distance, and staying out of crowded indoor areas. 

 

Add hand hygiene to this list as well. I think its the single most important prevention method. You can wear a mask all day (correctly or incorrectly) , take it off, but if you don't wash/cleanse your hands, any germs that landed on it are now spread everywhere...

You are 100% spot on mentioning wearing a mask correctly vs incorrectly. Some are well meaning, but the mask does no good if slung under nose, tucked under chin, gaps anywhere, etc

[HiddencatBSN, BSN]

9 hours ago, Jack Peace said:

Of course I am a real nurse. But, sadly, it's not worth it to me to post my personal information online, especially when many of my opinions on Covid will go against the mainstream clinicians' views. Which is the reason y'all decided to check into my profile to see who you were dealing with and if I don't think like you then I must not be an actual nurse. Sadly, free speech is becoming a thing of the past, especially when said speech is contradicting what the mainstream news is trying to drill into all our heads. First it was close everything down until we can get a vaccine, now it's "even when the vaccine is widespread, we are still not out of the woods..." And so it goes on and on. But be sure to mask up, because those things are saving lives out there. Do you really want to open that box of "we aren't sure you aren't sick, so we need you to wear a mask and treat you like you are sick", which is no different than "we aren't sure that you don't have more than the allowed maximum of people gathering here in your home at one time, so based on public health safety, we are going to enter your property and do a search"... 

Oh calm down. No one’s free speech is being violated, and free speech has never been about the speaker being shielded from social or professional consequences. It’s never guaranteed a platform or a warm reception for speech. Our reaction to your speech and our skepticism that someone who supposedly has some science education is who they claim to be is speech too. Until Congress starts passing laws against disagreeing with strangers on the internet, none of us have to worry about anyone’s speech being violated.

 

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

2 hours ago, Hoosier_RN said:

Add hand hygiene to this list as well. I think its the single most important prevention method. You can wear a mask all day (correctly or incorrectly) , take it off, but if you don't wash/cleanse your hands, any germs that landed on it are now spread everywhere...

You are 100% spot on mentioning wearing a mask correctly vs incorrectly. Some are well meaning, but the mask does no good if slung under nose, tucked under chin, gaps anywhere, etc

Thanks for that reminder.  I'm surprised I didn't mention hand washing as that is part of the equation as well.

Part of the problem is people are wearing masks and still getting sick.  A friend of mine's parents are sick with it now.  "They always wear a mask and hardly every go out.  Masks don't work".  Then there's me that have had three known exposures and have tested negative for antibodies and covid:  "wear your masks!".

Our governor here in Florida is refusing a mask mandate pointing out that there is a surge in states with mask mandate and it's not helping them.  Meh, whose to say the surge wouldn't be much worse?  My county has a mask mandate and is the most densely populated county and of the top 10 most populated counties we have the lowest percent of positivity even amidst a surge.  

I'm not saying we should mandate masks, but clearly I don't think there's anything wrong with encouraging it.  To me that's like when people get lung cancer that don't smoke and saying "see!  not smoking doesn't help".  

Like I said, this is all we have until the vaccine is rolled out and proven either effective or not.  I'm still going to do the trifecta of mask, distance and hand washing.  Do I think we need laws to force it?  Even though we can't trust people to do the right thing (as evidenced by the surge) no, I don't think so.  

[Crystal-Wings, LVN]

On 11/30/2020 at 3:18 AM, DaveMHA-RN said:

It only stands to reason that flimsy cloth masks and  bandanas that much of the general public wears can spread the virus. Because people constantly touch them with dirty hands and then breath in the germs -basic Microbiology. 

Even surgical masks are not a 100% guarantee. 

Much of the general public does not wear the masks properly. 

Wearing the wrong type of mask is like using a condom with a hole in it. 

We should instruct our immunocompromised patients to wear masks properly, to wear them if they have to go out; practice good hand hygiene and most importantly -TO STAY WHEN POSSIBLE. 

As for the rest of the general population, from what I can see mask mandates are a mute point. Name one virus that we have defeated by wearing masks -I'll wait..... 

Pretty much. The only people that should have to wear the damn things are the immunosuppressed. The media just blows everything out of proportion like they do for everything else. 

[SansNom]

On 12/1/2020 at 3:41 PM, Crystal-Wings said:

Pretty much. The only people that should have to wear the damn things are the immunosuppressed. The media just blows everything out of proportion like they do for everything else. 

Seems that you really don't understand the function of masks at all.

[toomuchbaloney]

On 12/1/2020 at 12:41 PM, Crystal-Wings said:

Pretty much. The only people that should have to wear the damn things are the immunosuppressed. The media just blows everything out of proportion like they do for everything else. 

LOL

Is it exclusively or primarily immunosuppressed people who are getting, spreading and dying from covid? In your opinion...

https://www.CDC.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6940e3.htm

What do you think we should base our masking  practice upon...your opinion of masks or data?

LOL

[Guest219794]

On 12/1/2020 at 4:41 PM, Crystal-Wings said:

Pretty much. The only people that should have to wear the damn things are the immunosuppressed. The media just blows everything out of proportion like they do for everything else. 

Friggin media.

Showing outdoor tents for patients, refrigerator trucks to store bodies, talking about elderly in isolation, dying alone. 

As if that is some kind of a big deal.

Curious- what is your work environment?

[Heather Haley]

On 11/29/2020 at 10:55 AM, Jack Peace said:

Sounds like you all are drinking the mask cool aid for sure. You have to understand that anytime a study comes out that contradicts the narrative of this medical technocracy, it is immediately removed by the people in control who do not want the public to have that information. Thinking logically, if the whole nation has been wearing a damn mask since March, how can you explain the "spike" or third "wave" that we are apparently going through (according to them).?? Isn't it clear that masking anywhere and everwhere is clearly not effective in reducing transmission?

Guess its logical then to think that people aren't wearing their masks then huh? 

[MunoRN, RN]

On 12/1/2020 at 1:41 PM, Crystal-Wings said:

Pretty much. The only people that should have to wear the damn things are the immunosuppressed. The media just blows everything out of proportion like they do for everything else. 

A misinformation two-fer, nice work!

Masks are for "source control", ie they reduce the potential for people to spread the virus to others, they don't do a whole lot to protect the wearer.

Being immunosuppressed significantly increases your risk of severe bacterial infections, a normally function immune system does little to protect you from viral infections.

 

[NurseBlaq]

On 11/29/2020 at 9:55 AM, Jack Peace said:

Sounds like you all are drinking the mask cool aid for sure. You have to understand that anytime a study comes out that contradicts the narrative of this medical technocracy, it is immediately removed by the people in control who do not want the public to have that information. Thinking logically, if the whole nation has been wearing a damn mask since March, how can you explain the "spike" or third "wave" that we are apparently going through (according to them).?? Isn't it clear that masking anywhere and everwhere is clearly not effective in reducing transmission?

But there are tons of people not wearing masks and actually acting a dang fool when asked to wear one, so no, that's not the case. Masks work, it's the fools who refuse to wear them that's the problem.