srt101fan wrote:
Good contribution. But why the apparent doubts regarding protection to the mask wearer? As I said in #4 of my opening post, I believe it is significant. Health care providers rely on them for self-protection. Can you please elaborate?
I am a podiatrist. I do surgery. I treat infected wounds.
We don't wear a mask in surgery to protect our self. We wear it to protect the patient. That would be a regular surgical tie over the head mask quite similar to the over the ear mask most people have ( the blue or pink ones).
The mask protects us a "bit" but it is significant. It protect the patient from us, the staff and docs, a whole lot.
During infected processes if potentially air borne ( not my specialty) we wear the N95 mask. Often with a regular surgical mask on top of that. A real N95 is fit tested. That mask, the N95, is actually a respirator. It is tight. It hurts. It leaves marks and later bruises and is potentially dangerous for someone with say, severe COPD. In public, a paper over the ear or a fabric mask ( constructed well and properly) is protecting you the wearer a tad, but better than nothing, and the person next to you, significantly. So, if we all wore one we could get the R0 - reproduction rate of SARS-CoV-2 down below one. Meaning each infected person then infects less than one and the curse starts to go down.
Often in the hospital those in the Covid ICU will wear a PAPR , a positive pressure airway helmet. Air is filtered by a unit on your waiste or back and flows under positive pressure around your face and out the bottom of the hood.
Moral of the story? Wear a mask. No violation of your rights. No Civil right violation. In my office if you decline after being asked, you are politely pointed to the door. For a paper or cloth mask, there are exemptions, but medically they are very, very few in number. Inconvenient yep. Nasty hot breath - yep. Safe- yep. End of story about masks.
Oh as a PS. They don't breed bacteria, they don't cause infections (keep them clean and rotate them), they don't stop O2 from getting in, they don't cause a build up of CO2, OSHA did never suggest other wise and all the other excuses I hear. I even read one woman felt she was exempt because her gynecological exam was abnormal ( last I took anatomy that "thang" does not breath - don't think that has changed much) and her chiropractor told her they were dangerous. They aren't dangerous and the chiropractor is catering to her and probably charging her. As a podiatrist I have been asked to write exemptions. Feet don't breath either so no. I don't.