Pretty obvious why surgical mask would provide some benefit but not near as much as we're talking about for current events. Typically, patients under anesthesia that are being operated on have maks themselves, usually in the way of oxygen from the anesthesiologist. So transmission of airborne respiratory diseases from someone in the room is unlikely, especially because those rooms are also usually pressure controlled with other filters. In the real world of covid, it was an airborne respiratory transmitted disease. We rapidly determine that fomites, i.e., some element of the covid virus left on surfaces, did not transmit. What did transmit was either speaking to someone closely and exchanging respiratory particles, or being in a room where it got built up, usually unventilated rooms without pressurization or filters. It's just pretty common sense why masking helps significantly given how we know undisputedly that Covid transmits, which is not necessarily the risk you were trying to address and operating rooms even pre-covid.
It is a virus and life finds a way to propagate. My mother in law caught covid twice while at Mayo Clinic. All the nurses including herself wore masks. A lot of unknowns so common sense may not be so common.
No doubt. There's still so much we don't know, especially long covid. All you can do is play percentages
I was blasted for saying this in 2020 on this site. Even provided a great research piece by John Hardie about it that has been censored by the the group that published it in 2016. It was available on the site that originally published it until late 2020 if memory serves me correct. I will post it below. They knew and know masks were used to protect the doctor. In fact there is evidence the doctor does not even need to wear a mask for their own protection. But psychologically that is not going to work now. And that is fine. But the idea a mask is protecting someone from an aerosol disease is complete hogwash. It really is a lie. Side note…Covid never really was a spreader in medical or dental offices. The number one place it spread was the home. The number 2 would be a workplace environment like a factory where large numbers of people spent long hours together in a close environment. https://highlanderjuan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/John-Hardie-Why-Face-Masks-Dont-Work.pdf
Yes, it’s been brought up plenty of times. But what can you do? There are morons who also believe the earth is flat. The entire premise of filtration would go out the window if masks didn’t work. Oil filters, air filters, gas masks, etc. Yet, they only whine about face masks. Why aren’t they complaining about pulling out air filters at schools too?
Apples and Oranges. Someone posted why masks are worn in surgeries and that some places no longer require them and the studies showing they really don’t effect the rate of wound infections. The biggest reason is to decrease exposure to splatter, ie a vessel is cut and blood squirts across the room. I guess since it makes some people feel better it still will be done
I think those guidelines are correct if you are working with Covid-positive people (e.g., in a hospital). However, if you come into brief contact with someone with Covid, than a mask that has not been washed recently, or has been worn more than four hours, or is being re-used, is better than nothing. It does have to cover the nose and mouth. In the chemical industry, we have something called "escape respirators". If you are caught in an acid-gas cloud, you will get 4-5 clear breaths through the respirator. You don't continue working in the cloud.
Chem Why were we told the masks don’t protect YOU they protect those around you from getting whatever you have? And why are people still wearing them when everyone around them isn’t?
I think the government should give each person a self-contained breathing apparatus. Then, no one would breath air contaminated with aerosol virus and we would all be safe from the beer disease. SCBAs for Life!
Everyone is welcomed o adorn themselves however hey see fit But the mask mandate seems like a placebo for the masses. A way to control and manipulate the fear CoVid brought. Masks didn’t work. Many thought it was at best questionable that they would. Those still clinging to the idea that masks are an answer to the CoVid pandemic are misguided. We received so much misinformation… how it spread, n surfaces, through the air, big droplets, small droplets, no make? One mask, two masks. Etc…
