Mask info (And yes, I'll toss MAGAt trolls out of here in a heartbeat)

[OGIS]

To cut through all the bullshiat being flung around on this site, here's some basic info on masks:

General Types of Masks and their effectiveness:

Surgical and cloth masks:

These are designed to protect people other than the wearer. They protect other people by physically attenuating the aerosol particles (that can carry Covid-19 viruses) that the wearer expels when they breath and talk. (Attenuation means: stopping or slowing the particles, and thereby effectively shortening the distance those particles travel from the wearer.) This is why surgical masks are universally worn by tens of thousands of doctors in operating rooms. The protect YOU; not the doctor.

These masks do NOT impede the flow of either oxygen or carbon dioxide. Reason: aerosol particles (and even viruses) are considerably larger than either oxygen or carbon dioxide molecules. The molecules easily pass through (or around) these masks. The feeling that some people have that they do impede airflow is an illusion, because the feeling of the mouth and nose being covered tricks the brain into thinking that airflow is cut off. Please note that if they did cut off airflow, there would be piles of surgeon corpses at every hospital in the world, as they sometimes wear these masks in surgery for hours at a time. (My own several bladder cancer resections took several hours each; not one doctor or nurse died, and every one of them was wearing a surgical mask the entire time.)

Surgical and cloth masks, properly worn, can partially protect the wearer against airborne infection. The protection generally varies between 5% to 8%. They are generally worthless at doing this if the wearer is in prolonged proximity to someone who is NOT wearing a mask. In other words, surgical and cloth masks work best when everyone is wearing them.

N-95 and N-99 masks:

These are designed to protect both wearer and people around the wearer. (Proviso: this does NOT apply if the mask has a breather valve. Masks with breather valves protect only the wearer.) They protect the wearer and other people by physically attenuating the aerosol particles (that can carry Covid-19 viruses) that the wearer and other people expel when they breath and talk. They do this due to special electrostatic layers inside the mask that capture the moisture particles, both incoming, and outgoing. This is why these masks are universally worn by tens of thousands of doctors, worldwide, when dealing with pandemic diseases.

These masks, do NOT impede the flow of either oxygen or carbon dioxide. Reason: aerosol particles (and even viruses) are considerably larger than either oxygen or carbon dioxide molecules. The molecules easily pass through these masks. The feeling that some people have that they do impede airflow is an illusion, because the feeling of the mouth and nose being covered tricks the brain into thinking that airflow is cut off. Please note that if they did cut off airflow, there would be piles of doctor corpses at every hospital in the world, as they sometimes wear these masks for hours at a time.

N-95 and N-99 masks, properly worn, can almost totally protect the wearer against airborne infection. The protection is either 95% or 99%, hence the mask names. They are generally less effective at doing this if the wearer is in prolonged proximity to someone who is NOT wearing a mask. In other words, N-95 and N-99 masks work best when everyone else is also wearing some kind of mask.

KN-95 masks:

These are designed to protect both wearer and people around the wearer. (Proviso: this does NOT apply if the mask has a breather valve. Masks with breather valves protect only the wearer.) They protect you and other people by physically attenuating the aerosol particles (that can carry Covid-19 viruses) that the wearer or other people expel when breathing and talking. As with N-95 masks, they do this due to special electrostatic layers inside the mask that capture the moisture particles, both incoming, and outgoing.

The "KN" designation is used in the PRC. The standards are quite close to those for N-95 masks, but different in some respects. KN-95 masks are supposed to be equvalent to N-95 masks in terms of protection, but this is not always the case. The reason for this is that KN-95 masks are widely copied by "fly-by-night" manufactures (generally in China or Vietnam) trying to cash in on the current demand. MOST KN-95 masks are not certified by NIOSH, and many that say they are have counterfeit certifications. Choose carefully and do the research.

As with the other mask types, these masks, do NOT impede the flow of either oxygen or carbon dioxide. Reason: aerosol particles (and even viruses) are considerably larger than either oxygen or carbon dioxide molecules. The molecules easily pass through these masks. The feeling that some people have that they do impede airflow is an illusion, because the feeling of the mouth and nose being covered tricks the brain into thinking that airflow is cut off.

Legitimate KN-95 masks, properly worn, can almost totally protect the wearer against airborne infection. The protection is 95%, hence the mask name. Knock off KN-95 masks can still protect well, but not at that high percentage. They are generally less effective at doing this if the wearer is in prolonged proximity to someone who is NOT wearing a mask. In other words, KN-95 masks work best when everyone else is also wearing some kind of mask.

Personal experience:

I spend a lot of time on Fark.com, which is one of the "smarter" news aggregator and discussion sites. It has an inordinate number of very smart professional types on it (and, of course, its share of idiots and trolls, just like here). As a result, I got early warning of this pandemic and bought a couple of hundred 3M N-95 masks from Home Depot way back in January, before it hit the US in a major way.

Unfortunately, I followed the advice of the maker and discarded them after each one-time use. I only found out later that N-95 (and KN-95) masks can be reused up to 4 to 5 times. As a result, I ran out of most of these a couple of months later, hanging on to only around two dozen when I discovered the re-use capability.

Reuse of N-95 and KN-95 masks is subject to the following: (1) DO NOT WASH THESE MASKS; (2) do NOT reuse if the mask gets too wet. This, of course, is subjective, so judge accordingly and conservatively; (3) allow each mask to "lie fallow" for at least 72 hours. (This is the theoretical maximum time the Covid-19 outer sheath remains intact in a dry environment. Once that sheath begins to disintegrate, the deadly RNA package that it protects also degrades to harmlessness).

Personally, I now have enough KN-95 masks to allow each to "lie fallow" for 30 days. As to supply, I'm good through probably March 2021.

Procedure: I use a mask, then place it in a OPEN sandwich baggie. I write the date of use on the bag, on the date strip, and hang the open bag on my "mask wall" in date order, where it sits until it next comes up on the use schedule. Since I can afford the extra cost, I tend to NOT use masks with three or more usages, just to be safe.

My KN-95 mask of choice is Shuyian:
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1?ui=2&ik=aac37caa05&attid=0.1&permmsgid=msg-f:1676035743493605373&th=174279a0f1cb47fd&view=fimg&sz=s0-l75-ft&attbid=ANGjdJ80BIh6Oj_3-BOfV-poDINzsXDeG7pB3kDyCwVr-lRZonQRpZ3JbX_gq7ak89CTleYExX_dV8DFNorF9dUdRK1AWN2 qtLJJPR7jEu8r_omexY2C2Q2R5qvbL-I&disp=emb
I get them at my local "Red Ball" hardware store (i.e.: a "real" hardware store that has shiat you can't find elsewhere, not a boutique like Home Depot). They cost $10 for a pack of 5. These are NOT certified by NIOSH, but have a Chinese "implementation standard" of EN149:2001+A1:2009 FFP2.

When researching them, I was lucky enough to find a website with testing stats on them. It rated them at 87.6% protection. Not 95%, but still FAR better than a cloth or surgical mask. The testing site also was careful to state that neither they nor the manufacturer were NIOSH certified, but that they were an independent site. I therefore tend to believe that their results are "kosher." Not dead yet, and I live in a Senior complex with a large percentage of filthy Plague Rats, so they seem to be working.

Other hardware stores (Ace, for one) have KN-95 masks for $3 to $5 each.

Advice:

If you can afford them, and can find them, I highly recommend getting NON-breather valve KN-95 masks. Or (if they ever become available again of us "commoners") N-95 masks. Sociopathic anti-masker Plague Rat stupidity has kept this damned thing going for a year now, and I suspect they (and their partners in derp, the anti-vaxers) will keep it going for at least another one to two years. And as regards a vaccine, I have no plans to take one until I am sure that it is not a creation of politics, is actually effective, and won't kill me. So I do not foresee masks being unnecessary for at least a year or two. Buckle up.

[OGIS]

This is how I mark each baggie:
32792

[OGIS]

The Wall-O-Masks:

The ones at the top are the remaining, heavily used N-95s. Keeping them just in case I ever run out of the KN-95s. The ones at the bottom are the last used.

32793

[carolina73]

Mind telling us where your training comes from?

Some of us use and dispense these as a part of our work and have practical knowledge and education on these from the manufacturers and trained safety personnel.

[countryboy]

Mind telling us where your training comes from?

Some of us use and dispense these as a part of our work and have practical knowledge and education on these from the manufacturers and trained safety personnel.

The Communist Manifesto, obviously.

[OGIS]

Mind telling us where your training comes from?

Some of us use and dispense these as a part of our work and have practical knowledge and education on these from the manufacturers and trained safety personnel.


Then I'm sure you can easily refute what I've said above. Go for it! Let's see your cites!

The ONLY thing I can see that is in any way controversial is the re-use policy. And info on that is hard to find on the Internet, as it's a little sketchy. My info on that comes from talking with four different actual doctors and RNs: (1) my Oncology Case Manager at the VA, (2) one of the UCIMC surgeons who performed one of my bladder resections, (3) an Urgent Care doctor at the Cypress Urgent Care Clinic, and (4) another UCIMC doctor in their Urology Department at UCIMC, who performs cystoscopies on me, and periodic BCG and BCG/Interferon bladder lavages form my bladder cancer. All four of them have said that they reuse N-95 masks up to five times. Because the information that they are privy to indicates that doing so is safer for them than relying on surgical or cloth masks when dealing with idiot Plague Rats. So it's anecdotal. It's good enough for me. You can believe and do what you want.

If your citations are legit*, then that is valuable information, and should be included here.

* From peer reviewed, published scientific sources, please. Infowars and Sputnik News, not so much.

That post was your borderline freebie, btw. Post any BS and you go.

[Cletus]

You have a wall of masks?

That is just... hilarious. Go ahead and throw me off this thread if you want. That is a weak, punk ass thing to do anyway. I got my laugh for the day.
https://media.tenor.com/images/639e519969ee8c42cc70b12e9f0c894b/tenor.gif

[OGIS]

You have a wall of masks?

That is just... hilarious. Go ahead and throw me off this thread if you want. That is a weak, punk ass thing to do anyway. I got my laugh for the day.
https://media.tenor.com/images/639e519969ee8c42cc70b12e9f0c894b/tenor.gif


I'm sometimes amused by it, too.


But they have to be organized somehow, by date of use. Otherwise, it wastes time looking for one. But that's logic, and planning, and efficiency, and organization. Some of the things I learned in the military, and from 45 years in business management.

You mentioned you use masks, so you can select which ones to wear any old way you want. Throw 'em in a box. Whatever. Unless you're tossing them after only one use, which costs you extra money. {shrug} You do you, guy.

WALL-O-MASKS!!!!!!

[jet57]

To cut through all the bullshiat being flung around on this site, here's some basic info on masks:

General Types of Masks and their effectiveness:

Surgical and cloth masks:

These are designed to protect people other than the wearer. They protect other people by physically attenuating the aerosol particles (that can carry Covid-19 viruses) that the wearer expels when they breath and talk. (Attenuation means: stopping or slowing the particles, and thereby effectively shortening the distance those particles travel from the wearer.) This is why surgical masks are universally worn by tens of thousands of doctors in operating rooms. The protect YOU; not the doctor.

These masks do NOT impede the flow of either oxygen or carbon dioxide. Reason: aerosol particles (and even viruses) are considerably larger than either oxygen or carbon dioxide molecules. The molecules easily pass through (or around) these masks. The feeling that some people have that they do impede airflow is an illusion, because the feeling of the mouth and nose being covered tricks the brain into thinking that airflow is cut off. Please note that if they did cut off airflow, there would be piles of surgeon corpses at every hospital in the world, as they sometimes wear these masks in surgery for hours at a time. (My own several bladder cancer resections took several hours each; not one doctor or nurse died, and every one of them was wearing a surgical mask the entire time.)

Surgical and cloth masks, properly worn, can partially protect the wearer against airborne infection. The protection generally varies between 5% to 8%. They are generally worthless at doing this if the wearer is in prolonged proximity to someone who is NOT wearing a mask. In other words, surgical and cloth masks work best when everyone is wearing them.

N-95 and N-99 masks:

These are designed to protect both wearer and people around the wearer. (Proviso: this does NOT apply if the mask has a breather valve. Masks with breather valves protect only the wearer.) They protect the wearer and other people by physically attenuating the aerosol particles (that can carry Covid-19 viruses) that the wearer and other people expel when they breath and talk. They do this due to special electrostatic layers inside the mask that capture the moisture particles, both incoming, and outgoing. This is why these masks are universally worn by tens of thousands of doctors, worldwide, when dealing with pandemic diseases.

These masks, do NOT impede the flow of either oxygen or carbon dioxide. Reason: aerosol particles (and even viruses) are considerably larger than either oxygen or carbon dioxide molecules. The molecules easily pass through these masks. The feeling that some people have that they do impede airflow is an illusion, because the feeling of the mouth and nose being covered tricks the brain into thinking that airflow is cut off. Please note that if they did cut off airflow, there would be piles of doctor corpses at every hospital in the world, as they sometimes wear these masks for hours at a time.

N-95 and N-99 masks, properly worn, can almost totally protect the wearer against airborne infection. The protection is either 95% or 99%, hence the mask names. They are generally less effective at doing this if the wearer is in prolonged proximity to someone who is NOT wearing a mask. In other words, N-95 and N-99 masks work best when everyone else is also wearing some kind of mask.

KN-95 masks:

These are designed to protect both wearer and people around the wearer. (Proviso: this does NOT apply if the mask has a breather valve. Masks with breather valves protect only the wearer.) They protect you and other people by physically attenuating the aerosol particles (that can carry Covid-19 viruses) that the wearer or other people expel when breathing and talking. As with N-95 masks, they do this due to special electrostatic layers inside the mask that capture the moisture particles, both incoming, and outgoing.

The "KN" designation is used in the PRC. The standards are quite close to those for N-95 masks, but different in some respects. KN-95 masks are supposed to be equvalent to N-95 masks in terms of protection, but this is not always the case. The reason for this is that KN-95 masks are widely copied by "fly-by-night" manufactures (generally in China or Vietnam) trying to cash in on the current demand. MOST KN-95 masks are not certified by NIOSH, and many that say they are have counterfeit certifications. Choose carefully and do the research.

As with the other mask types, these masks, do NOT impede the flow of either oxygen or carbon dioxide. Reason: aerosol particles (and even viruses) are considerably larger than either oxygen or carbon dioxide molecules. The molecules easily pass through these masks. The feeling that some people have that they do impede airflow is an illusion, because the feeling of the mouth and nose being covered tricks the brain into thinking that airflow is cut off.

Legitimate KN-95 masks, properly worn, can almost totally protect the wearer against airborne infection. The protection is 95%, hence the mask name. Knock off KN-95 masks can still protect well, but not at that high percentage. They are generally less effective at doing this if the wearer is in prolonged proximity to someone who is NOT wearing a mask. In other words, KN-95 masks work best when everyone else is also wearing some kind of mask.

Personal experience:

I spend a lot of time on Fark.com, which is one of the "smarter" news aggregator and discussion sites. It has an inordinate number of very smart professional types on it (and, of course, its share of idiots and trolls, just like here). As a result, I got early warning of this pandemic and bought a couple of hundred 3M N-95 masks from Home Depot way back in January, before it hit the US in a major way.

Unfortunately, I followed the advice of the maker and discarded them after each one-time use. I only found out later that N-95 (and KN-95) masks can be reused up to 4 to 5 times. As a result, I ran out of most of these a couple of months later, hanging on to only around two dozen when I discovered the re-use capability.

Reuse of N-95 and KN-95 masks is subject to the following: (1) DO NOT WASH THESE MASKS; (2) do NOT reuse if the mask gets too wet. This, of course, is subjective, so judge accordingly and conservatively; (3) allow each mask to "lie fallow" for at least 72 hours. (This is the theoretical maximum time the Covid-19 outer sheath remains intact in a dry environment. Once that sheath begins to disintegrate, the deadly RNA package that it protects also degrades to harmlessness).

Personally, I now have enough KN-95 masks to allow each to "lie fallow" for 30 days. As to supply, I'm good through probably March 2021.

Procedure: I use a mask, then place it in a OPEN sandwich baggie. I write the date of use on the bag, on the date strip, and hang the open bag on my "mask wall" in date order, where it sits until it next comes up on the use schedule. Since I can afford the extra cost, I tend to NOT use masks with three or more usages, just to be safe.

My KN-95 mask of choice is Shuyian:
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1?ui=2&ik=aac37caa05&attid=0.1&permmsgid=msg-f:1676035743493605373&th=174279a0f1cb47fd&view=fimg&sz=s0-l75-ft&attbid=ANGjdJ80BIh6Oj_3-BOfV-poDINzsXDeG7pB3kDyCwVr-lRZonQRpZ3JbX_gq7ak89CTleYExX_dV8DFNorF9dUdRK1AWN2 qtLJJPR7jEu8r_omexY2C2Q2R5qvbL-I&disp=emb
I get them at my local "Red Ball" hardware store (i.e.: a "real" hardware store that has shiat you can't find elsewhere, not a boutique like Home Depot). They cost $10 for a pack of 5. These are NOT certified by NIOSH, but have a Chinese "implementation standard" of EN149:2001+A1:2009 FFP2.

When researching them, I was lucky enough to find a website with testing stats on them. It rated them at 87.6% protection. Not 95%, but still FAR better than a cloth or surgical mask. The testing site also was careful to state that neither they nor the manufacturer were NIOSH certified, but that they were an independent site. I therefore tend to believe that their results are "kosher." Not dead yet, and I live in a Senior complex with a large percentage of filthy Plague Rats, so they seem to be working.

Other hardware stores (Ace, for one) have KN-95 masks for $3 to $5 each.

Advice:

If you can afford them, and can find them, I highly recommend getting NON-breather valve KN-95 masks. Or (if they ever become available again of us "commoners") N-95 masks. Sociopathic anti-masker Plague Rat stupidity has kept this damned thing going for a year now, and I suspect they (and their partners in derp, the anti-vaxers) will keep it going for at least another one to two years. And as regards a vaccine, I have no plans to take one until I am sure that it is not a creation of politics, is actually effective, and won't kill me. So I do not foresee masks being unnecessary for at least a year or two. Buckle up.

All ya'gotta do is wash your hands, stay in your bubble (as they call it now), wear your mask, and take reasonable care of yourself and you'll be fine.

[gamewell45]

https://thepoliticalforums.com/threads/131655?p=3076303#post3076303

countryboy has been thread banned at the request of the OP [tpf]

[OGIS]

All ya'gotta do is wash your hands, stay in your bubble (as they call it now), wear your mask, and take reasonable care of yourself and you'll be fine.

And avoid the Plague Rats.

Which... can be problematic.

LOL, some of them get insulted when I make wide detours around them. One of my moron neighbors always sits out in his walker or wheelchair on the sidewalk leading past the complex, all farking day. No mask (of course), smoking a cigarette, and coughing, hacking, and spitting up phlegm on the sidewalk. When I have to pass him, I wait for a break in the traffic and walk out into the street to stay at least thirty feet from him. This sets off a round of cursing, screaming, and more coughing. He says I'm dissing him.

Every. goddamned. day.

I've encountered a few others like him in stores that get upset when I make obvious moves to avoid being around their filthy presences.

It's actually sorta kinda amusing. Like dealing with a semi-sentient rattlesnake, or a crippled mountain lion, that can talk. Because that's exactly what the situation is: these "people" cannot be reasoned with; they are, in effect, wild animals. And common sense says that you avoid walking close to wild animals.

[Abby08]

The Wall-O-Masks:

The ones at the top are the remaining, heavily used N-95s. Keeping them just in case I ever run out of the KN-95s. The ones at the bottom are the last used.

32793


Wow. That's........way beyond paranoid .

[jet57]

And avoid the Plague Rats.

Which... can be problematic.

LOL, some of them get insulted when I make wide detours around them. One of my moron neighbors always sits out in his walker or wheelchair on the sidewalk leading past the complex, all farking day. No mask (of course), smoking a cigarette, and coughing, hacking, and spitting up phlegm on the sidewalk. When I have to pass him, I wait for a break in the traffic and walk out into the street to stay at least thirty feet from him. This sets off a round of cursing, screaming, and more coughing. He says I'm dissing him.

Every. goddamned. day.

I've encountered a few others like him in stores that get upset when I make obvious moves to avoid being around their filthy presences.

It's actually sorta kinda amusing. Like dealing with a semi-sentient rattlesnake, or a crippled mountain lion, that can talk. Because that's exactly what the situation is: these "people" cannot be reasoned with; they are, in effect, wild animals. And common sense says that you avoid walking close to wild animals.

Yeah, stupid is as stupid does. Well at least we got Biden and Harris to handle it. I think that by this time next year we'll all have it pretty much under control, but the stupid will still be stupid, just grateful.

[carolina73]

I want to know where you are coming from.
I have seen people here telling everyone to put elastic bands on their face.

Go for it. I won't interrupt your little class but people should know who they are listening to.

[OGIS]

Wow. That's........way beyond paranoid .

Care to elaborate? You don't want to re-use a mask too soon, and it might still have active virus trapped in the electrostatic layers. The Wall-o-Masks is a pretty easy and simple way to make sure that the masks are rotated in date sequence. I can afford to buy more than the bare minimum needed, so why not?

AS it stands, though, maybe half of those probably need to be tossed, as they have three or four uses. I'm holding off on that, though, to see about the availability of fresh replacements. That hardware store has an on-again-off-again supply of them. So... better safe than sorry.

Being immune compromised (cancer, diabetes, over-wight) I do not wish to be at the mercy of Plague Rats. So I choose to wear KN-95s. And they can be hard to find, so I manage them conservatively.

Please explain objectively how this is paranoid?

[OGIS]

I want to know where you are coming from.
I have seen people here telling everyone to put elastic bands on their face.
Go for it. I won't interrupt your little class but people should know who they are listening to.

Wut?

Seriously, I have no idea what that means. Care to elaborate?

And what does that have to do with what I am saying in this thread about mask types and reuse?

[Abby08]

Care to elaborate? You don't want to re-use a mask too soon, and it might still have active virus trapped in the electrostatic layers. The Wall-o-Masks is a pretty easy and simple way to make sure that the masks are rotated in date sequence. I can afford to buy more than the bare minimum needed, so why not?

AS it stands, though, maybe half of those probably need to be tossed, as they have three or four uses. I'm holding off on that, though, to see about the availability of fresh replacements. That hardware store has an on-again-off-again supply of them. So... better safe than sorry.

Being immune compromised (cancer, diabetes, over-wight) I do not wish to be at the mercy of Plague Rats. So I choose to wear KN-95s. And they can be hard to find, so I manage them conservatively.

Please explain objectively how this is paranoid?


The approach you're taking, it all sounds so, paranoid.

You must live in a state that requires masks everywhere you go?

If that's the case, you'd have no choice, unless you wanted to stay home indefinitely.

If all those masks are your response to covid, it then becomes a little......extreme to me.

Edit......reread....you're immune compromised, so, yeah, you do what you need to do.

[Ethereal]

Being immune compromised (cancer, diabetes, over-wight) I do not wish to be at the mercy of Plague Rats.

Have you considered exercising more and eating healthier?

[OGIS]

The approach you're taking, it all sounds so, paranoid.

You must live in a state that requires masks everywhere you go?

If that's the case, you'd have no choice, unless you wanted to stay home indefinitely.

If all those masks are your response to covid, it then becomes a little......extreme to me.

Edit......reread....you're immune compromised, so, yeah, you do what you need to do.


That sounds prettry disjointed to me. You really haven't explained yourself, merely repeating.

I live in California, and I really don't care what Gov. Newsome says about masks. I'm retired, and I have a lot of spare time on my hands, more than enough time to have thoroughly researched every damned aspect of Covid-19. I'm a pretty smart guy, and that includes wading through professional research journals.

Wearing KN-95 masks whenever I leave the apartment is my rational approach to surviving not only the random aspect of the pandemic, but the random aspect of ignorant people who are playing Russian Roulette with their lives and the lives of everyone around them. I live in a very large Senior complex, and at least a third of the residents here have (until recently) been anti-mask Covidiots. "It's a hoax." "It's JUST the flu." "I'm naturally immune." Etc. Something has changed recently, and quite a few of them are now wearing masks, and being a lot quieter about their views. Hm. Might be the fact that we've had a recent spike in complex estate sales.

[OGIS]

Have you considered exercising more and eating healthier?

Since you have zero actual facts and (apparently) a whole lot of assumptions (and presumptions) about my health history and lifestyle, I'm just going to ignore your question, as I would whistling wind in the trees.

[Abby08]

That sounds prettry disjointed to me. You really haven't explained yourself, merely repeating.

I live in California, and I really don't care what Gov. Newsome says about masks. I'm retired, and I have a lot of spare time on my hands, more than enough time to have thoroughly researched every damned aspect of Covid-19. I'm a pretty smart guy, and that includes wading through professional research journals.

Wearing KN-95 masks whenever I leave the apartment is my rational approach to surviving not only the random aspect of the pandemic, but the random aspect of ignorant people who are playing Russian Roulette with their lives and the lives of everyone around them. I live in a very large Senior complex, and at least a third of the residents here have (until recently) been anti-mask Covidiots. "It's a hoax." "It's JUST the flu." "I'm naturally immune." Etc. Something has changed recently, and quite a few of them are now wearing masks, and being a lot quieter about their views. Hm. Might be the fact that we've had a recent spike in complex estate sales.


I explained myself, I said someone that is that fanatical with masks, seems a little paranoid.

I then said, if you're immune compromised, then I DO understand why you do what you're doing.

With all the restrictions and mandates, one has to wonder if it all works, considering how there are still people getting the virus......California especially, with a governor who has imposed some of the strictest rules.

[OGIS]

I explained myself, I said someone that is that fanatical with masks, seems a little paranoid.

I then said, if you're immune compromised, then I DO understand why you do what you're doing.

With all the restrictions and mandates, one has to wonder if it all works, considering how there are still people getting the virus......California especially, with a governor who has imposed some of the strictest rules.


OK, I missed that. I was distracted by something, and I think my initial statement ("disjointed") was unfair. I apologize.

The problem as I see it is that the Covidiots keep resetting the clock. Almost every damned doctor I talk with is absolutely pissed and angry with the people who do not mask up, and who don't respect social distance limits. Literally, in a crowd of a thousand people, all but ONE of who are wearing masks and maintaining distance, that ONE Karen or Tod - if infected (asymptomatic or not) - can fark the hell out of the R-nought and bring everything back to start. Most doctors I talk with say this could have ENDED back in March if there had been 100% compliance. Reason: the chains of infection would have been broken and the disease's R0 would have gone below 1.0. But it has now been a whole farking YEAR and yet we still wear masks and are self-directed prisoners in our homes.

Masks aren't tyranny. They are the best means we have now of killing this bug. But Freedumbs! trumps everything else.

AS I've said before, true freedom demands that individuals also exercise responsibilities and duties. Responsibilities are self imposed limits; duties are socially imposed limits. Without both, freedom becomes license. And then you don't have a civilization, you have Mad Max.

Masks should be seen as a responsibility and a duty, someone onerous and mildly inconvenient (like closing blackout curtains and dimming the lights during a WWII air raid) that needs to be done to win the war and protect the people around you.

[Ethereal]

Since you have zero actual facts and (apparently) a whole lot of assumptions (and presumptions) about my health history and lifestyle, I'm just going to ignore your question, as I would whistling wind in the trees.
I didn't make any assumptions. I just asked a question.

[Ethereal]

OK, I missed that. I was distracted by something, and I think my initial statement ("disjointed") was unfair. I apologize.

The problem as I see it is that the Covidiots keep resetting the clock. Almost every damned doctor I talk with is absolutely pissed and angry with the people who do not mask up, and who don't respect social distance limits. Literally, in a crowd of a thousand people, all but ONE of who are wearing masks and maintaining distance, that ONE Karen or Tod - if infected (asymptomatic or not) - can fark the hell out of the R-nought and bring everything back to start. Most doctors I talk with say this could have ENDED back in March if there had been 100% compliance. Reason: the chains of infection would have been broken and the disease's R0 would have gone below 1.0. But it has now been a whole farking YEAR and yet we still wear masks and are self-directed prisoners in our homes.

Masks aren't tyranny. They are the best means we have now of killing this bug. But Freedumbs! trumps everything else.

AS I've said before, true freedom demands that individuals also exercise responsibilities and duties. Responsibilities are self imposed limits; duties are socially imposed limits. Without both, freedom becomes license. And then you don't have a civilization, you have Mad Max.

Masks should be seen as a responsibility and a duty, someone onerous and mildly inconvenient (like closing blackout curtains and dimming the lights during a WWII air raid) that needs to be done to win the war and protect the people around you.
If your plan for stopping a virus relies on 100% compliance with mask mandates, then your plan is doomed to failure. The number one rule of public health policy is that you don't blame people for their inability or refusal to go along with the policy. It's the responsibility of public health officials to design policies that people can actually follow with minimal disruption and effort. And no matter how much you want to pretend that wearing a mask is no big deal, it's clearly abnormal and does not come naturally to people. I mean, just look at how much effort you're putting into managing your mask collection. Do you really expect people to dedicate that much time and energy to wearing a mask? Do you know that mask-wearing is virtually nonexistent in Scandinavian countries, and that they're doing better on average than the rest of Europe? There are far better ways to address this problem than forcing everyone to wear masks and hide in their homes.

[OGIS]

I didn't make any assumptions. I just asked a question.

Based on implicit assumptions.

"Have you considered exercising more and eating healthier?"

Implied: lack of exercise, poor diet.

End of conversation.

[Peter1469]

I bought a box of N-95s before the COVID. I am saving them for a dangerous virus or other contagion.

[OGIS]

I bought a box of N-95s before the COVID. I am saving them for a dangerous virus or other contagion.

That's very good, Peter. I'm sure they will eventually come in handy {reaches down; pats head}

Do you have anything substantial to offer to the thread?

[Peter1469]

That's very good, Peter. I'm sure they will eventually come in handy {reaches down; pats head}

Do you have anything substantial to offer to the thread?
I already did.

[OGIS]

I already did.

You misspelled "stupid."

[Ethereal]

Based on implicit assumptions.

"Have you considered exercising more and eating healthier?"

Implied: lack of exercise, poor diet.

End of conversation.
Most people who are overweight do not exercise enough or eat right, so it's a pretty safe assumption. But I'm open to the possibility that I'm wrong, which is why I put it in the form of a question. Not sure why you would start this thread if you weren't willing to discuss it.

[Sybil Ludington]

Top Canadian Pathologist Tells Alberta Government COVID Is “The Greatest Hoax Ever Perpetrated On An Unsuspecting Public”https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/11/top-canadian-pathologist-tells-alberta-government-covid-greatest-hoax-ever-perpetrated-unsuspecting-public/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailyam&utm_content=daily

[Sybil Ludington]

The Wall-O-Masks:

The ones at the top are the remaining, heavily used N-95s. Keeping them just in case I ever run out of the KN-95s. The ones at the bottom are the last used.

32793

That's got to be one of the stupidest ideas I've ever seen/heard.



Bacteria are little creatures made of one cell. They live everywhere and get their food from the environment they live in. For instance, bad bacteria in your mouth like to eat the sugar that sticks to your teeth. Then they can produce toxins that cause bad breath, gum disease, and cavities.
Viruses can only survive by living in the cells of a living thing like a person, plant, or animal. They can spread through the body and make its host (the plant, animal, or person it is living in) very sick. The flu, cold sores, and chickenpox are all caused by viruses.


So now.....you've been breathing into this mask, it's collected moisture and germs, and then you seal it up in a plastic bag, and leave it on a door, so that now whatever germs, bacteria, possible virus you've breathed into the mask can now GROW and mutate. A perfect environment for giving yourself a virus, infection, sucking in possible mold spores. Yeah........................................BRILLI ANT! Basically, you've got a bunch of petri dishes hanging on your door. Yeah, go ahead, SUCK IT UP/IN.

[Sybil Ludington]

I'm sometimes amused by it, too.


But they have to be organized somehow, by date of use. Otherwise, it wastes time looking for one. But that's logic, and planning, and efficiency, and organization. Some of the things I learned in the military, and from 45 years in business management.

You mentioned you use masks, so you can select which ones to wear any old way you want. Throw 'em in a box. Whatever. Unless you're tossing them after only one use, which costs you extra money. {shrug} You do you, guy.

WALL-O-MASKS!!!!!!

Site after site has said masks should be pitched after 4 hours of use.

[Sybil Ludington]

And avoid the Plague Rats.

Which... can be problematic.

LOL, some of them get insulted when I make wide detours around them. One of my moron neighbors always sits out in his walker or wheelchair on the sidewalk leading past the complex, all farking day. No mask (of course), smoking a cigarette, and coughing, hacking, and spitting up phlegm on the sidewalk. When I have to pass him, I wait for a break in the traffic and walk out into the street to stay at least thirty feet from him. This sets off a round of cursing, screaming, and more coughing. He says I'm dissing him.

Every. goddamned. day.

I've encountered a few others like him in stores that get upset when I make obvious moves to avoid being around their filthy presences.

It's actually sorta kinda amusing. Like dealing with a semi-sentient rattlesnake, or a crippled mountain lion, that can talk. Because that's exactly what the situation is: these "people" cannot be reasoned with; they are, in effect, wild animals. And common sense says that you avoid walking close to wild animals.

I find your scenarios hard to believe. People are going to get that angry just because you try to put that much space between you and them?! RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT Exaggerating again?

[Sybil Ludington]

Care to elaborate? You don't want to re-use a mask too soon, and it might still have active virus trapped in the electrostatic layers. The Wall-o-Masks is a pretty easy and simple way to make sure that the masks are rotated in date sequence. I can afford to buy more than the bare minimum needed, so why not?

AS it stands, though, maybe half of those probably need to be tossed, as they have three or four uses. I'm holding off on that, though, to see about the availability of fresh replacements. That hardware store has an on-again-off-again supply of them. So... better safe than sorry.

Being immune compromised (cancer, diabetes, over-wight) I do not wish to be at the mercy of Plague Rats. So I choose to wear KN-95s. And they can be hard to find, so I manage them conservatively.

Please explain objectively how this is paranoid?

Keeping a moist germ trapped inside plastic isn't going to kill it.

https://foodpoisoningbulletin.com/2015/reusable-plastic-containers-still-harbor-bacteria-after-cleaning/
https://www.hunker.com/13416540/how-fast-does-mold-grow-on-plastic

[Sybil Ludington]

OK, I missed that. I was distracted by something, and I think my initial statement ("disjointed") was unfair. I apologize.

The problem as I see it is that the Covidiots keep resetting the clock. Almost every damned doctor I talk with is absolutely pissed and angry with the people who do not mask up, and who don't respect social distance limits. Literally, in a crowd of a thousand people, all but ONE of who are wearing masks and maintaining distance, that ONE Karen or Tod - if infected (asymptomatic or not) - can fark the hell out of the R-nought and bring everything back to start. Most doctors I talk with say this could have ENDED back in March if there had been 100% compliance. Reason: the chains of infection would have been broken and the disease's R0 would have gone below 1.0. But it has now been a whole farking YEAR and yet we still wear masks and are self-directed prisoners in our homes.

Masks aren't tyranny. They are the best means we have now of killing this bug. But Freedumbs! trumps everything else.

AS I've said before, true freedom demands that individuals also exercise responsibilities and duties. Responsibilities are self imposed limits; duties are socially imposed limits. Without both, freedom becomes license. And then you don't have a civilization, you have Mad Max.

Masks should be seen as a responsibility and a duty, someone onerous and mildly inconvenient (like closing blackout curtains and dimming the lights during a WWII air raid) that needs to be done to win the war and protect the people around you.

Interesting how the many doctors I've seen in the past 2 years don't seem to agree with yours. I suspect you're exaggerating...............AGAIN. Mine don't give a damn if I'm not wearing a mask and gladly take their own off in my presence when they know I'm not offended by it.

[Sybil Ludington]

You misspelled "stupid."
I thought it was O-G-I-S?

[Mister D]

Wow. That's........way beyond paranoid .
Seriously. Goddamn!

[OGIS]

That's got to be one of the stupidest ideas I've ever seen/heard.

Bacteria are little creatures made of one cell. They live everywhere and get their food from the environment they live in. For instance, bad bacteria in your mouth like to eat the sugar that sticks to your teeth. Then they can produce toxins that cause bad breath, gum disease, and cavities.
Viruses can only survive by living in the cells of a living thing like a person, plant, or animal. They can spread through the body and make its host (the plant, animal, or person it is living in) very sick. The flu, cold sores, and chickenpox are all caused by viruses.

So now.....you've been breathing into this mask, it's collected moisture and germs, and then you seal it up in a plastic bag, and leave it on a door, so that now whatever germs, bacteria, possible virus you've breathed into the mask can now GROW and mutate. A perfect environment for giving yourself a virus, infection, sucking in possible mold spores. Yeah........................................BRILLI ANT! Basically, you've got a bunch of petri dishes hanging on your door. Yeah, go ahead, SUCK IT UP/IN.

First, I can see that reading comprehension is not your strong suit. I guess you missed the part where I said: "Procedure: I use a mask, then place it in a OPEN sandwich baggie...."

Second, viruses are technically not alive. They are roaming packages of organized RNA genetic coding that have developed sheaths to protect that code. Unlike bacteria, they require living cells to replicate (but not necessarily to survive).

Third, mold, bacteria and viruses depend on moisture to survive. Further, mold and bacteria require moisture (and a food source) to divide and replicate. And lack of moisture kills many (but not all) mold and bacteria.

Fourth, viruses degrade without moisture to maintain their sheath. In the case of Covid-19, the critical time on mask surfaces (it varies by type of surface) is 72 hours. So leaving the baggie OPEN at the top for a minimum of 72 hours allows the mask to dry out, degrading the viral sheath, and thus destroying the delicate RNA contained within.

SO: maintaining the mask in an OPEN baggie for a minimum of 72 hours (I try for 720 hours) degrades and destroys any Covid-19 virus on/in the mask, and (at worst) leaves precisely the same number of mold and bacteria that I exhaled out onto it (meaning it is therefore not an extreme source of mold or bacterial reinfection). Since I was healthy when I last used the mask, it is unlikely that I will get sick from those same bacteria that I had when I used the mask.

This is freshman Biology 101 and simple logic. In addition, these are not, strictly speaking, my ideas, but ones I have heard from detailed conversations with five doctors (one of whom is an epidemiologist (i.e.: a specialist in infectious disease). Each of these five doctors (who themselves cannot get N-95s on a regular basis due to Jared stealing them all) also follow the above scheme. In their opinions, judicious re-use of N-95 or KN-95 masks is safer and preferable to sloth masks or surgical masks.

Glad I could clear all that up for you.

[OGIS]

Interesting how the many doctors I've seen in the past 2 years don't seem to agree with yours. I suspect you're exaggerating...............AGAIN. Mine don't give a damn if I'm not wearing a mask and gladly take their own off in my presence when they know I'm not offended by it.

Cool story bro. :thumbsup:

[OGIS]

I thought it was O-G-I-S?

You're threadshiating grows tiresome.

[OGIS]

Seriously. Goddamn!

Ah, the ankle biter cometh.

Was it good?

Be sure to clean up.

[Mister D]

Ah, the ankle biter cometh.

Was it good?

Be sure to clean up.
What did you want me to do? Prove you were crazy for having a wall of masks? My father used to number his socks. I laughed at that. Your habits aren't funny.

[Mister D]

You're threadshiating grows tiresome.
That reminds me. You were the worst offender when it came it tPF threads. It would always go something like this...

"Hey everyone! I'll ban you if you don't take me seriously. Anyway, I'm completely out of my fucking mind!"

Old habits die hard.

[Sybil Ludington]

You're threadshiating grows tiresome.
Typical. You can dish it out, but can't take it.

[gamewell45]

Sybil Ludington has been thread banned at the request of the OP [tpf]

https://thepoliticalforums.com/threads/131655?p=3079312#post3079312

[gamewell45]

Mister D has been thread banned by request of the OP [tpf]

https://thepoliticalforums.com/threads/131655?p=3079305#post3079305

[Abby08]

If he's banning trolls, he needs to ban himself........annnd....here *I * go!