Regarding the wearing of masks - if I am wearing a home made mask in close company with someone who has the Coronavirus then the protection may be only about 20% if that - however, if he is also wearing a mask then the rate of protection rises dramatically. If some people are wearing them then there will be no significant results in terms of lowering infection rates, but if all people are doing it then it is different. The idea that wearing a mask leads to a false sense of security is like saying that helmets for motorcyclists do the same ie. if they were forced to ride naked wearing only their underpants they would ride a lot slower ! The truth is that even if I strap a fillet of haddock over my mouth and nose then it may stop something. The actual severity of an infection appears to be influenced by how many germs I have been exposed to (viral load) and so a mask may make the difference between a mild infection and a heavier one. In Austria it has been compulsory to wear a mask in all shops and on all public transport - and there can be little doubt that Austria has been the most successfull European country in driving down the rate of infection. I beg to differ on Asian examples as well - China, South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore all appear to have got this problem behind them - and are now only getting imported cases.
I think the idea that the wearing of them leading to a false sense of security was not about how you behave whilst wearing them, but generally. So when someone returns home whilst having worn a mask, they may miss other protection actions. So they are more likely to take off the mask that could have been exposed to the virus and transfer it to their hands, but then fail to wash their hands to kill it from their hands. But this is what I have read, I have no idea if this is the case - there are many experts out there that are more qualified than me! But as the point I was trying to make, if the wearing of masks has been demonstrated as being this effective, why don't all the experts, including the WHO, all agree on this? No wonder us mere humans get confused!
I agree that the information is confusing, but the government here is to start issuing masks to everyone. My reading of the information was that they possibly wouldn't stop you from catching the virus, but could help to stop you from passing it on. Isolate yourself at home and you will not catch it or pass it on seems fairly straight forward advice that we can adhere to.
Sometimes I think we need fewer so called experts and more common sense w_y. It follows that I cannot rely only on masks - they can only be used as one of a series of methods. If the end result of wearing a mask is that I neglect other necessities such as social distancing and hygiene then any profit will be nullified. Only a whole series of coordinated actions done simultaneously can lead to success. Going back to the experts - never have virologists been so prominent as now. Normally they are hidden behind test tubes the whole day and some may be partly enjoying being in the limelight - also professors love to disagree with each other, this is how they get acclaim. There is nothing better for a professor than to be able to prove another professor wrong.
I posted a czech video on masks a while back. For me boots and braces.... I wear gloves and mask into the shop.... and come out and clean up etc etc.... minimising the risk I still use handsanitiser..... and then wash when I can. I also came across this spray called nasaleze which is said to have some barrier protection... maybe considered OTT but i am oldie with immune system issues.... and I want some more years! The cynic in me thinks the UK daren't recommend them as there are major supply issues.... And... I ask myself why then do health professionals wear them? ..................... They are part of personal protection There are also different grades of mask.... I have FPP2 or N95 I think.... which are better than disposable paper ones ... and there is research into thier partial effectiveness.... Life is so precious.... do all you can....
You are doing the right thing for yourself Yorkie, that is what matters. I can understand why health professionals, particularly those exposed to COVID patients, where masks and full PPE and the masks they wear offer a far higher level of protection. But prior to this, very few health workers would have worn them. Over the past 9 months, I have made a few visits to various hospital departments and apart from the departments where I actually some invasive procedures, nobody wore any face coverings. So the demand is unprecedented and I would expect supply constrained. The company that I work for has switched some of our manufacturing capability to making masks and ventilators. They have worked with a clothing company to supply 10,000 N95 capable masks to a local hospital in New York state (a hospital that has 20,000 employees!) They have also teamed with a California company that has an existing disposable ventilator design in production with FDA approval - they have built prototypes for testing and if all OK will be a capable to produce 200K ventilators by June.
As if the world doesn't have enough to worry about with coronavirus - a raging wildfire is closing in on the old Chernobyl power plant. In spite of Ukraine's ESS claims that it is under control, locals say otherwise - and the danger is that the Caesium-137 that was absorbed by trees after the 1986 disaster is being released into the atmosphere as the trees burn. https://www.france24.com/en/2020041...kraine-s-defunct-chernobyl-power-plant?ref=tw
We have a room downstairs where the shopper immediately goes to remove all exterior clothing as soon as they are in. They bag it, then go for a shower. So far, I have managed to persuade Mrs Andy that she should do the bulk of the shopping.
I think kids are are generally spending less time with grandparents, cologne, while the schools are closed and a lockdown is in place. I think we shouldn’t be opening up from the lockdown till the NHS is more on top of the situation. Then a slow, judicious approach as to where to open, stage by stage - each step waiting to see how the NHS copes with that stage open. Without knowing what the outcome statistically would be, I would like to see the schools open up first, with social distancing in playground at drop off and pick up time; houses still otherwise in lockdown, only one parent to attend the school, then straight home, no loitering and chatting! I know there are industries suffering too, but I think children come first. I agree with previous poster (was it yorkie?) regarding the phasing of opening up from lockdown maybe taking a very long time; for some, maybe until a vaccine is introduced. It’s not nice this lockdown, but if the choice is this or death, I’m sure people will make the right decision. As for PPE and all that, my problem is to do putting money before human life, where it was known we were unprepared and deliberately chanced there wouldn’t be a pandemic to save money in the immediate. And the flagrant lying from politicians to the contrary. I agree with w_y and ofh about politicians’ transparency. Funnily enough, it was what I admired so much about Corbyn! He didn’t dodge questions, or shamelessly lie like the current bunch do. And I mean on both sides now. The current Labour leadership would be no different, imho, to the Tory rabble in charge. Nor the Lib Dems. As any question is asked, watch their expressions. Break it down to the millisecond and you see: Avoid the answer that would reflect worse on me in the immediate (bollocks to the truth, this is about how I appear right now) Remember how my media coach told me to sound in my answers Feign compassionate look Come out with pre-rehearsed answer that bears closest similarity to what questioner asked -don’t worry though if it isn’t that close Start answer with “So...” as it makes me seem in control
It is far too early for Britain to be thinking about coming down from the lockdown - in fact it's too early for any country to be doing this. I understand that Austria, Italy and Spain are partially relaxing it today - unfortunately this simply raises the pressure on other countries to do the same, which could be fatal. To be fair the Austrian lockdown was always more rigid than in Germany and they have relaxed it, accordingly, which they can afford to do - but Spain and Italy are not far enough to be thinking of doing the same. Unfortunately Bojo listened more to experts on behavioural psychology than to those of medicine. Having thought that the British people would not have the stamina to observe a long lockdown he chose to delay it until the virus had reached it's peak thus now having to play 'catch up'. The other tragic mistake was in giving creedence to ideas of herd immunity - as if the required course of action was to allow as many people to be infected as possible ! I don't know if Corbyn would have done things differently - he may have been more transparent, but I suspect the level of dithering would have been the same.
40 million people tuned in to listen to Macron on Monday evening, and he treated them as adults. A degree of humility over what they had got wrong, reasoning about why the strict regulations had been believed to be the right route to take, and some possible dates in the future about when some of the restrictions could be lifted if the numbers continue to improve. By and large it was very well received, although some did seem to think that his possible dates were positive rather than possible. I needed to concentrate to keep up with his rapid fire French, but the subtitles for the hard of hearing helped with words I didn't quite catch. Not once did I feel like taking a slipper off and throwing it at the TV. Compare that with what I read has taken place this morning. Helen Whately the Care Minister on TV says that 19 health care workers have died from the virus. The nursing notes website lists 51 who have lost their lives, yet despite this Mrs. Whately insists that she only has a list of 19. This sort of things is not treating people as adults, but for whatever reason they seem to think that it doesn't matter what they say.
Any thoughts on Trumps latest action on the WHO?? His behaviour is more and more unstable... he also too wants to personally put his 'signature' on Dole cheques.....
A Border Force officer, working at Heathrow Airport, has died after contracting coronavirus. The officer, who isn’t being named, is believed to have died last week after feeling unwell at work, sparking concerns about the safety of immigration and customs staff. Home Office says Border Force staff don’t wear protective clothing for day-to-day use but equipment is “available, including masks and disposable gloves, for when they are in close contact with anyone displaying symptoms.” PCS Union Head @MarkSerwotka claims Border Force managers are refusing to supply protective kit to staff. “Worse still, bosses have refused to even allow PCS members to wear face masks at passport control because it gives the 'wrong impression' “