Help me understand this

miami85

Mon, Mar 22 2021, 12:49 pm

Last year, when Covid was on the rise and new, everyone knew someone who had it and over the winter seemed like everyone had it. Now I don't know anyone with it, the numbers are "down" to "only" about the same numbers as a year ago.

I'm even part-way vaccinated, and yet the government is still spouting "wear a mask"--WHY?? We weren't wearing masks until May last year and now the numbers are back down and Fauci who a year ago was adamant that "masks don't help" but now he's all concerned about "variants"--but it's like things are open, people are mingling and people are vaccinated. WHY do we still need masks?

amother

Powderblue

Mon, Mar 22 2021, 12:56 pm

Here are some answers you’ll get
1) Because you may not be fully protected from variants
2) Because we don’t yet know if you can spread the virus even if you’re immune
3) To respect other people who may be nervous

All ridiculous. Life will never ever go back to normal if it was up to some people.

Mothers

Mon, Mar 22 2021, 2:25 pm

We weren’t wearing masks last year, because this was a very new virus, and there wasn’t enough data to support that recommendation (and because there was concern that there would not be enough masks for frontline healthcare workers). Recommendations keep changing as new data becomes available. Personally - I think that’s a good thing.

amother

Peach

Mon, Mar 22 2021, 2:30 pm

I know quite a few people that have covid now, bh mildly. Some got monoclonal treatment.
These people were all exposed since last year and some were convinced they already had it last March. Nothing is making sense anymore.
I'm also questioning the mask mandate, but don't know what yes to do.

miami85

Mon, Mar 22 2021, 2:49 pm

amother [ Powderblue ] wrote:

Right, we never act this way when the flu mutates every year.
I went out almost daily March-May to stores etc. during the lockdown, never got it.

Even with variants, the numbers are as low as they were last year. It's presenting a fear that is just irrational. I think this year we give new meaning to "let my people go"

I will be fully vaccinated when we go back after springbreak. Most staff will have been vaccinated by then also, what will be the point of mask mandates?

GLUE

Mon, Mar 22 2021, 8:03 pm

miami85 wrote:

power and control nothing else

amother

Firebrick

Mon, Mar 22 2021, 11:22 pm

My whole family had covid a few weeks ago. An elderly family member died. A family friend is sick with it for 2.5 weeks and only now can get up from her bed to do something in the house (very minimal). I know about 5 other elderly people who passed away within last month, all from covid.
Look through this site - women constantly say they/their families are sick.
Just because "you" don't know anyone sick now doesn't mean no one is.
ETA - heard of 2 more people from friends (in their 30s and 40s, Iirc) who passed away within the last month-1.5 months.

DrMom

Tue, Mar 23 2021, 1:13 am

I suspect once the CDC thinks there are enough vaxed people, they will lift mask mandates for everyone.

Right now I assume it would difficult to enforce a policy that only should appliy to part of the population.

amother

Plum

Tue, Mar 23 2021, 2:03 am

If your title is genuine and you really want to "understand this" then I recommend you read a basic biology textbook, articles about communicable diseases, and the New York Times.

At the moment the medical/scientific community's best guess is that it is important to continue wearing a mask because vaccinated people may be asymptomatic carriers and/or not fully protected from variants. Remember this is called a novel Corona virus, which means its new and the medical community is not yet sure what will work, half work, or not work. BH I understand that by continuing to wear a mask I may be helping many people avoid serious illness or death.

Covid is still here and very serious, just read all the posts above and all the Misaskim listings where parents are sitting shiva for their children.

FranticFrummie

Tue, Mar 23 2021, 5:23 am

This virus moves a lot faster than we do, when it comes to research.

Scientists are just now finding out that the Pfizer vaccine is only partially effective against the South American and Australian mutations. You can still get sick, but not as sick as before. You can still spread it, even if you are completely asymptomatic.

I have a feeling that updated vaccines are going to have to come out every few months for a while, and that it may take a year or two for people to achieve peak immunity through vaccination.

When a population reaches a certain percentage of vaccinated people, and "green cards" are issued, I am all for opening up businesses and other public areas. (If you refuse to vaccinate, please keep your germs at home.)

There will definitely be a social structure of "vaxxes and vax-not's", and the people who vax will have a lot of advantages and freedoms that anti-vaxxers will not have. Call it coercion, or apartheid, or the conspiracy of your choice. That's just the way things are going to be for now.

I'm vaccinated, and while I'm not thrilled to wear a mask, I still comply because I think there are more reasons to wear a mask, than there are not to.

amother

Floralwhite

Tue, Mar 23 2021, 5:32 am

Mothers wrote:

No, it was stupid not to wear face coverings then. We had no reason to believe it would do any harm, and it was known to help against certain other pathogens. Everyone had scarves.

imasinger

Tue, Mar 23 2021, 6:55 am

miami85 wrote:

In some parts of the world, people do. And they have therefore had fewer deaths from flu.

The idea that a mask mandate is about power and control doesn't make sense. As a tactic for gaining power and control, it would be a miserable failure. People comply because they get convinced of the reasoning, or because they say it's worth it to help those that are convinced of the reasoning to feel more at ease in public. Those who strongly disagree are choosing to ignore it. The consequences for doing so are relatively mild in most free countries.

ora_43

Tue, Mar 23 2021, 7:58 am

Fauci didn't say masks don't help. He said that masks should be saved for heathcare workers, and that masks only help if they're properly used.

When studies showed that widespread mask use is helpful in cutting spread, he changed his recommendation.

The numbers are down but, as you said, only to where they were last year. Under 15% of the US population is fully vaccinated. If it gets to the point where 80% are vaccinated and there are no known new variants, then it would be strange to still be in masks. But with 85% still vulnerable to the virus? What's the question?

ally

Tue, Mar 23 2021, 9:59 am

Mothers wrote:

This. There's this weird disconnect between the Scientific community and the non scientific? base.
Scientists are careful not to make claims they can't rigorously prove and will change protocols/recommendations based on new data. These two approaches are fundamental parts of the modern scientific method - without which svience and medicine would still be in the middle ages.
Other sectors see this as wishy washy flip flopping.
I'm not sure how the gap can be bridged.

DrMom

Tue, Mar 23 2021, 10:08 am

ally wrote:

I think there are many people who don't understand the principles behind the scientific method. They cynically look at science as merely a tool exploited by politicians to justify policies they want to craft for ulterior purposes.

Unfortunately, many politicians *do* exploit science for ulterior purposes, so that doesn't exactly help. Confused

amother

Aqua

Tue, Apr 06 2021, 5:31 am

Actually we had a number of people in our shul (in NY) catch it in the past few months - at least some courtesy of having caught it from their kids.

I also have family who caught it when one person in the household brought it home (they think) from work.

So yes, it's still here and probably not going away all that soon - but then again, since when does any disease disappear just because we'd like it to?