Is it worth wearing a mask if only you are doing it?

I see masks less and less when I go out.If you live in a place where people used to be good at masking, chances are only a handful I still do it. If your area is one where masks were rare from the beginning, I must haven’t seen your masked face for a while... However, the pandemic is not over yet, and more than a few people who have been avoiding the virus for more than two years are coughing down.So is it worth putting the mask back on, even if no one else is there???Yeah, I would say so..

The risk of getting COVID is still very high

Almost a year ago, CDC has issued a set of recommendations based on what the transmission in each county looks like. They said the infection was “substantial” and all of us needed to be masked if there were more than 50 new cases per 100,000 people per day. When the number of cases reaches 100 per 100,000, the infection rate becomes “high”. But then they changed the definition. Currently, there are 237 cases per 100,000 in my county, and the current map of the CDC shows that the risk is only “medium.” This is a typical case of moving a goal post.

The new standard adopted earlier this year is based on hospitalization.Overnight, our almost red (“high”) country changed For maps that are almost green (“low”). It is true that more people are testing at home and those cases are usually mild enough to reduce the usefulness of the case data. Never make SoFormal reporting system.But the overall effect is to make it look May our risk be lower than before. it’s not.

The same thing happens when municipalities and federal agencies stop enforcing masking guidelines. Federal regulations required masks on public transport, including airports and planes, until blocked by a court objection earlier this year. I recently boarded an airplane and I think more than 90% of the passengers didn’t wear masks at all. (Individual airlines may have chosen to continue to enforce their own mask rules, but the rules have always been controversial with some passengers, To the point where it is dangerous for the staffAnd maybe it It seems easy to solve the problem. )

COVID case study Reportedly soared among TSA officers Immediately after the collapse of federal mask rules. COVID is still very much.

The mask still works

However, the facts about wearing a mask have not changed. If everyone in the room wears a mask, the room is safer for the unmasked person who happens to be there.But even if you’re the only one wearing a mask on an airplane, for example, the mask is still I will protect you.

Cloth masks provide a small amount of protection. A loose surgical mask is probably a little better. However, the best protection is to use a properly installed N95 or similar mask. I still wear it when shopping or traveling. (Recently infected with COVID, but obtained from a family member who is not very interested in wearing a mask.)

As many of us have discovered, you can be vaccinated and boosted and still catch COVID.Your illness may not be much more severe than an unvaccinated person, but getting sick is not fun and still gambling. Complications like long COVID.

It’s a pity that we can no longer rely on getting a lot of protection from others.But high quality masks are not yet Available and they still work.If If you’re worried about getting a COVID, you probably should, but it’s not a bad idea to leave your mask on.