by Robert M. Traxler
“Airborne, Airborne, have you heard, we’re going to jump from a big iron bird.” — Most other contributors to this esteemed publication start with song lyrics, so I thought I would join them.
I don’t want to beat this subject to death, but a large amount of false, old, outdated information is all over the public airwaves. I was told last month that a cotton homemade mask is not needed and indeed dangerous.
Just look at what the American Center for Disease Control (CDC) and The World Health Organization (WHO) have said, read it on the net; did both organizations state that we must not use masks? Yes, yes they did, in early April well over a month ago. Both organizations did an about-face, and currently recommend we all mask up in public areas while still maintaining social distancing. Want to open the nation back up? Mask up!
“CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.”
The CDC also advises the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others. Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure. If we are ever going back to something even close to the old “normal” we need to voluntarily use face masks.
Our governor will be remembered in history as being inept in her handling of the virus, the poster child for downright stupid rules and regulations. No motorboats but rowing boats are fine? You can purchase drugs illegal at the federal level, but not flower seeds?
We were told the lock up/lock down would be needed for the near future to “bend the curve,” to slow the number of new cases until we have a downward curve. OK, most states and counties have accomplished this, and some areas have opened up with aggressive prevention procedures being followed, good for them.
We were told that the confinement was to keep the medical facilities from being overwhelmed, to protect health care workers, a very noble goal. A friend, a medical professional we all watched on local news and who is in a leadership position at a local hospital, tells me they are laying off medical staff, the exception being the ICU.
Not being allowed to provide preventive care, and with folks being told to stay away from doctors and hospitals unless absolutely necessary, the number of non-COVID-19 cases in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) have increased exponentially. People are hesitant to seek help for medical conditions that in the early stages were easily treated; they are not being seen in a timely manner, and folks end up in the ICU.
The number of COVID-19 cases at one local hospital is less than those that would be admitted having the common flu in a non-COVID-19-year. Great news, outstanding news, but not news that supports continuing the lock up/lock down. If local hospitals are being overwhelmed, why are they reducing staff by a double-digit amount?
We have all seen charts that tell us the United States has more cases than all other nations combined; an important word omitted from the news report is, known cases of COVID-19. We now test at a rate (in rate per thousand) greater than twice that of South Korea, the prior “gold standard” for the amount of testing. Weeks ago the media called for the President’s head because we do not have sufficient testing; South Korea had it, why not the United States?
We are now testing at vastly increased rate, so the media seamlessly went from blaming President Trump for the lack of testing to blaming him for the highest rate of infection in the world because of testing (?), once again leaving off the words “known cases.” Folks, you cannot make this stuff up.
Army Bob
I have great respect for your viewpoints and agree with you 99.999% of the time. While I think it is a good practice to mask up in public places, I think it gives the wearer and those surrounding him/her a somewhat false sense of security.
Masks will catch atomization of sneezes and coughs so others will not be in direct path of droplets, but the virus is so small in microns, nothing but total protection gear and 95 masks and face shields are the only somewhat greater protection. Some who work in hospitals exposed and working among the virus afflicted have come down with it.
The best antidote for the virus is fresh air AND sunshine. UV rays quickly kill the virus. Only those with Covid19 should be quarantined, not the entire population.
I wear a mask in public places for my and others around me protection, but I know I’m still suseceptable to the virus.
Stay healthy my friend.
Mr. DTOM,
Thanks for the comment.
We are indeed of like minds.
“Experts” tell us a cloth mask only protects us from 10% to 20% of the COVID-19 virus, however, it cuts the spread to others even more than that. I look at it like a helmet, military and motorcycle both are not perfect but help. I would not go into battle or ride my Harley without a helmet.
The N-95 mask filters 95% of airborne partials. If you add a dried paper towel that has been soaked in soap and water in between the two cloth layers of a home made mask, it will bring up the protection up a good bit.
You are 100% correct sunshine is an atom bomb to the virus, as is soap and water.
Thank you for masking up in public.
Stay safe my friend.
Army Bob
It’s looking like wearing masks may become a way of life. Whether it works or not.
I know this is very far out there …since I have no real evidence. I do think since this has not surfaced since the 90s and many are to young . But Agenda 21 just may be somewhere in the background.
Just a thought
Mr. Smit,
Harry,
Thanks for the comment.
I learned something from your comment, to be honest I did not know what Agenda 21 was but thanks to you I do now, scary stuff.
Thanks again.
People will not wear masks ’til your King Trump and Vice King Pence wear them with no example. It’s hard enforce. For some reason people believe him that every thing is OK and it will just go away. You can not make this up.
Mr. Longstreet,
Sir, Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I did not make the saying up, thank you for quoting the column. Trump derangement syndrome (TDS) is real and you have a real case of it.
Thank you for the comment.
I do not have the TDS you imply I have Trump disappointment sadness. Thought He was going to be something that did not happen.
More testing is a good thing, and, yes, during this stage it generally results in the detection of more cases. The relationship between increased testing and increased cases doesn’t inherently reflect poorly on a country, state, etc., or on its associated leadership.
However, the implication that the media as a whole is out to make the president look bad by decrying low testing and/or high case rates is problematic. As of Wednesday (5/13), there were 21 countries with per capita total testing higher than the U.S., and 18 of those had lower per capita total cases than the U.S. That means these countries have tested a larger proportion of their citizens without finding as large a proportion of positive cases. These 18 countries include Bahrain, Denmark, Portugal, Italy, Austria, Canada, Switzerland, and New Zealand, to name some randomly. Measuring U.S. testing NOW against the “gold standard” country from a MONTH ago still leaves lots of room for improvement in our testing. Hopefully we can all agree that we prefer when the U.S. leads the world in matters that concern the safety of its citizens. In this case, we’re still trying to break the top 20, regardless of what South Korea is doing, the media is reporting, or the president is saying.