by Robert M. Traxler
I have always been one of those annoying folks who believes in the old adages “ a stitch in time saves nine,” “victory comes to the prepared,” “preventive maintenance is next to Godliness.” So with the Coronavirus in the news, I figured it could not hurt to look into stocking up on a few face masks.
Research into the masks took me to a number of sites that said most masks would not keep out all viruses and are of little help, and condemned the Chinese people for wearing masks to protect themselves from Coronavirus. Well, this goes to the monumental misunderstanding we have of Asian folks.
Most of the people we see on TV in China have masks to protect others from them. Get a sniffle, put on a mask to “be polite” as they would put it. It says a lot about those of us in the Americas and Europe that we think of ourselves before others. Undaunted by the experts’ monumental stupidity and cultural ignorance, I ordered three different mask types on Amazon; in a bit of irony, most are made in China. I ordered some cloth masks with charcoal filters, simple paper masks and the N95 mask that can better protect you from Coronavirus, but are not as comfortable to wear.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) emphasizes hand washing and tells us that the Coronavirus is not a threat to anyone but a very few Americans who have had contact with someone recently returned from China. I firmly believe them; however, better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
The price of even the most basic paper masks has jumped from a few cents to over a dollar each, and a run on them has not gotten to full speed, or never will depending on the news. Every news report of an increase death count sells masks. In reality, in the United States you have a better chance of being struck by lightning than getting the Coronavirus. That is today, but in the future it may change, so why not prepare? Well other than being called a weirdo, a right-wing reactionary and a few more names, no harm is done.
The origins of the Coronavirus are anyone’s guess; however, the most likely source is from human consumption of raw or under cooked meat from a mammal, perhaps bats. Chinese medicines include somethings we would call strange but billions in Asia swear by them.
According to the CDC, “Much is unknown about how 2019-nCoV, a new coronavirus, spreads. Current knowledge is largely based on what is known about similar coronaviruses. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common in many different species of animals, including camels, cattle, cats, and bats. Rarely, animal coronaviruses can infect people and then spread between people such as with MERS, SARS, and now with 2019-nCoV.” Good to hear my buddy Mr. Shadow, a former barn cat and current pampered “carpet panther” (black cat) is safe.
From what I have read the Coronavirus is like having a nasty case of the flu and a healthy adult has little to be concerned about other than the high misery index, but if you have an underlying medical condition, and are an old fart or a young one, a bit of prevention/preparedness never hurts.
Knowledge is always the best defense; it sure would be worth our time to read up on the Coronavirus, especially if you or someone you care fore or care about is in the high risk category.
I would never criticize anyone for being prepared. It gives people a sense of control and comfort over things like coronavirus. If having and not needing is your way of doing things, it’s a better system than taking one’s chances, especially if you are in an at-risk group.
Mr. Traxler’s information jibes with everything I’ve heard and read about this virulent strain of coronavirus. Although the common cold is one form of it (and there are many forms), this strain can be dangerous for the very young, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems.
Maybe we’re not in serious danger in the US, but why risk it.
Ms. Mandaville,
Thank you for the comment.
Just read a report that maintains the coronavirus spreads twice as fast as the Flu and 50 to 80% faster than MERS and SARS. Still not a current threat to us so no need to push the panic button.
The report also said most “thin paper masks” are of little help to protect you, I guess if you have the mask on and cough or sneeze the mask stopping droplets from hanging in the air and infecting others is not a good thing? We can learn politeness from Asians folks.
Thanks again for the comment.