Wear a mask

' But, since it’s possible to get COVID-19 after being vaccinated, it’s also possible for people who have received vaccines to carry the virus that causes COVID-19 and to unknowingly spread it to others."

Yes. I've had one vaccination and keep wearing mine. Actually the word is we should be wearing two at once now.

These instructions are going to be kind of counterintuitive for a lot of people. I expect that we'll see people insisting they don't need to wear a mask because they've been vaccinated. As it is, people can't even follow instructions for wearing a mask correctly, namely over the mouth *and* nose.

It isn't going to get less complicated in the medium term......

quote:

Originally posted by RealPlayer:
Yes. I've had one vaccination and keep wearing mine. Actually the word is we should be wearing two at once now.

Actually, wear an N95 or KN95.

quote:

Originally posted by QuirtEvans:

Actually, wear an N95 or KN95.

Detailed comparison between N95 and KN95: https://smartairfilters.com/en...-n95-and-kn95-masks/

I tried to research that topic back in March 2020 but mask standard minutiae were not as widely available then. Now we have pretty good articles like the above digging into the nuanced differences between the two.

I came out thinking they are “close enough” that I would feel comfortable using either one interchangeably. The KN-95 may even have a slight advantage for use by casual users because the KN-95 standard also requires fitting tests done with actual humans; this fitting test is not required by the N95 standard.

I guess I am ahead of my time. Been wearing a KN95 under a BioShield mask since I found the BioShield, back in early/mid 2020.

https://www.g95.com/collections/bioshield

I see the BioShield 2 and Pro are now available. I will be ordering 3 of the series 2 today. The pro looks like a good one for runners, cyclists, etc. I will also order a pro model to try.

quote:

Originally posted by QuirtEvans:

quote:

Originally posted by RealPlayer:
Yes. I've had one vaccination and keep wearing mine. Actually the word is we should be wearing two at once now.

Actually, wear an N95 or KN95.

The new head of the CDC, Dr Rochelle Walensky, talked about N95 masks yesterday. She's not pushing them for two reasons: first, there's still a limited supply for health care workers and 2) she said that a correctly fitted N95 mask is a challenge to wear all day, even for physicians like herself who are more accustomed it. She's concerned that people will take them off because they're not comfortable and that clearly defeats the purpose of wearing one.

She repeated what we've been hearing for a while, that wearing a surgical mask or a multi-layer cotton mask is the way to go.

While I go out very little, when I do go somewhere, I'm doubling up (disposable surgical mask with a cloth mask over it).

Also....she and Fauci both said that this is not a time to travel, either inside the US or internationally, whether you're vaccinated or not. They're worried about people spreading new variants around the country. Vaccinated people don't get sick but they still have virus. Fauci said that there just isn't any definitive information about how much virus a vaccinated person can spread; there are studies looking at that.

Here's last night's CNN coronavirus town hall, if you want to watch it. The mask discussion is around 28 minutes into the Part 1 video. There is also a lot of discussion about the new variants and where things stand with respect to what we know about them. I found it pretty informative.

https://www.cnn.com/videos/hea...ronavirus-town-hall/

quote:

Originally posted by wtg:

quote:

Originally posted by QuirtEvans:

quote:

Originally posted by RealPlayer:
Yes. I've had one vaccination and keep wearing mine. Actually the word is we should be wearing two at once now.

Actually, wear an N95 or KN95.

The new head of the CDC, Dr Rochelle Walensky, talked about N95 masks yesterday. She's not pushing them for two reasons: first, there's still a limited supply for health care workers and 2) she said that a correctly fitted N95 mask is a challenge to wear all day, even for physicians like herself who are more accustomed it. She's concerned that people will take them off because they're not comfortable and that clearly defeats the purpose of wearing one.

She repeated what we've been hearing for a while, that wearing a surgical mask or a multi-layer cotton mask is the way to go.

While I go out very little, when I do go somewhere, I'm doubling up (disposable surgical mask with a cloth mask over it).

Also....she and Fauci both said that this is not a time to travel, either inside the US or internationally, whether you're vaccinated or not. They're worried about people spreading new variants around the country. Vaccinated people don't get sick but they still have virus. Fauci said that there just isn't any definitive information about how much virus a vaccinated person can spread; there are studies looking at that.

Here's last night's CNN coronavirus town hall, if you want to watch it. The mask discussion is around 28 minutes into the Part 1 video. There is also a lot of discussion about the new variants and where things stand with respect to what we know about them. I found it pretty informative.

https://www.cnn.com/videos/hea...ronavirus-town-hall/

A former head of the CDC has a different view.

quote:

When you do have to be around other people, use a mask — but not just any mask. The other lesson of the new variants, Frieden told Vox, is that we need to get better at masking.

“The fact that [the variants] are so infectious suggests to me having a better mask is a good idea,” Frieden said. When it comes to avoiding an infection, “a surgical mask is better than a cloth mask, a tight-fitting surgical mask is better than a loose-fitting mask, and an N95 is better than a surgical mask.”

https://www.vox.com/22220301/c...re-n95-masks-vaccine

I don't think Walensky disagrees with Frieden's hierarchy of mask effectiveness. She just doesn't recommend N95s as a matter of course for the reasons mentioned above.

edit: Lots of interesting and good info in the Vox piece....

I taught (f2f) one 50-minute class today wearing a double-mask (plus mask tape around sides/cheeks). This was the first time I've tried a double mask, and boy was it horrible. By the time class ended, my nose was literally in pain. I've been home and maskless for about 40 minutes and my nose still hurts. I don't mean to sound like a big baby and I can't even really explain it, but there's no way I could have put up with that for an entire day. Whereas with my regular surgical mask plus tape set up, I could keep that on for longer without discomfort.

So if I do the double-mask thing again, I'm going to need to do something different because that was horrible.

But in the meantime, I already ordered some KN95 masks and so I will see how those are.

So, what's the recommendation? If you have a KN95 do you still need to double-mask?

I don't think there's one answer.

Clearly, if you can get your hands on a correctly fitted N95 or KN95 mask and wear it for your highest risk exposures, that's great. I had trouble breathing with an N95, but of course that also means it is doing its job. I think that's Walensky's point; the best mask is one that you'll actually wear.

I think the double masking is more likely aimed at people who were wearing a cloth mask only. Adding a surgical mask underneath seems to make the protection better.

I've started double masking and I definitely notice a difference in my breathing. Definitely harder to get my breath, but still manageable.

Then there's the problem with fake N95 and KN95 masks...

https://www.sfgate.com/shoppin...dentify-15870956.php

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/nppt...counterfeitResp.html

https://www.medicalindustrysup...com/spot-fake-masks/

From what I'm seeing, the recommendation for two masks seems to promote better sealing around the face, as well as add another layer if using a lesser quality mask.

I found with two masks, that I got more leakage around the masks than when I wore a well-fitted single mask.

Sounds like your single mask with tape (if a higher level surgical mask) would be the best option. Also experiment with different styles - one type of kn95 fits my wife's face better than mine. Most of the kn95 masks have structure to not press against your face - that may also help for long-term use.

There is an air-resistance value that you might be able to find in the specs for different masks. I found that one place that I ordered from had a higher resistance value and made it harder to breathe and talk through...

Also, I'm not seeing super-spreader school classroom events being reported. The schools where I've been tuning, they have certainly had students and/or staff with positives (like the general population) but haven't seen any student / staff transmission. Not sure how they've documented that...

Unless I missed it, there don't seem to be any recommendations about mask wearing after TWO vaccinations (and the month waiting period after the second shot for its effectiveness).

(Not even counting the possible recommendation possibly/probably pending for the booster in the works at least for the Moderna.)

Surely, at some point one is exempted from mask wearing after the full dosage of these three shots? If not, why not?

I had my first shot yesterday, BTW. Seems getting my appointment was hit or miss, but I lucked out by jumping on an online scheduling site shortly after it was opened up.
Also lucky that they scheduled my second shot on the spot.

I hear from other posters on our "Nextdoor" site, that the waiting period for local appointment availability is NOWn running all the way to September. (I hear the same from best friend in LA!)

I wouldn't take that too seriously though, as these slots seem to be posted for scheduling as soon as they get a new batch of vaccine - which they're bound to do again well before September. Left some people's hair standing on end, though!

I'm most grateful to have been able to schedule online instead of hanging on the phone for hours as I have often heard reported. Also, about some people who have ended up showing up for their appointment, only to learn that the dispensing site has exhausted their supplies.

Since getting the vaccinations generally takes a big of a drive, that's quite a nuisance.

********

For the record, I was pretty put off by being obliged to use a nasty looking portapotty booth afterwards before hitting the road to return home. Smelly (no flushing possible) , no paper towels and not even a sink. Meant leaving it with sticky/sudsy hands.

Made me wonder who made that policy decision. Masks, social distancing etc. but absolutely no sanitation for such a basic need! Dr. Lister speak up!

You need to keep wearing a mask even after you are fully vaccinated. We know that the vaccines protect you from getting sick, but it's not yet clear if you can have and spread the virus even if you yourself aren't sick.

My friend said there was a really good segment on masks last night on the PBS Newshour. It's all about protecting yourself from the new variants:

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/s...-coronavirus-strains

And I also noticed a segment on why you have to wear a mask even after you are vaccinated:

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/h...ter-youre-vaccinated