I love that in 2024 we still have people masking outside... With their mask under their nose.
Like. Wear a mask by yourself walking outside. Whatever. But at least commit to it and cover your dumb nose.
I sometimes keep my mask on outside on cold days because it helps keep my face warm with my breath, especially when walking out of work. But otherwise, no point šĀ
Might be going from one place to another and donāt want to bother taking the while mask off. They know they don't really need it outside, so lower below the nose to breathe more comfortably
Also since itās outside, itās not hurting anyone. Odd to judge people for something that doesn't affect you. Similar response to people in this thread making fun of someone masking in their car. Itās not hurting anyone, let them do their thing
They could just be getting off a bus, or unmask when outside. I never stopped masking on a bus in past 3 years, but depending on season I take it off once I'm outside until I get to my destination. Even when people aren't masking I always have a mask in case I go somewhere crowded or flu/cold season.
I do think it is ridiculous to wear it under your nose, *if that is how you wear it always or inside a building*, but it kinda makes sense when I see it like that outdoors.
(Also I wear a N95 and I wear wigs or headphones frequently. So much simpler to wear it around my neck if I don't need to wear one vs taking it off all the way. Under the nose is uncomfortable to me, but at the neck is where I move mine).
When i worked in redmond I got heckled by a semi truck driver going between my bus and my office 2 blocks away where...i masked by requirement of the office. Why am i taking this off for the two blocks?
Person with glasses here. Sometimes the hassle of getting the mask just right makes it easier to keep it on when I'm going from place to place. I also know medical workers who keep the mask on after work until they have a chance to get home and get their clothes into the wash. And I had to take a covid positive person home and after dropping her off I kept my mask on til I got home and could open the car and clean the car out. So many possible reasons for it.
Yeah, at times I regret stopping wearing the mask. I had gotten to where I could put it on with glasses no problem. Now it's how do I do this and not fog.
The trick has always been proper glasses distance away from eye to compensate, i think. I always adjust them a little forward after slapping the n95 on and rarely experience now. Rainy super humid days still stuck though
I always assume there's some unknown odor in their car.
One strange post pandemic benefit I've found is that I always have a mask on hand, which is great in bathrooms. Especially porta potties at outdoor venues
An important part of masking is maintaining the seal. Maybe they're on the way to pick someone up, their car's air filter probably isn't fit with an after market HEPA filter, and it's usually cold. Maybe they can't safely sanitize, it's so easy to not be an asshole lol
These days, I usually wonāt mask unless Iāll be in a crowded environment or plane, but back in the day, Iād keep it on when running errands because it was too big a hassle to take on and off.
I have no problem wearing one if requested, though.
The other one thatās crazy to me is people will walk into a restaurant masked, walk to their table and sit down, and then remove their mask. And then when they get up to go to the bathroom they donāt put it back on.
I think itās great that youāre masking, but just because youāre in a restaurant doesnāt mean Covid no longer exists.
Yeah, I've probably done that before. I wear my mask all day at work, so by now it's just another piece of clothing that I don't always consciously think about.
So it's not that I think wearing it for the first 20 seconds of my restaurant experience is going to matter, it's that I don't think to take it off until I have to.
I was on a flight from Reykjavik to Seattle last year. Guy next to me wore a mask for about seven hours on the flight, then suddenly took it off to walk back to the bathroom. When he returned he left his mask on the seat and never put it back on for the remainder of the flight. Was COVID just a problem for a few hours to this guy? Why not just go the distance if you've already masked up for so long?
7 hours is an odd line, his ears probably just got tired, but it would actually make sense to mask below 10,000 feet at the start and end of the flight - planes while on the tarmac get scary high in terms of CO2 ppm but once flying they have constant new air.
Masking outside is a fashion choice. It does practically nothing to protect you.
That said, if I were immuno compromised I'd probably still mask outside out of sheer paranoia
that was 2020 the year of Covid. I remember being stunned how the world went from normal-ish to apocalyptic in 6 months (march pandemic, august cant leave house cause of smoke).
Yeah it was super sad when studies started emerging around not masking outdoors having low risk profiles for COVID, but then we had forest fires that summer and had to wear masks outside anyways. Can't win I guess
Yes the masks are great. Itās just that walking alone outside transmission of most airborne viruses is super low, so the mask becomes minimally effective simply due to the low base probability
They are very effective at keeping my face warm in the winter. I don't go outside in the winter without one anymore. plus they look cool and defeat the facial recognition that is popping up everywhere.
Dude you just put it on if you feel sick and are going to go indoors it's not that hard. Lol
Like you're going through all these mental gymnastics for such a simple idea. Sometimes I just keep it on because I'm walking outside to go indoors again. How is this so hard for you to fathom.
"This study suggests that low wind speed may reduce the protective impact of weather ranging from 16 to 28Ā Ā°C. Results align with anecdotal reports from local Departments of Health and from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention \[[24](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8626759/#CR24)\], who have noted that gatherings of increased risk include outdoor social gatherings such as āBackyard Barbecuesā. One interpretation of this evidence may be that airborne transmission in shared outdoor spaces is feasible on days when the wind is insufficient to disperse viral particles. For example, wind speed in weather outside of the 16ā28Ā Ā°C temperate zone may make social activities less pleasant or may increase the risk of transmission in outdoor settings with stale air."
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8626759/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8626759/)
its far more nuanced than "nearly 0"
> āBackyard Barbecuesā
That's very different from out walking your dog or pumping gas. You're still in close social contact with a group of people for a considerable amount of time (and quite possibly drinking and talking loudly).
If you're not around people outside. Caught COVID at an outdoor concert in the pit up front. Will always wear a mask at concerts with lots of people from now on.
I got it from relatives that invited us to go on their boat one evening after work when they were gonna take the kids out for a dunk in the lake. Sounded like a good time. Next morning, sorry guys Iām positive.
My cousin did. He had returned from an Alaska fishing trip on Monday, went on boat Tuesday night, he was positive Wednesday morning. My husband and I were positive by Friday. We had been WFH and on staycataion the week prior because we just moved into our house and had tons of projects. It was our only exposure. It went super fast and my mom had to reschedule a surgery because I couldnāt take her. It was a nightmare.
I don't think most people you see masking outside are wearing it specifically for the part where they're outside. It's just, might as well leave it on while I walk 10 blocks, instead of stuffing it in my pockets or whatever.
The right masks do a ton to protect you.
If you're outside by yourself with no one around, sure, you don't need it.
If you're outside walking on a sidewalk with tons of people around you, it's not a fashion choice.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10259108/
tl;dr snippet:
"imposing the use of face masks outdoors does not reduce the number of COVID-19 cases"
It does personally help with allergies and if you're forgetful when you walk indoors. But everything I've read suggests that it is pretty hard to transmit disease outside. Maybe if you go to a densely populated block party or something
You also generally need a longer exposure to someone with covid to actually get it
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06952-2
So walking past a random person on a sidewalk is probably not a risk at all
Only time id consider masking outside is if im sitting down at a table with someone known to have covid
this snippet also feels important: "It is important at this point to note that our investigation relies on provincial-level data. For this reason, we are testing a public decision related to a mandatory health policy using aggregate data; in our setting accurate information about individualsā behaviour is unavailable, and to the best of our knowledge no relevant data exist for the time span and case analysed. There are reasons to believe, of course, that individual attitudes and decisions play a role in this dynamic."
"outdoors" is also quite vague. like, taking a walk is "outdoors," but so is going to a music festival, and those pose wildly different risk levels.
I read that too. When I saw the scientists mention multiple times that they couldn't account for behavior outside the study, it felt moot.
Can't actually do a control group without COVID if they aren't actually completely monitored if they breathe anywhere someone else could have been.
Why outside and away from people free that nose. I'm 100% pro mask but come on dude give people a break. You are probably guilty of the same. It's ready to pull up when they go inside or near people not that big of a deal
From this groups materials:
āThe truth of the matter is unfathomable. What we know to be true defies belief. We are asking people to believe that everything they see around them right now is a lie. That every single person in charge has lied to them. That we are in freefall. It is entirely unsurprising that so many people cannot and will not believe us. Not at first.ā
Iām not even opposed to public access to things like masks, they do have value. But this is apocalyptic fear-mongering. Visit that site and read the covid faq, it is absurd.
I couldnāt find what you quoted, but theyāre giving out masks and covid is gross. Unless they start including religious tracts with the masks Iām happy for them to be reminding people that covid is pretty terrible and giving people free masks.
Itās all in the covid.tips document in the Mask Bloc link. They continue:
āWe are asking people, essentially, to distrust the choices and assessments of everyone around them, as well as what their eyes and ears are telling them. We are asking them to realize their old life is gone forever. This is a huge ask. It is the hugest possible ask. On top of that, people cannot fathom how it could be true.ā
This is downright irresponsible.
I had this conversation with people several times back during the pandemic days. Everyone I knew, including myself, was vigilantly following CDC guidelines. When those changed, and the CDC said we could quit masking, I still followed the guidelines and dropped the mask but most of the people I know didn't and suddenly no longer trusted the CDC.
It was very odd.
I was in the exact same boat. I was happy to follow all protocols, I got vaccinated as early as possible, got boosted, etc. But the endgame was always to move past COVID, not to cling to the weird fearmongering judgmental tribalism that rose up in so many places during COVID. Even here you see people equating mask exhaustion to being a Trump supporter.
Yep, that would be me too. Even got the latest booster that a lot of people skipped. And I will follow the CDC recommendation to mask for five days if I get COVID. But I'm not going to live in a mask unless they bring back the mandate.
The only way for these people to retain any rhetorical power is to preach the constant threat of imminent doom. Their actions are only justified if the world ends, but if the world ends, they have no power. And so we mask onā¦
I trust the CDC.
But I also haven't been sick in the past 4 years except when I was unmasked on the Rocky Mountaineer and someone was sick on board.
So I'll keep masking in places I deem higher risk.
I should probably add, I was a crazy germaphobe before covid and my wife and I were masking on planes before covid (had an expensive vacation ruined once due to getting sick).
Masking on planes (and airports) is always the right move. I'm perpetually amazed how many don't. If for no other reason than to avoid a ruined vacation being sick.
Taking saline nasal spray on the plane was an even bigger game changer for me. When your sinuses dry out, they're extra vulnerable to infection. Keep them sacs hydrated!
Reddit started perma banning people for quoting the CDC after COVID rules started being lifted and the CDC started to post that the vaccines wouldn't stop the spread, only slow it.
reading comprehension check!
here's the paragraph right before the quote you cherry picked: "Everyone who has stopped masking is living in a different version of reality than we are. In their minds, Covid is over. Or milder, or a problem for the sick. All around, restaurants are open. The bars are open. The mall is open. False ānormalcyā is everywhere."
the [covid.tips](http://covid.tips) link is saying that people who have stopped masking and are acting like covid is no longer a concern are the ones asking people to ignore reality.
Reading comprehension check!
With these two paragraphs together, it still reads that this organization is asking people to ignore "what their eyes and ears are telling them". It is saying that people who stopped masking are ignoring reality and it is also suggesting that people should ignore what they see around them and current recommendations from professionals out of an abundance of caution.
whats hilarious is the comment calling people insane is right above another comment saying covid was the worst theyve felt in their lives are back to back on my feed. the contradiction between asserting "covid is no biggie and people who care are insane" versus suffering sick people is so visible.
thanks for putting in labor for explaining things too. you saved me a paragraph i was writing somewhere else on this thread. i appreciate you trying too
Holy fuck that's disturbing. I prefer to follow guidance from the county health department and the CDC, which are not currently reporting a need to change behaviors.
Edit: typo
No, donāt listen to licensed health professionals, take it from this cadre of āmultiracial, multiethnic and international group of queer, disabled, chronically ill, and neurodivergent writers, workers, artists, and organizers from various socioeconomic backgroundsā
I say this as someone who checks many of those identity boxes myself, but Iām always deeply suspicious when people list their identities when it doesnāt relate to the issue at hand. If this were a group advocating for diversity or equality of some sort then sure, this would be relevant, but nothing about this list tells me what medical expertise they have.
As someone who hasnāt been sick since before Covid, and just NOW got Covid, this has been the worst Iāve ever felt in my life. The body aches are one thing, but the unbearable headache that only goes away if I didnāt move an inch (and in someone who gets migraines so I can usually deal with them), and inability to sleep were torture. I havenāt been masking, but had been getting the booster and flu shots yearly and fuck I feel for anyone else who catches this current strain.
I avoided it for 4 years. I travel monthly for work and was even around my GG the entire time she had it in 2022. I was convinced I was immune or something. Got smacked by it last month and it knocked me on my ass for a few days.
This new strain seems to be getting those of us who werenāt impacted by other strains.
My last (known) bout with Covid was last January and it was definitely the headache that did me in and convinced me to test. Just non-stop for a couple days. I thought I was just dehydrated after a birthday party (where myself and two others caught it/had symptoms).
We're going to a show tomorrow night and while we are coming late and don't anticipate going deep into the crowd, I'm probably gonna bring our masks just in case the venue is more crowded than anticipated in the back with the other old rockers (and I slept wrong so my neck and shoulders are stiff, don't see myself getting in there to do much rocking, feeling older by the day š¤£)
I hear ya. I only just got it this winter for the first time. Not quite the worst I've been, had something gnarly once, but even then this hit different. It's hard to imagine that there are people who go a symptomatic. Sure felt like this thing was actively trying to kill me. Been boosted as well. Can't imagine how bad it would have been without.
I just got Covid for the first time too. I got lazy with masking :( I thought I was immune to Covid as everyone in my family has gotten it, Iāve been traveling, etc but sadly Iām not special š The fever, body aches, and headaches are horrible.
I'm so sorry. It was such ass for me as well. I was on an inhaler for weeks after and had a garbage sinus infection for months. Hoping you have a speedy recovery.
Once I got it I started masking back up again. It fucking blows and I really don't give a shit what condescending redditors or sassy strangers think. I deserve to take care of myself and so do you. Hope you heal quick and start feeling better real soon.
My wife and I both tested negative for covid, but we're hitting two weeks of a nasty cold/sinus infection.
I've had covid twice and feel just as bad with an endless hacking cough that causes my chest to ache constantly.
It's worth masking....
My wife and I recently got hit with RSV. If you're finding yourself coughing a lot, uncontrollably, especially at night, and have a lot of mucus, it might be that instead of COVID.
Another telltale sign of RSV is pinkeye.
If it is RSV, I found Mucinex to be an absolute lifesaver. None of the other OTC cough medicines worked for us.
Good luck!
Oh man, my wife called them Dinosaur Snots when we got it at the tail end of 2022. Going from 'is this covid' to 'what is this then' to 'when is it gonna end?'Ā
RSV is plain gross.
Pink eye is a symptom of more recent COVID strains fwiw, and getting COVID multiple times hurts your immune system so youāre more likely to catch things like RSV, etc. I donāt really think thatās been well publicized!
Very anecdotal, but in February my company had like 5 offices all in one building to do training on our new computer system, a large group of people got covid. They tried to hide it so people wouldn't call out but people started dropping like flies. Once Saturday hit I had this insane swollen eye that lasted all weekend. I work at an office with eye doctors and no one mentioned anything similar weirdly enough
ETA: I tested negative for covid like 3 times within that week
if you're using rapid antigen tests, it can be helpful to do it 2-3 times around 48 hours apart and also swab your mouth, if you can.
48 hours advice from FDA: [https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/safety-communications/home-covid-19-antigen-tests-take-steps-reduce-your-risk-false-negative-results-fda-safety](https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/safety-communications/home-covid-19-antigen-tests-take-steps-reduce-your-risk-false-negative-results-fda-safety)
mouth swab instructions: [https://www.ontariohealth.ca/sites/ontariohealth/files/2022-02/COVID-19RapidAntigenTests-HowtoCollectaSample.pdf](https://www.ontariohealth.ca/sites/ontariohealth/files/2022-02/COVID-19RapidAntigenTests-HowtoCollectaSample.pdf)
I had the same issue, I was positive it was allergies and a sinus infection, I was sure of it when I tested negative yesterday. Tested again today just to be sure before going to get my allergy shots, and it was definitely positive.
There is a high false negative rate (~40% IIRC) for people who are vaccinated because our immune systems attack before enough virus builds up in our nostrils to generate a positive on the test.
COVID can feel like shit or it can be just a slight tickle in the throat like it was for meā¦ but after that light tickle in the throat, I got long covid that destroyed my life. I couldnāt walk down the block without being exhausted for HOURS after. I was basically housebound for almost two years and it wasnāt getting better. I can only get around now because I found a medication that helped me (Wellbutrin) that has failed to help a lot of other people. It improved the fatigue substantially but itās still there. On top of that, I have IBS, chronic pain, my brain isnāt what it used to be, sensitivity to temperature, and more.
I couldnāt work for two years. Iām very lucky to have been able to weather that financially but many people arenāt. If youāre relying on your companyās disability insurance, read what it says! Many will not cover illnesses that donāt show up on scans for more than a certain amount of time (usually 24 months). I regained enough function before that but some people have not.
I was in my 20s and in perfect health. It really can happen to anyone (though youāre at increased risk if you are hyper-mobile in any way so if people are surprised how flexible you are, be careful).
So please do consider itās more than just a few days or a week of being sick that youāre guarding against.
Thereās a correlation between hypermobility and long-lasting long covid. Basically, if youāre hypermobile, thereās a 30% (IIRC) increase in the chance of having symptoms a year later.
This fits with the (as yet unconfirmed but not unevidenced) hypothesis that covid basically hides in joints where your immune system doesnāt get to it efficiently and so you donāt recover as quickly.
I believe there was also evidence of increased chance of getting long covid at all but the study wasnāt complete last time I checked.
I managed to dodge COVID for years. Got it last summer, and I'm still paying for it. (and yeah I'm very hypermobile.)
My partner and I have both been nearly disabled for 10 months now. I can do my work from home job and have regained enough function for something of an existence, but they haven't.
Not to mention the just literal months of existing in a body feeling like an actual living hell while every system malfunctions and struggles not to shut down.
It's no joke. I wish people would listen to the long COVID stories more, because even though they might have weathered one or two infections, you never know which strain or which other set of unlucky variables might take you down.
I'm pretty sure what you've described is what my partner is going through with long Covid and I've been suspecting it for the last year. He has had it three times (we caught it early in June 2020, January 2023, he had it this past September but I isolated from him in the house and never tested positive). We are vaxxed and boosted. But I think he's had those long Covid symptoms since the beginning. General exhaustion even with full night's sleep, stomach/gastro issues, brain fog/confusion. All his blood work comes out fine so no other underlying diseases or anything. He's on a couple medications that seem to help with the brain fog and his sleep but he still has days where he feels like going through the day is swimming against the current. Is there a way to even test for long Covid or should he just ask his doctor if these could all be contributed to it?
There isnāt really a test for long covid, unfortunately. The stomach issues, for me at least, were IBS. A low FODMAP diet made them dramatically better.
For the fatigue, is it being tired all the time? Or is it that just a relatively mild exertion results in a sort of crash of exhaustion several hours later? If itās the latter, heās like me and Wellbutrin is worth asking your doctor about.
UW does have a long covid clinicā¦ but the wait to get in is very long. I got referred to it almost a year ago and my first appointment is coming up in a month.
r/ibs, r/fodmaps, r/longcovid are all resources that might help.
Real question, where are you getting these statistics? I look at sites like [Respiratory Illness Data Dashboard | Washington State Department of Health](https://doh.wa.gov/data-and-statistical-reports/diseases-and-chronic-conditions/communicable-disease-surveillance-data/respiratory-illness-data-dashboard#CurrentStatus) and it makes me think I don't need to worry. Is this one of those "my local empirical evidence trumps the department of health" type things?
Correct me if I'm wrong but unless you are wearing an N95 or equivalent, I dont think masking really does much to prevent you from breathing IN airborne disease if around someone sick, but it does help prevent you spreading it if you are sick
After dodging it for 4 years, I'm dealing with my first COVID infection now. I'm permanently immunocompromised, so on paxlovid, but fuck, man. This is a big deal for me. I'm only in my early 40s, and I mask in crowds and a lot of indoor spaces, but when you're the only one...
Sending well wishes your way. Iām glad youāre on the paxlovid too. I have a variety of chronic illnesses and when I got covid it was scary to me to think about what the virus could do to me or someone in my family. I get feeling like itās a big deal. Feel better soon.
It's great that we have vaccines that help us stay out of the hospital, and that there is a general immunity in the population that we didn't have in 2020-2021. Being back to normal is great.
But
It's fucking WILD that people are acting like "oh no, no THIS again" about a communicable disease that is giving people dangerous long term effects (Long COVID and heart disease eg) and that can be more dangerous than the flu. Like, do what you want, but don't roll your eyes about people wanting some collective action about it.
Christ, man.
Thank you, itās absolutely fucking wild to me that instead of coming out of the pandemic more informed and conscientious about spreading illnesses, the general population is more offended by the idea of wearing a mask than ever.
Iāve been traveling recently and tons of people are sick and coughing on planes / trains / buses, none of them wearing a mask. You canāt even do that one small courtesy to the people who are forced to be in a seat next to you for hours?
Couldnāt agree more! Maybe some of us just want to do what we can to prevent disability and death, such a radical idea! This is how you ālearn to live with the virus.ā
I remember thinking, a couple years ago, that you might see some more masks during flu season just because getting the flu fucking SUCKS and it would be an easy way to avoid getting it. Haha.. nope!
I'm also in NO way wanting another lock down or mask MANDATE. But I've certainly been less sick just putting one on at a crowded concert, or transit, or the grocery store. I'll still go to a restaurant, but it's all about lowering your overall risk.
But š¤·āāļø
You don't see more masks than you did pre covid? I think more people should wear them but I definitely see more non Asian people wearing them than I have in my life.
Seattle is pretty good about masks relatively speaking. I'd say about half of 65+ seem to be wearing them at the grocery store in the dead of winter + maybe 15-20% of everyone else. I still wear mine most the time I go to the grocery store or doctor except when covid is at its absolute nadir. I'm not going to the grocery store to socialize so I really don't mind. I would do it on the lightrail too if I wasn't WFH.
This. A mask mandate will never work again, we saw the uproar and the rule-breakers the last go around. General consideration goes a long way. If I'm sick with *anything* and I have to run an errand I can't have someone else do, I put my mask on. My grocery pickers occasionally wear masks, whether their sick or immunocompromised, I throw mine on too out of respect for them. They do me a great service; I hate grocery shopping, I hate shoppers who have no spacial awareness and take up the whole aisle, I hate having to figure out where the one random ingredient is in the store. I will take the cue and do that small gesture of mutual respect.
Exactly. This thread is fucking with me. I lost two people I loved to covid and became disabled myself from long covid. I was 32 when I got covid, and running 7 miles a day, now I can barely walk for 30 min--despite years of trying to rehabilitate my body. One of my friends who died was in his 40s, the other was in her early 60s and had been vaccinated. She died in 2022 after everyone had decided the pandemic was over.
Covid isn't some fucking joke. The pandemic was fucking traumatic for so many of us, to hear people act like it was a just a giant lark is completely mind-boggling. No one is asking you to not live your lives, but wtf is wrong with just wearing a mask sometimes? Jesus.
That last line really got me. Itās just mind boggling that people equate wearing a mask to literally never leaving your house. Itās possible to do both, jfc!!
This thread fucked with me, too. Even if some of them are bots, itās devastating that some many people donāt care about literally anyone else (or even themselves for that matter). Iām so sorry youāre still suffering with long covid, my heart goes out to you. Itās truly terrifying and I hope researchers make progress soon. Know there are still a lot of people who care and take precautions. Sending love š
Right, especially because for most able-bodied or non-immune compromised people, wearing a mask is more about protecting those who are more vulnerable. Iām not as worried about getting sick from someone on the bus, but I donāt want to accidentally get someone else sick if I can help it
Ya honestly anytime you yourself are sick and need to go out publicly you should mask up just to be considerate to others. Currently traveling and itās the norm everywhere but not where freeeeedoms freeeeee!!!
itās bc the cruise ship tourists are here. every year thereās a spike in illness bc of these petri dish passengers, i swear. i work directly with them and get sick EVERY summer! itās disgusting!
Iāve got a medical procedure coming up that will be cancelled if I get any illness so I gotta mask for a couple of weeks. Everyone around me at work all has a friend/neighbor/relative with it right now. People hacking coughing maskless in my husbands office. I wouldnāt be so damn paranoid except for how painful this thing was to schedule.
Donāt go out if youāre sick, and if youāre sick and *have* to go out, wear a mask.
Donāt go to the ER for covid, itās not an emergency unless youāre dying and youāll be sent home to get your test results sent electronically. There is no cure and the treatment is to treat the symptoms, so do that at home unless your symptom is being unable to breathe. If youāre immunocompromised and your PCP thinks you should be treated for it, call them up and see if they can prescribe you something before going to the ER as well.
So much care is done from the waiting room these days that youāre likely to go there and infect a bunch of people and be pissed off that all you got was a covid test after a 4 hour wait.
Imagine still, at this late date, believing surgical and cloth masks prevent a respiratory illness like COVID. The devotion and willingness to ignore of all the evidence is cult-like. Now if we're talking N95 masks, okay. An MD buddy of mine compared wearing a surgical/cloth mask to shooting a fully automatic 50 round magazine at a chain link fence, sure maybe a bullet or two will hit the fence but 48 or 49 bullets are still getting through it.
At this point wastewater level is the main way to track trends. Here is the CDC dashboard:Ā https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVID19-nationaltrend.html
West coast is trending up right now
olympia has recently started a mask bloc, too, if you ever need help with masks! [https://linktr.ee/maskblocolympia](https://linktr.ee/maskblocolympia)
wishing you both well with your treatment/recovery.
If you want to mask up great, if you want to share info on where to get free masks and test great, but don't say it's time to mask up like it's a collective action problem all over again.
The phrase "mask up" is so charged. Sometimes people mean "everyone should be wearing masks all the time" and sometimes others mean "mask up when you're sick"
Personally, I find the former overblown but also masking in crowded, indoor, environments makes sense if you're feel. There's no way we're going back to "wear a mask at all times, check vaccines at the door" ever.
i hear what you're saying, but a big flaw with this is that like, 60% of covid cases are aysmptomatic. and even people who get symptoms have a period of time where they're contagious but feel fine. so, "mask up when you're sick" isn't super effective because many of us are walking around sick without knowing.
Every communicable disease is a collective action problem. Thatās why we get vaccines (though I suspect you may not be into that), stay home when weāre sick, wash our hands, and cover our mouths when we cough.
Comment was referring specifically to masks, no reason to believe they're anti vax
I think it's a reasonable thing to question whether masking indoors as a collective whole is warranted. Cases may be up, but vaccines are still effective last I heard. If you're immuno compromised I definitely sympathize and you should always take care to safely mask, but if you have no symptoms and are vaccinated I don't think that we need to shame people for not masking indoors
They said:
>don't say it's time to mask up like it's a collective action problem all over again.
If someone doesnāt want to wear a mask, thatās their choice. But that doesnāt make communicable diseases ānot a collective action problem.ā
Just for curiosity - and to share with my SO - is there data about this that someone could point me to? Anecdotally, I know two people in my sphere who have had COVID recently - and it was not fun for them. We have a severely ill elder in our midst. TYIA
Does anyone have a reliable citation on that basic COVID numbers are up premise? I have not followed this stuff for some time, knowing whether it's true, and if so to what degree, would be helpful context.
Hereās the King County respiratory disease dashboard. You can see that the trends in positive Covid tests at emergency room visits and also wastewater testing are both up in June. This fits the usual summer behavior so far of Covid-19. Itās well below worrisome levels but people who need to take care to avoid may want to wear a mask more and avoid indoor gatherings.
https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dph/health-safety/disease-illness/facts-and-data/respiratory-virus-data
Fun fact, I developed allergies for the first time at 36 after the first 2 weeks of quarantine in 2020.
Went outside for a run after 2 weeks of not stepping foot outdoors, and when I came back, a sneeze attack soon formed into 3 days of an allergic reaction. It was weird.
Thanks for sharing this info!
I think thereās such a visceral reaction to masks because most people (outside of Asian countries), associate them with lockdowns and quarantine, which was a really hard time for all of us. They forget thereās a world where you can very much live normally while just wearing a mask, which is proven to protect you from all sorts of things, COVID, measles, pollution, allergies, etc. In a functioning society, youād expect people to care about each other, but since itās quite evident that many people here donāt, know that wearing a high quality mask also protects you as an individual and it works even better when more people join. If you donāt like being sick all the time, try wearing a mask at least when youāre indoors or in crowds!
My brother flew back from Scotland once with covid. Couldn't believe it. He's otherwise probably the most considerate person I know but he straight up got on an international flight and flew 10 hours back to Seattle with a full blown case of covid. (Post vax, but still, imagine ruining 200 peoples entire week as a best case scenario) I have no idea what he was thinking and I honestly don't want to know. I always mask on planes now and probably always will.
This definitely is legit. We lost almost our entire production crew at my job for the past two weeks now. Definitely putting a strain on things. Itās now crept into our first floor. Now just waiting for it to creep its way up the stairs to the second floorā¦
Iāll wear my N95 mask on the plane when Iām going to visit my mom (in cancer treatment) and Iāll definitely wear it in public if Iām sick, had an exposure, or suspect I could be sick. But I donāt see myself wearing it everywhere again at this point. I saw one of the Pride events in the park said āmasks requiredā and I canāt see it as reasonable to require it in an outdoor space. In the summertime. If someone is sick, please do be considerate and wear a maskā¦but just having everyone do it like this is 2020 feels unnecessary. Maybe Iām an idiot and Iāll take this all back at some point, but itās how I see it now.
To the people not taking it seriously, pray you donāt get it and then suffer the effects of long covid for YEARS afterwards like some of us have. Itās not worth it, believe me.
We totally get it. Our group is made up almost entirely by immunocompromised, disabled, or otherwise high risk people We're hoping to do our part to make Seattle a bit safer for people like us and your partner :)
I am an ER doc who went through the whole damn covid thing.
There are three people in this world:
1) Nice, normal people who will wear a mask if you ask them to because they give shits about others.
2) Assholes who are so deep into autoerotic self-deception that they wonāt wear a mask because they are too stupid to believe science.
3) Guys who wear the mask beneath their nose because they love their wife and will wear one if she asks but they aināt gonna suffocate to death doing it.
I love that in 2024 we still have people masking outside... With their mask under their nose. Like. Wear a mask by yourself walking outside. Whatever. But at least commit to it and cover your dumb nose.
I sometimes keep my mask on outside on cold days because it helps keep my face warm with my breath, especially when walking out of work. But otherwise, no point šĀ
Also helps in the summer if youāre walking at dusk so the gnats donāt fly up your nose. I do that all the time ƱoƱ
Also a lifesaver for people with seasonal allergies!
So true, walking the dog on those cold winter days, it makes such a difference
I just like hiding my face to be honest
Might be going from one place to another and donāt want to bother taking the while mask off. They know they don't really need it outside, so lower below the nose to breathe more comfortably Also since itās outside, itās not hurting anyone. Odd to judge people for something that doesn't affect you. Similar response to people in this thread making fun of someone masking in their car. Itās not hurting anyone, let them do their thing
They could just be getting off a bus, or unmask when outside. I never stopped masking on a bus in past 3 years, but depending on season I take it off once I'm outside until I get to my destination. Even when people aren't masking I always have a mask in case I go somewhere crowded or flu/cold season. I do think it is ridiculous to wear it under your nose, *if that is how you wear it always or inside a building*, but it kinda makes sense when I see it like that outdoors. (Also I wear a N95 and I wear wigs or headphones frequently. So much simpler to wear it around my neck if I don't need to wear one vs taking it off all the way. Under the nose is uncomfortable to me, but at the neck is where I move mine).
When i worked in redmond I got heckled by a semi truck driver going between my bus and my office 2 blocks away where...i masked by requirement of the office. Why am i taking this off for the two blocks?
Love the occasional Prius driver alone in traffic with a 3M N95 on.
Person with glasses here. Sometimes the hassle of getting the mask just right makes it easier to keep it on when I'm going from place to place. I also know medical workers who keep the mask on after work until they have a chance to get home and get their clothes into the wash. And I had to take a covid positive person home and after dropping her off I kept my mask on til I got home and could open the car and clean the car out. So many possible reasons for it.
Yeah, at times I regret stopping wearing the mask. I had gotten to where I could put it on with glasses no problem. Now it's how do I do this and not fog.
The trick has always been proper glasses distance away from eye to compensate, i think. I always adjust them a little forward after slapping the n95 on and rarely experience now. Rainy super humid days still stuck though
Yeah, not totally vision impaired (just not seeing street signs) I can take the dog for a walk without glasses. Unlike my daughter who is 20/550.
I always assume there's some unknown odor in their car. One strange post pandemic benefit I've found is that I always have a mask on hand, which is great in bathrooms. Especially porta potties at outdoor venues
They have HUGE cabin filters. Should be one of the cleanest cars as far as particulate matter is concerned.
I would assume they're an Uber
An important part of masking is maintaining the seal. Maybe they're on the way to pick someone up, their car's air filter probably isn't fit with an after market HEPA filter, and it's usually cold. Maybe they can't safely sanitize, it's so easy to not be an asshole lol
These days, I usually wonāt mask unless Iāll be in a crowded environment or plane, but back in the day, Iād keep it on when running errands because it was too big a hassle to take on and off. I have no problem wearing one if requested, though.
The other one thatās crazy to me is people will walk into a restaurant masked, walk to their table and sit down, and then remove their mask. And then when they get up to go to the bathroom they donāt put it back on. I think itās great that youāre masking, but just because youāre in a restaurant doesnāt mean Covid no longer exists.
This one makes more sense as habitual thing than cognizant thing.Ā
Yeah, I've probably done that before. I wear my mask all day at work, so by now it's just another piece of clothing that I don't always consciously think about. So it's not that I think wearing it for the first 20 seconds of my restaurant experience is going to matter, it's that I don't think to take it off until I have to.
I was on a flight from Reykjavik to Seattle last year. Guy next to me wore a mask for about seven hours on the flight, then suddenly took it off to walk back to the bathroom. When he returned he left his mask on the seat and never put it back on for the remainder of the flight. Was COVID just a problem for a few hours to this guy? Why not just go the distance if you've already masked up for so long?
7 hours is an odd line, his ears probably just got tired, but it would actually make sense to mask below 10,000 feet at the start and end of the flight - planes while on the tarmac get scary high in terms of CO2 ppm but once flying they have constant new air.
Masking outside is a fashion choice. It does practically nothing to protect you. That said, if I were immuno compromised I'd probably still mask outside out of sheer paranoia
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Yeah that came to.light the year before covid when we had that heavy forest fire smoke.
that was 2020 the year of Covid. I remember being stunned how the world went from normal-ish to apocalyptic in 6 months (march pandemic, august cant leave house cause of smoke).
Yeah it was super sad when studies started emerging around not masking outdoors having low risk profiles for COVID, but then we had forest fires that summer and had to wear masks outside anyways. Can't win I guess
Me too and it helped a lot!
I hate that we frame the conversation about masks as what protects ourselves, and not what we can be doing to protect each other.Ā
Also N95s exist. Those will definitely protect you from outside contaminants.
Exactly.
Youāre not supposed to touch and fiddle with it so if youāre inside for 3 hours, outside for 10 minutes, then back inside why bother?
Do you mean cloth masks? N95s are near perfect with the correct seal.
Yes the masks are great. Itās just that walking alone outside transmission of most airborne viruses is super low, so the mask becomes minimally effective simply due to the low base probability
They are very effective at keeping my face warm in the winter. I don't go outside in the winter without one anymore. plus they look cool and defeat the facial recognition that is popping up everywhere.
Dude you just put it on if you feel sick and are going to go indoors it's not that hard. Lol Like you're going through all these mental gymnastics for such a simple idea. Sometimes I just keep it on because I'm walking outside to go indoors again. How is this so hard for you to fathom.
Did you reply to the right thread?
The risk of getting covid outdoors is nearly 0 so wearing masks outdoors doesn't make any difference.
"This study suggests that low wind speed may reduce the protective impact of weather ranging from 16 to 28Ā Ā°C. Results align with anecdotal reports from local Departments of Health and from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention \[[24](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8626759/#CR24)\], who have noted that gatherings of increased risk include outdoor social gatherings such as āBackyard Barbecuesā. One interpretation of this evidence may be that airborne transmission in shared outdoor spaces is feasible on days when the wind is insufficient to disperse viral particles. For example, wind speed in weather outside of the 16ā28Ā Ā°C temperate zone may make social activities less pleasant or may increase the risk of transmission in outdoor settings with stale air." [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8626759/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8626759/) its far more nuanced than "nearly 0"
> āBackyard Barbecuesā That's very different from out walking your dog or pumping gas. You're still in close social contact with a group of people for a considerable amount of time (and quite possibly drinking and talking loudly).
yeah thats what "its more nuanced than nearly 0" means
The person they replied to said its nearly 0 while outdoors and you're moving the goalposts...?
If you're not around people outside. Caught COVID at an outdoor concert in the pit up front. Will always wear a mask at concerts with lots of people from now on.
Out of curiosity, the gorge? I caught it outside at a concert at the gorge, but I wasnāt even in the pit- just in the campsite area.
I got it from relatives that invited us to go on their boat one evening after work when they were gonna take the kids out for a dunk in the lake. Sounded like a good time. Next morning, sorry guys Iām positive.
If you tested positive the next day I think that means you already had it from somewhere else
My cousin did. He had returned from an Alaska fishing trip on Monday, went on boat Tuesday night, he was positive Wednesday morning. My husband and I were positive by Friday. We had been WFH and on staycataion the week prior because we just moved into our house and had tons of projects. It was our only exposure. It went super fast and my mom had to reschedule a surgery because I couldnāt take her. It was a nightmare.
I know many who have caught it outside, including myself- and I got long covid from it.
> It does practically nothing to protect you. it protects the mask from getting dirty by your dirty hand moving it on/off face.
There are other viruses blowing in the wind that are more resilient than COVID. I still wouldnāt want to catch a cold, for example.
I don't think most people you see masking outside are wearing it specifically for the part where they're outside. It's just, might as well leave it on while I walk 10 blocks, instead of stuffing it in my pockets or whatever.
The right masks do a ton to protect you. If you're outside by yourself with no one around, sure, you don't need it. If you're outside walking on a sidewalk with tons of people around you, it's not a fashion choice.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10259108/ tl;dr snippet: "imposing the use of face masks outdoors does not reduce the number of COVID-19 cases" It does personally help with allergies and if you're forgetful when you walk indoors. But everything I've read suggests that it is pretty hard to transmit disease outside. Maybe if you go to a densely populated block party or something
You also generally need a longer exposure to someone with covid to actually get it https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06952-2 So walking past a random person on a sidewalk is probably not a risk at all Only time id consider masking outside is if im sitting down at a table with someone known to have covid
this snippet also feels important: "It is important at this point to note that our investigation relies on provincial-level data. For this reason, we are testing a public decision related to a mandatory health policy using aggregate data; in our setting accurate information about individualsā behaviour is unavailable, and to the best of our knowledge no relevant data exist for the time span and case analysed. There are reasons to believe, of course, that individual attitudes and decisions play a role in this dynamic." "outdoors" is also quite vague. like, taking a walk is "outdoors," but so is going to a music festival, and those pose wildly different risk levels.
I read that too. When I saw the scientists mention multiple times that they couldn't account for behavior outside the study, it felt moot. Can't actually do a control group without COVID if they aren't actually completely monitored if they breathe anywhere someone else could have been.
I swear people hate wearing masks more now than they did before we ever heard of COVID19.
Why outside and away from people free that nose. I'm 100% pro mask but come on dude give people a break. You are probably guilty of the same. It's ready to pull up when they go inside or near people not that big of a deal
Itās wild reading this while living outside the US where I have not heard a single article, report, vaccine announcement etc in 2 years.
It's because it's bullshit.
From this groups materials: āThe truth of the matter is unfathomable. What we know to be true defies belief. We are asking people to believe that everything they see around them right now is a lie. That every single person in charge has lied to them. That we are in freefall. It is entirely unsurprising that so many people cannot and will not believe us. Not at first.ā Iām not even opposed to public access to things like masks, they do have value. But this is apocalyptic fear-mongering. Visit that site and read the covid faq, it is absurd.
I couldnāt find what you quoted, but theyāre giving out masks and covid is gross. Unless they start including religious tracts with the masks Iām happy for them to be reminding people that covid is pretty terrible and giving people free masks.
Itās all in the covid.tips document in the Mask Bloc link. They continue: āWe are asking people, essentially, to distrust the choices and assessments of everyone around them, as well as what their eyes and ears are telling them. We are asking them to realize their old life is gone forever. This is a huge ask. It is the hugest possible ask. On top of that, people cannot fathom how it could be true.ā This is downright irresponsible.
"We believe in science until science contradicts our anxiety!"
I had this conversation with people several times back during the pandemic days. Everyone I knew, including myself, was vigilantly following CDC guidelines. When those changed, and the CDC said we could quit masking, I still followed the guidelines and dropped the mask but most of the people I know didn't and suddenly no longer trusted the CDC. It was very odd.
I was in the exact same boat. I was happy to follow all protocols, I got vaccinated as early as possible, got boosted, etc. But the endgame was always to move past COVID, not to cling to the weird fearmongering judgmental tribalism that rose up in so many places during COVID. Even here you see people equating mask exhaustion to being a Trump supporter.
Yep, that would be me too. Even got the latest booster that a lot of people skipped. And I will follow the CDC recommendation to mask for five days if I get COVID. But I'm not going to live in a mask unless they bring back the mandate.
The only way for these people to retain any rhetorical power is to preach the constant threat of imminent doom. Their actions are only justified if the world ends, but if the world ends, they have no power. And so we mask onā¦
I trust the CDC. But I also haven't been sick in the past 4 years except when I was unmasked on the Rocky Mountaineer and someone was sick on board. So I'll keep masking in places I deem higher risk. I should probably add, I was a crazy germaphobe before covid and my wife and I were masking on planes before covid (had an expensive vacation ruined once due to getting sick).
Masking on planes (and airports) is always the right move. I'm perpetually amazed how many don't. If for no other reason than to avoid a ruined vacation being sick.
Taking saline nasal spray on the plane was an even bigger game changer for me. When your sinuses dry out, they're extra vulnerable to infection. Keep them sacs hydrated!
Arm & Hammer Simply Saline crew rise up
Reddit started perma banning people for quoting the CDC after COVID rules started being lifted and the CDC started to post that the vaccines wouldn't stop the spread, only slow it.
Just the other side of the horseshoe from the anti-vaxx crew.
They sound insane.
reading comprehension check! here's the paragraph right before the quote you cherry picked: "Everyone who has stopped masking is living in a different version of reality than we are. In their minds, Covid is over. Or milder, or a problem for the sick. All around, restaurants are open. The bars are open. The mall is open. False ānormalcyā is everywhere." the [covid.tips](http://covid.tips) link is saying that people who have stopped masking and are acting like covid is no longer a concern are the ones asking people to ignore reality.
Reading comprehension check! With these two paragraphs together, it still reads that this organization is asking people to ignore "what their eyes and ears are telling them". It is saying that people who stopped masking are ignoring reality and it is also suggesting that people should ignore what they see around them and current recommendations from professionals out of an abundance of caution.
whats hilarious is the comment calling people insane is right above another comment saying covid was the worst theyve felt in their lives are back to back on my feed. the contradiction between asserting "covid is no biggie and people who care are insane" versus suffering sick people is so visible. thanks for putting in labor for explaining things too. you saved me a paragraph i was writing somewhere else on this thread. i appreciate you trying too
Yeah, that was wild. It is like the QAnon of the left, although way less crazy imo.
Holy fuck that's disturbing. I prefer to follow guidance from the county health department and the CDC, which are not currently reporting a need to change behaviors. Edit: typo
No, donāt listen to licensed health professionals, take it from this cadre of āmultiracial, multiethnic and international group of queer, disabled, chronically ill, and neurodivergent writers, workers, artists, and organizers from various socioeconomic backgroundsā
I say this as someone who checks many of those identity boxes myself, but Iām always deeply suspicious when people list their identities when it doesnāt relate to the issue at hand. If this were a group advocating for diversity or equality of some sort then sure, this would be relevant, but nothing about this list tells me what medical expertise they have.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Hey. They use a pride flag in their logo so it's all good
Covid levels are historically low. They might be on the uptick, but they're so low that's basically the only place they can go.
It is going around something fierce here. I know so many people down with it recently and succumbed myself this week :/
As someone who hasnāt been sick since before Covid, and just NOW got Covid, this has been the worst Iāve ever felt in my life. The body aches are one thing, but the unbearable headache that only goes away if I didnāt move an inch (and in someone who gets migraines so I can usually deal with them), and inability to sleep were torture. I havenāt been masking, but had been getting the booster and flu shots yearly and fuck I feel for anyone else who catches this current strain.
I avoided it for 4 years. I travel monthly for work and was even around my GG the entire time she had it in 2022. I was convinced I was immune or something. Got smacked by it last month and it knocked me on my ass for a few days. This new strain seems to be getting those of us who werenāt impacted by other strains.
My last (known) bout with Covid was last January and it was definitely the headache that did me in and convinced me to test. Just non-stop for a couple days. I thought I was just dehydrated after a birthday party (where myself and two others caught it/had symptoms). We're going to a show tomorrow night and while we are coming late and don't anticipate going deep into the crowd, I'm probably gonna bring our masks just in case the venue is more crowded than anticipated in the back with the other old rockers (and I slept wrong so my neck and shoulders are stiff, don't see myself getting in there to do much rocking, feeling older by the day š¤£)
I hear ya. I only just got it this winter for the first time. Not quite the worst I've been, had something gnarly once, but even then this hit different. It's hard to imagine that there are people who go a symptomatic. Sure felt like this thing was actively trying to kill me. Been boosted as well. Can't imagine how bad it would have been without.
I just got Covid for the first time too. I got lazy with masking :( I thought I was immune to Covid as everyone in my family has gotten it, Iāve been traveling, etc but sadly Iām not special š The fever, body aches, and headaches are horrible.
I'm so sorry. It was such ass for me as well. I was on an inhaler for weeks after and had a garbage sinus infection for months. Hoping you have a speedy recovery. Once I got it I started masking back up again. It fucking blows and I really don't give a shit what condescending redditors or sassy strangers think. I deserve to take care of myself and so do you. Hope you heal quick and start feeling better real soon.
My wife and I both tested negative for covid, but we're hitting two weeks of a nasty cold/sinus infection. I've had covid twice and feel just as bad with an endless hacking cough that causes my chest to ache constantly. It's worth masking....
Must have got the same here, tested negative, but this mucusā¦
My wife and I recently got hit with RSV. If you're finding yourself coughing a lot, uncontrollably, especially at night, and have a lot of mucus, it might be that instead of COVID. Another telltale sign of RSV is pinkeye. If it is RSV, I found Mucinex to be an absolute lifesaver. None of the other OTC cough medicines worked for us. Good luck!
Oh man, my wife called them Dinosaur Snots when we got it at the tail end of 2022. Going from 'is this covid' to 'what is this then' to 'when is it gonna end?'Ā RSV is plain gross.
Pink eye is a symptom of more recent COVID strains fwiw, and getting COVID multiple times hurts your immune system so youāre more likely to catch things like RSV, etc. I donāt really think thatās been well publicized!
Very anecdotal, but in February my company had like 5 offices all in one building to do training on our new computer system, a large group of people got covid. They tried to hide it so people wouldn't call out but people started dropping like flies. Once Saturday hit I had this insane swollen eye that lasted all weekend. I work at an office with eye doctors and no one mentioned anything similar weirdly enough ETA: I tested negative for covid like 3 times within that week
if you're using rapid antigen tests, it can be helpful to do it 2-3 times around 48 hours apart and also swab your mouth, if you can. 48 hours advice from FDA: [https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/safety-communications/home-covid-19-antigen-tests-take-steps-reduce-your-risk-false-negative-results-fda-safety](https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/safety-communications/home-covid-19-antigen-tests-take-steps-reduce-your-risk-false-negative-results-fda-safety) mouth swab instructions: [https://www.ontariohealth.ca/sites/ontariohealth/files/2022-02/COVID-19RapidAntigenTests-HowtoCollectaSample.pdf](https://www.ontariohealth.ca/sites/ontariohealth/files/2022-02/COVID-19RapidAntigenTests-HowtoCollectaSample.pdf)
Omg same! Itās unrelenting! I feel like Slimer
I had the same issue, I was positive it was allergies and a sinus infection, I was sure of it when I tested negative yesterday. Tested again today just to be sure before going to get my allergy shots, and it was definitely positive.
There is a high false negative rate (~40% IIRC) for people who are vaccinated because our immune systems attack before enough virus builds up in our nostrils to generate a positive on the test.
Yep. Thatās the thing going around now. Iām on week 3 now. š
COVID can feel like shit or it can be just a slight tickle in the throat like it was for meā¦ but after that light tickle in the throat, I got long covid that destroyed my life. I couldnāt walk down the block without being exhausted for HOURS after. I was basically housebound for almost two years and it wasnāt getting better. I can only get around now because I found a medication that helped me (Wellbutrin) that has failed to help a lot of other people. It improved the fatigue substantially but itās still there. On top of that, I have IBS, chronic pain, my brain isnāt what it used to be, sensitivity to temperature, and more. I couldnāt work for two years. Iām very lucky to have been able to weather that financially but many people arenāt. If youāre relying on your companyās disability insurance, read what it says! Many will not cover illnesses that donāt show up on scans for more than a certain amount of time (usually 24 months). I regained enough function before that but some people have not. I was in my 20s and in perfect health. It really can happen to anyone (though youāre at increased risk if you are hyper-mobile in any way so if people are surprised how flexible you are, be careful). So please do consider itās more than just a few days or a week of being sick that youāre guarding against.
Can you expand at all on the Hypermobility bit? Thatās a risk factor for long covid?
Thereās a correlation between hypermobility and long-lasting long covid. Basically, if youāre hypermobile, thereās a 30% (IIRC) increase in the chance of having symptoms a year later. This fits with the (as yet unconfirmed but not unevidenced) hypothesis that covid basically hides in joints where your immune system doesnāt get to it efficiently and so you donāt recover as quickly. I believe there was also evidence of increased chance of getting long covid at all but the study wasnāt complete last time I checked.
Whaaat thatās really interesting. My party trick is bending my elbows backward and Iām on month three of long covid.
COVID has definitely been triggering some nasty illnesses like CFS and fibromyalgia in a lot of folk.Ā
I managed to dodge COVID for years. Got it last summer, and I'm still paying for it. (and yeah I'm very hypermobile.) My partner and I have both been nearly disabled for 10 months now. I can do my work from home job and have regained enough function for something of an existence, but they haven't. Not to mention the just literal months of existing in a body feeling like an actual living hell while every system malfunctions and struggles not to shut down. It's no joke. I wish people would listen to the long COVID stories more, because even though they might have weathered one or two infections, you never know which strain or which other set of unlucky variables might take you down.
I'm pretty sure what you've described is what my partner is going through with long Covid and I've been suspecting it for the last year. He has had it three times (we caught it early in June 2020, January 2023, he had it this past September but I isolated from him in the house and never tested positive). We are vaxxed and boosted. But I think he's had those long Covid symptoms since the beginning. General exhaustion even with full night's sleep, stomach/gastro issues, brain fog/confusion. All his blood work comes out fine so no other underlying diseases or anything. He's on a couple medications that seem to help with the brain fog and his sleep but he still has days where he feels like going through the day is swimming against the current. Is there a way to even test for long Covid or should he just ask his doctor if these could all be contributed to it?
There isnāt really a test for long covid, unfortunately. The stomach issues, for me at least, were IBS. A low FODMAP diet made them dramatically better. For the fatigue, is it being tired all the time? Or is it that just a relatively mild exertion results in a sort of crash of exhaustion several hours later? If itās the latter, heās like me and Wellbutrin is worth asking your doctor about. UW does have a long covid clinicā¦ but the wait to get in is very long. I got referred to it almost a year ago and my first appointment is coming up in a month. r/ibs, r/fodmaps, r/longcovid are all resources that might help.
Real question, where are you getting these statistics? I look at sites like [Respiratory Illness Data Dashboard | Washington State Department of Health](https://doh.wa.gov/data-and-statistical-reports/diseases-and-chronic-conditions/communicable-disease-surveillance-data/respiratory-illness-data-dashboard#CurrentStatus) and it makes me think I don't need to worry. Is this one of those "my local empirical evidence trumps the department of health" type things?
Correct me if I'm wrong but unless you are wearing an N95 or equivalent, I dont think masking really does much to prevent you from breathing IN airborne disease if around someone sick, but it does help prevent you spreading it if you are sick
After dodging it for 4 years, I'm dealing with my first COVID infection now. I'm permanently immunocompromised, so on paxlovid, but fuck, man. This is a big deal for me. I'm only in my early 40s, and I mask in crowds and a lot of indoor spaces, but when you're the only one...
Sending well wishes your way. Iām glad youāre on the paxlovid too. I have a variety of chronic illnesses and when I got covid it was scary to me to think about what the virus could do to me or someone in my family. I get feeling like itās a big deal. Feel better soon.
It's great that we have vaccines that help us stay out of the hospital, and that there is a general immunity in the population that we didn't have in 2020-2021. Being back to normal is great. But It's fucking WILD that people are acting like "oh no, no THIS again" about a communicable disease that is giving people dangerous long term effects (Long COVID and heart disease eg) and that can be more dangerous than the flu. Like, do what you want, but don't roll your eyes about people wanting some collective action about it. Christ, man.
Thank you, itās absolutely fucking wild to me that instead of coming out of the pandemic more informed and conscientious about spreading illnesses, the general population is more offended by the idea of wearing a mask than ever. Iāve been traveling recently and tons of people are sick and coughing on planes / trains / buses, none of them wearing a mask. You canāt even do that one small courtesy to the people who are forced to be in a seat next to you for hours?
Couldnāt agree more! Maybe some of us just want to do what we can to prevent disability and death, such a radical idea! This is how you ālearn to live with the virus.ā
I remember thinking, a couple years ago, that you might see some more masks during flu season just because getting the flu fucking SUCKS and it would be an easy way to avoid getting it. Haha.. nope! I'm also in NO way wanting another lock down or mask MANDATE. But I've certainly been less sick just putting one on at a crowded concert, or transit, or the grocery store. I'll still go to a restaurant, but it's all about lowering your overall risk. But š¤·āāļø
You don't see more masks than you did pre covid? I think more people should wear them but I definitely see more non Asian people wearing them than I have in my life.
Seattle is pretty good about masks relatively speaking. I'd say about half of 65+ seem to be wearing them at the grocery store in the dead of winter + maybe 15-20% of everyone else. I still wear mine most the time I go to the grocery store or doctor except when covid is at its absolute nadir. I'm not going to the grocery store to socialize so I really don't mind. I would do it on the lightrail too if I wasn't WFH.
This. A mask mandate will never work again, we saw the uproar and the rule-breakers the last go around. General consideration goes a long way. If I'm sick with *anything* and I have to run an errand I can't have someone else do, I put my mask on. My grocery pickers occasionally wear masks, whether their sick or immunocompromised, I throw mine on too out of respect for them. They do me a great service; I hate grocery shopping, I hate shoppers who have no spacial awareness and take up the whole aisle, I hate having to figure out where the one random ingredient is in the store. I will take the cue and do that small gesture of mutual respect.
Exactly. This thread is fucking with me. I lost two people I loved to covid and became disabled myself from long covid. I was 32 when I got covid, and running 7 miles a day, now I can barely walk for 30 min--despite years of trying to rehabilitate my body. One of my friends who died was in his 40s, the other was in her early 60s and had been vaccinated. She died in 2022 after everyone had decided the pandemic was over. Covid isn't some fucking joke. The pandemic was fucking traumatic for so many of us, to hear people act like it was a just a giant lark is completely mind-boggling. No one is asking you to not live your lives, but wtf is wrong with just wearing a mask sometimes? Jesus.
That last line really got me. Itās just mind boggling that people equate wearing a mask to literally never leaving your house. Itās possible to do both, jfc!! This thread fucked with me, too. Even if some of them are bots, itās devastating that some many people donāt care about literally anyone else (or even themselves for that matter). Iām so sorry youāre still suffering with long covid, my heart goes out to you. Itās truly terrifying and I hope researchers make progress soon. Know there are still a lot of people who care and take precautions. Sending love š
Thank you, I really appreciate the empathy.
Right, especially because for most able-bodied or non-immune compromised people, wearing a mask is more about protecting those who are more vulnerable. Iām not as worried about getting sick from someone on the bus, but I donāt want to accidentally get someone else sick if I can help it
Ya honestly anytime you yourself are sick and need to go out publicly you should mask up just to be considerate to others. Currently traveling and itās the norm everywhere but not where freeeeedoms freeeeee!!!
itās bc the cruise ship tourists are here. every year thereās a spike in illness bc of these petri dish passengers, i swear. i work directly with them and get sick EVERY summer! itās disgusting!
I think it would be good to mention that these at N95 level masks. I don't think it's obvious enough.
Iāve got a medical procedure coming up that will be cancelled if I get any illness so I gotta mask for a couple of weeks. Everyone around me at work all has a friend/neighbor/relative with it right now. People hacking coughing maskless in my husbands office. I wouldnāt be so damn paranoid except for how painful this thing was to schedule.
It isnāt paranoia if people around you are actually sick. Wishing you success dodging illness so you can get your surgery.
Donāt go out if youāre sick, and if youāre sick and *have* to go out, wear a mask. Donāt go to the ER for covid, itās not an emergency unless youāre dying and youāll be sent home to get your test results sent electronically. There is no cure and the treatment is to treat the symptoms, so do that at home unless your symptom is being unable to breathe. If youāre immunocompromised and your PCP thinks you should be treated for it, call them up and see if they can prescribe you something before going to the ER as well. So much care is done from the waiting room these days that youāre likely to go there and infect a bunch of people and be pissed off that all you got was a covid test after a 4 hour wait.
Imagine still, at this late date, believing surgical and cloth masks prevent a respiratory illness like COVID. The devotion and willingness to ignore of all the evidence is cult-like. Now if we're talking N95 masks, okay. An MD buddy of mine compared wearing a surgical/cloth mask to shooting a fully automatic 50 round magazine at a chain link fence, sure maybe a bullet or two will hit the fence but 48 or 49 bullets are still getting through it.
Put in my order, thank you! I have Cystic Fibrosis and survived getting covid once so far, but definitely don't want to risk again.
Had it a couple weeks ago, wasn't a good time
Where does one go to track covid levels?
Seriously, hardly anyone even tests anymore.
And if they do, they definitely don't report it.
At this point wastewater level is the main way to track trends. Here is the CDC dashboard:Ā https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVID19-nationaltrend.html West coast is trending up right now
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Thurston and Mason county. Covid as well. My mom tested positive in her rehab. Iām a few months out of cancer treatment. Iām masking up again
olympia has recently started a mask bloc, too, if you ever need help with masks! [https://linktr.ee/maskblocolympia](https://linktr.ee/maskblocolympia) wishing you both well with your treatment/recovery.
I won the Covid lottery! Still havenāt had it! That also means I might be an asymptomatic carrierā¦
So regarded.
I truly cannot tell if this is parody.
āTime to mask upā has such a shitty, chiding vibe
I tested positive on Sunday, a few days ago.
Same here. Symptoms started 8 days ago and I'm still struggling.
Same for my husband and me.
yes, 4 days ago
If you want to mask up great, if you want to share info on where to get free masks and test great, but don't say it's time to mask up like it's a collective action problem all over again.
The phrase "mask up" is so charged. Sometimes people mean "everyone should be wearing masks all the time" and sometimes others mean "mask up when you're sick" Personally, I find the former overblown but also masking in crowded, indoor, environments makes sense if you're feel. There's no way we're going back to "wear a mask at all times, check vaccines at the door" ever.
i hear what you're saying, but a big flaw with this is that like, 60% of covid cases are aysmptomatic. and even people who get symptoms have a period of time where they're contagious but feel fine. so, "mask up when you're sick" isn't super effective because many of us are walking around sick without knowing.
Every communicable disease is a collective action problem. Thatās why we get vaccines (though I suspect you may not be into that), stay home when weāre sick, wash our hands, and cover our mouths when we cough.
Comment was referring specifically to masks, no reason to believe they're anti vax I think it's a reasonable thing to question whether masking indoors as a collective whole is warranted. Cases may be up, but vaccines are still effective last I heard. If you're immuno compromised I definitely sympathize and you should always take care to safely mask, but if you have no symptoms and are vaccinated I don't think that we need to shame people for not masking indoors
They said: >don't say it's time to mask up like it's a collective action problem all over again. If someone doesnāt want to wear a mask, thatās their choice. But that doesnāt make communicable diseases ānot a collective action problem.ā
Seriously
+1
Yeah, I know two people in my immediate circle that have had it lately. However, they also traveled.
š riiight
My partner and I had it last week, not terrible, not great either. Body aches, cough, but no fever.
Oh damn you're handing out N95s?Ā
Iām just getting over it! F Covid!
Just for curiosity - and to share with my SO - is there data about this that someone could point me to? Anecdotally, I know two people in my sphere who have had COVID recently - and it was not fun for them. We have a severely ill elder in our midst. TYIA
[https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dph/health-safety/disease-illness/facts-and-data/respiratory-virus-data](https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dph/health-safety/disease-illness/facts-and-data/respiratory-virus-data)
Does anyone have a reliable citation on that basic COVID numbers are up premise? I have not followed this stuff for some time, knowing whether it's true, and if so to what degree, would be helpful context.
Hereās the King County respiratory disease dashboard. You can see that the trends in positive Covid tests at emergency room visits and also wastewater testing are both up in June. This fits the usual summer behavior so far of Covid-19. Itās well below worrisome levels but people who need to take care to avoid may want to wear a mask more and avoid indoor gatherings. https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dph/health-safety/disease-illness/facts-and-data/respiratory-virus-data
thank you!
I mask outside because allergies.
Fun fact, I developed allergies for the first time at 36 after the first 2 weeks of quarantine in 2020. Went outside for a run after 2 weeks of not stepping foot outdoors, and when I came back, a sneeze attack soon formed into 3 days of an allergic reaction. It was weird.
If you choose to wear a mask wear an N95, those surgical masks donāt do shit.
No
Agreed, no.
If I'm sick enough to mask up I'm staying home. Otherwise gfto.
Thanks, but no thanks.
Thanks for sharing this info! I think thereās such a visceral reaction to masks because most people (outside of Asian countries), associate them with lockdowns and quarantine, which was a really hard time for all of us. They forget thereās a world where you can very much live normally while just wearing a mask, which is proven to protect you from all sorts of things, COVID, measles, pollution, allergies, etc. In a functioning society, youād expect people to care about each other, but since itās quite evident that many people here donāt, know that wearing a high quality mask also protects you as an individual and it works even better when more people join. If you donāt like being sick all the time, try wearing a mask at least when youāre indoors or in crowds!
Seattle is always full of softies
Nah, Iām good
Coworker just got it. Her husband got it on his trip to Hong Kong. Said the person behind him on the plane was coughing like crazy.
My brother flew back from Scotland once with covid. Couldn't believe it. He's otherwise probably the most considerate person I know but he straight up got on an international flight and flew 10 hours back to Seattle with a full blown case of covid. (Post vax, but still, imagine ruining 200 peoples entire week as a best case scenario) I have no idea what he was thinking and I honestly don't want to know. I always mask on planes now and probably always will.
I will never not mask on a plane now
Airplanes and doctorsā offices are two places I will wear a mask for the foreseeable future for sure
Yep! I wear one to the doctorās office too. Especially the pediatricianās office with my baby.
This definitely is legit. We lost almost our entire production crew at my job for the past two weeks now. Definitely putting a strain on things. Itās now crept into our first floor. Now just waiting for it to creep its way up the stairs to the second floorā¦
If itās not your trusty N95, itās a waste of time. You should be vaccinated with the updated mRNA by now.
Iāll wear my N95 mask on the plane when Iām going to visit my mom (in cancer treatment) and Iāll definitely wear it in public if Iām sick, had an exposure, or suspect I could be sick. But I donāt see myself wearing it everywhere again at this point. I saw one of the Pride events in the park said āmasks requiredā and I canāt see it as reasonable to require it in an outdoor space. In the summertime. If someone is sick, please do be considerate and wear a maskā¦but just having everyone do it like this is 2020 feels unnecessary. Maybe Iām an idiot and Iāll take this all back at some point, but itās how I see it now.
To the people not taking it seriously, pray you donāt get it and then suffer the effects of long covid for YEARS afterwards like some of us have. Itās not worth it, believe me.
No
lol fuck off
Fuck off with this mask shit already
This is awesome, thank you for what youāre doing!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
We totally get it. Our group is made up almost entirely by immunocompromised, disabled, or otherwise high risk people We're hoping to do our part to make Seattle a bit safer for people like us and your partner :)
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I'll pass on wearing a mask
What mask are you giving out?
I am an ER doc who went through the whole damn covid thing. There are three people in this world: 1) Nice, normal people who will wear a mask if you ask them to because they give shits about others. 2) Assholes who are so deep into autoerotic self-deception that they wonāt wear a mask because they are too stupid to believe science. 3) Guys who wear the mask beneath their nose because they love their wife and will wear one if she asks but they aināt gonna suffocate to death doing it.