Let’s get a grip people #2 — Masks

I gotta be honest with you, the mask debate is growing old. While the diversity of opinions is broad, the actual data backing most assumptions is either flawed or non-existent. Let’s take a step back and get some perspective:

1. It will be years before we understand the true impact of mask wearing on transmission of COVID, kids, people and our society will be known. Scientific certainty is hard, takes lots of good data and time to analyze/research correctly. Any conclusions before that and sometimes even after, are just guesses.
2. The physics behind a mask support the assumption that wearing a mask helps protect those around you. The probability a mask actually protects the wearer is far lower. If both people are wearing a mask, the probability of transmission is the lowest. This is physics not statistics.
3. People have different levels of risk & stress tolerance. We all deal with stress and uncertainty differently. Some of us are ducks on the water (Calm up top, paddling like mad underneath), some of us are calm in the face of adversity, and some of us are anxious, mad, frustrated, etc. We are all different in this respect. This is the brain, an organ we don’t even begin to understand.
4. For some people, COVID is an ugly illness requiring advanced medical treatment including intensive care. I am sure there is some “gaming” of the system by hospitals to reap the financial rewards of COVID treatments, but for the sickest, I believe the hospitalization rates are fairly accurate. I am very skeptical the vast majority of doctors and nurses would keep a patient in ICU if they did not need it.
5. I don’t believe COVID is like the flu. While it appears the mortality rates for some age groups are similar or even lower then the flu, some appear to be far far higher. The COVID transmission rates appear far higher then the flu which means more people get sick at the same time leading to stress in our healthcare system. It doesn’t appear we have any real understanding of Long-COVID (COVID with symptoms lasting for weeks or months after the illness). Couldn’t tell you if that is real or not or how many people get it.

So if you agree with the above, you like me are skeptical of any data that say “masks are good”, “masks are bad”, or “masks are destroying society”. No one know enough to make that call and it will be a long time, if ever, that we truly understand the impact of masks.

Masks are very good at catching droplets of water (Provided you don’t have one of those masks with an exhaust valve, those are almost useless in my mind). Less droplets going into the air means a lower probability of the drops coming in contact with someone else. No contact, no transmission. My understanding is the size of the virus is smaller than what a mask can filter out. So if you are in an area of droplets, you can breathe the virus in through the mask. The mask stops some of the virus, but its not perfect. Surgical and dust masks do not have a perfect seal around your face, which provides an additional path for virus in and to a lessor extent, virus out.

Regardless of who you are, the COVID event has created some change in your life. Increase change typically manifests as increased stress which we all deal with differently. The unknown, more often then not, raises stress levels. This is overly simplistic but I believe directionally correct. People deal with stress in a whole bunch of different ways, some good, some bad. Telling someone who is in high stress not to be stressed is like telling my wife her feelings are wrong, it’s not going to end well. Doesn’t help them, doesn’t help you.

Our doctors, nurses, and healthcare system at times are stressed. Too many patients too fast for the system to effectively treat. In the worst case, our friends, family, neighbors, and others are not getting the best care available. Personally I want my family and friends to get the best possible care, I think we all would. And so when the system gets overloaded, what’s our personal responsibility? Should we help or hide our heads in the sand? Tell ourselves its not me and when we do get sick, scream with indignation about the poor care we receive.

COVID is not the flu! It’s a different illness and as such should be treated differently. COVID, even at it’s worst, is not the leading cause or even the second leading cause of death in the US. For kids, it’s not in the top 10 or probably even the top 20. My guess is the mortality rates for COVID are probably overstated in the US in most cases due to policy for compensating hospitals for treating COVID patients. Of course there is the stupidity in New York and counting COVID nursing home deaths which offsets undercounts.

For me, wearing a mask has never been about the data or because I though I was protecting myself or my immediate family. Wearing a mask has been about helping other people from a stressed out hypochondriac to our healthcare professionals and first responders. I am a religious individual and so helping other people is fundamental to my beliefs. Its never been about loss of freedom or political affiliation or religious beliefs.

To be clear, I don’t believe masks should be legislated on a federal or state level. I don’t believe it can be done effectively and I don't believe our federal and state governments should have that power. City, county or school mandates should be a last resort and for well defined limited periods of time if at all. But ultimately, mask should be a personal decision focused on a desire to help other people and our communities. Oh yea, let’s recognize there are some people who cannot or should not wear masks. This does NOT make them bad, mean, or selfish people. We don’t need to know why. We don’t need to judge!

I wear a mask selectively, if others are wearing a mask, I wear one. If no one is wearing, I may or may not depending on the venue (outdoors, indoors, whos attending, etc.) and the current availability of ICU beds locally. I always have a mask in my pocket and my children always have a mask in theirs. If you have some obscure reason for not wearing a mask get over your bad self and get a GRIP! It’s not about you and you know who you are.

Let’s quit making wearing masks something more then a simple decision to help other people. That’s enough of a reason and we should all be happy to help!