Mask. N95 or better. My wife and I never stopped, and she never gets sick despite being immunocompromised. I work in a place where illness is common due to the environment and I’ve been sick once in the last year, meanwhile all of my coworkers come in sick like twice a month. Apparently they’d rather be sick and miserable all the time than wear a mildly uncomfortable thing on their face.
While wearing a mask is never a bad idea, it is absolutely not necessary to not get sick. I am also immunocompromised and I have stopped wearing a mask. I wash my hands very often and never eat handheld food without washing first. Zero issues since getting covid back when I was wearing a mask religiously.
We’d rather not take risks. Plus, we’d like to not accidentally contribute to the spread of disease ourselves if we can help it.
I thought masks wouldn’t protect against a virus (being tiny) but might help slow the spread to others by stopping spittle/moisture filled with virus from covering real world objects.
How do they help you if no one else is wearing them?
Because the virus is transmitted via spittle/moisture from other people not wearing masks. The virus doesn’t just hang out in the air on its own; it’s suspended in aerosol particles.
This is somewhat misleading. Here’s a section from near the beginning of a scientific review I linked in my reply to @[email protected]:
To reduce spread of respiratory diseases, we need to understand the mechanisms of spread. There is strong and consistent evidence that respiratory pathogens including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza, tuberculosis, and other coronaviruses such as MERS and SARS-1, are transmitted predominantly via aerosols. Infected individuals, whether symptomatic or not, continuously shed particles containing pathogens, which remain viable for several hours and can travel long distances. [Emphasis mine.] SARS-CoV-2 is shed mainly from deep in the lungs, not the upper respiratory tract, and the viral load is higher in small aerosols (generated in the lower airways) than in larger droplets (generated in upper airways). Whereas large respiratory droplets emitted when people cough or sneeze fall quickly by force of gravity without much evaporation, those below 100 µm in diameter become (bio)aerosols. Even particles tens of microns in diameter at release will shrink almost immediately by evaporation to the point that under typical conditions they can remain airborne for many minutes. In contrast with droplet transmission, which is generally assumed to occur via a single ballistic hit, the risk of airborne transmission increases incrementally with the amount of time the lung lining is exposed to pathogen-laden air, in other words, with time spent indoors inhaling contaminated air.
Respiratory infections may theoretically also be transmitted by droplets, by direct contact, and possibly by fomites (objects that have been contaminated by droplets), but the dominant route is via respiratory aerosols. The multiple streams of evidence to support this claim for SARS-CoV-2 include the patterning of spread (mostly indoors and especially during mass indoor activities involving singing, shouting, or heavy breathing), direct isolation of viable virus from the air and in air ducts in ventilation systems, transmission between cages of animals connected by air ducts, the high rate of asymptomatic transmission (i.e., passing on the virus when not coughing or sneezing), and transmission in quarantine hotels when individuals in different rooms shared corridor air but did not meet or touch any common surface.
The sentence after the one you emphasized seems to be saying what I was: the virus is in aerosol particles or potentially droplets, which are what your mask protects you from.
Masks and respirators for prevention of respiratory infections: a state of the science review
I recommend giving this a read when you have the time, it should hopefully answer any questions you have and better than I can.
An assumed droplet and contact mode of transmission leads to prevention policies that center on handwashing and surface cleansing, maintaining 2-m physical distancing, wearing medical masks (whose waterproof backing is designed to stop droplets) within that 2-m distance (especially when attending an infected patient), using physical barriers (e.g., plastic screens) and providing health-care workers with higher-grade respiratory protection only when undertaking AGMPs. However, if the virus is transmitted significantly by the airborne route, different prevention policies are needed, oriented to controlling air quality in indoor spaces (e.g., ventilation and filtration), reducing indoor crowding and time spent indoors, wearing masks whenever indoors, careful attention to mask quality (to maximize filtration) and fit (to avoid air passing through gaps), taking particular care during indoor activities that generate aerosols (e.g., speaking, singing, coughing, and exercising), and providing respirator-grade facial protection to all staff who work directly with patients (not just those doing AGMPs)
This is why I specified N95 respirators in my first comment. If you are unfamiliar, N95 is a NIOSH air filtration rating, which is used to describe the ability of a respirator to protect the wearer from airborne solid and liquid particulates. The review I linked goes into more details on this as well. I recommended N95 or better specifically because Covid is the illness I’m most concerned with avoiding, and the evidence suggests that they provide meaningful protection over lower grade respirators or surgical masks. Another quote from the link above that stood out to me:
The certification of surgical masks for particle/bacterial filtering efficiency (P/BFE) does not reflect equivalence to respirators as the filtration is typically compromised by poor face seal. The ASTM F2100-21 P/BFE certification, for example, requires at least 95% filtration against 0.1-µm particles and at least 98% against aerosolized Staphylococcus aureus, but this is on a sample of the mask clamped in a fixture, not on a representative face. In terms of filtering aerosols, N95 respirators outperform surgical masks between 8- and 12-fold. The effectiveness of certified surgical mask material against transmission when used as a filter was demonstrated in a hamster SARS-CoV-2 model. Infected hamsters were separated from non-infected ones by a partition made of surgical mask material; when the partition was in place, transmission of SARS-CoV-2 was reduced by 75%.
In addition to protecting the wearer, respirators provide very effective source control by dramatically limiting the amount of respiratory aerosols emitted by infectious individuals. In one study, risk of infection was reduced approximately 74-fold when infected, and susceptible individuals both wore well-fitting FFP respirators compared to when both wore surgical masks.
As for one-way masking, well, it is unfortunately significantly less effective (from what I understand), and is a big part of why I’m so concerned by others not masking. I simply cannot avoid being around others all the time, and their lack of effort is directly endangering me and my wife. If it really all came down to personal choice, I wouldn’t care if people wanted to risk their health. Still, while I don’t have any studies or anything to link you at the moment specifically on the effectiveness of one-way masking, all I know is that I mask and don’t get sick, and they don’t mask and do get sick. It’s anecdotal, sure, and I’m certain the mask is not the only thing affecting this, but as far as I can see it’s the largest difference in our behavior. I’ve heard as well that wearing a respirator will reduce viral load should you be infected despite the filter, and so your sickness will be less severe, but I don’t have any evidence on hand for this.
I like having a face for expressions
Getting sick occasionally is good for your immune system if you do not have a condition like your wife.
The level of sick for which this is true is below the threshold of what we normally call “getting sick”. You’re always fighting off something. That’s what’s good for you. Not the getting overwhelmed and having to stay in bed amount.
Covid is a retrovirus. It destroys your immune system.
Key word being occasionally, and also not with a disease that causes serious health complications, cognitive decline, and that itself damages your immune system.
COVID linked to 65% of new onset cognitive impairment, dementia
Every COVID Infection Increases Your Risk of Long COVID, Study Warns
SARS-CoV-2 infection weakens immune-cell response to vaccination
Yes, Everyone Really Is Sick a Lot More Often After Covid
Cognitive performance of post-covid patients in mild, moderate, and severe clinical situations
Being outside is good for your immune system. Being near other people is unnecessary.
Don’t we need viruses to build resistance?
Exposure to one virus rarely leads to a resistance to another one. That’s why they have a new flu vaccine every year even though they’re all closely related. Cow pox immunizating against small pox was a fluke
It’s more about being exposed to everyday bacteria, pollen, and hot/cold cycling that gives your immune system exercise.
I was much more susceptible to sickness after wearing a mask for years on end during Covid.
Where did you live? I always wore a mask around other people, but I also live in a rural area, so I didn’t need to wear a mask for that many hours comparatively.
Also in a more rural area. After Covid was over I got pretty sick 4-5 times from just normal colds. What used to be a slight headache had me bedridden. This happened a few times but gradually improved.
Now years later my immune system is back up and running again.
Agreed. We have kept wearing masks in specific places (public transit, crowded events, airplanes) and it really does make a difference. I never get sick from airplane trips any more, which used to be a fairly regular occurrence.
I will say, I was never able to figure out how to stop a properly fitted mask from giving me a terrible headache after 8 hours of use so I’m glad I work from home and don’t need to make the choice of mask vs comfort at work.
Yes yes yes! I work facing the public and I interact with people from all over the world. Me wearing a mask just feels like a basic courtesy. I could potentially spread diseases around like mad.
I’m glad it’s more accepted now, but I have had a lot of people “looking out for my safety” to put it mildly. That’s what they say they’re doing. Really, they’re just confronting me and demand answers to personal questions as they “educate” me.
Do ypu have kids? No masks, also barely ever got sick. With kids I’m sick 5 or 6 times a year. Could be the same for your coworkers.
I do not have kids, and I don’t know about my all of my coworkers, but I know the overwhelming majority of them do not have kids either.
My sweet friend with two childs is CONSTANTLY sick. My partner and I mostly WFH and have no kids and have gotten sick twice since 2020.
Ok, but i have a question.
You want us to wear it all the time? Beacause i also use a mask when i use the metro or any other means of travel in which i share a communal space.
But being a social animal as we all r, wearing a mask all the time is a fast way to get ostracized.
I would like everyone to wear them until the pandemic is over, at least. After that we can reassess the situation, and preferably during flu season. To me it seems cruel to not mask for that seeing as it would greatly reduce the number of preventable flu deaths.
I think if all, or more realistically enough, of us were masking, that would eliminate the social stigma surrounding it. Personally, I don’t receive much pushback about my mask aside from the occasional staring anyways. What’s far more ostracizing to her, I, and several other people I know, is the fact that all of the social gatherings and hobbies we used to participate in are no longer accessible to us because not a single one is taking any acceptable precautions. In fact, I can think of exactly two social events I wanted to participate in this year that still “required” masks, and neither actually enforced the rule. This is sadly not a new problem for disabled people either. Many, if not most, are alienated from society and forced away from any participation in social activities due to a blatant disregard towards making those activities actually accessible to them. I cannot stress enough how painful this is for those people on the receiving end of this ableism. So, frankly, I have little sympathy for those who fear ostracism from choosing to wear a mask. If they really care about people being ostracized, they should do what they can to make their social circles safe for everyone, not just those without disabilities.
At the hospital I worked at there were no transmissions of COVID from known infected patients to providers wearing N95 masks (at least in the first 2 years, I didn’t keep up with it after that). So if you are wearing N95s you should feel quite confident that you are protecting yourselves without requiring behavior modifications from anyone else.
Keeping an insulated water bottle around to drink from. How do people go to sleep knowing they either have to get up to take a drink or settle for some lukewarm side table water from a glass or plastic bottle??? Not to mention the waste I see with people using disposable water bottles (which have the time and place of course, but at home ain’t it.)
Best side effect of the insulated bottles is not having to use a coaster because they don’t sweat.
To add: drink water throughout the day in general. Especially where tap water is safe to drink. You’re going to pass up the opportunity to improve your health and daily wellbeing, easily and for free? WHY?
Random side note. I actually prefer room temperature water. Sensitive teeth. And i try to keep my backpack as light, so it’s a one layer water bottle for me.
If I’m doing any kind of physical activity it has to be room temp or my stomach complains. But otherwise I like it a bit cold. And I agree on the weight thing, if I’m camping or otherwise away from convenience, I want a single walled, lighter container.
settle for some lukewarm side table water
Lmao
I never drink in the night. Why is that even a thing? Are you some sort of frog that needs to be kept wet?
I use a half gallon insulated metal water bottle/jug and it’s incredible. I love it so much, and I couldn’t go back to even a normal sized one. I drink easily a half gallon a day now. I’m about to upgrade to a 1 gallon, because the lid on my half gallon is difficult to open, and the 1 gallon has a much better lid. I know it seems ridiculous, but it made a carry bag for it with a strap to wear almost like a messenger bag. I can carry all my shit and get hydrated at the same time. So fantastic.
Also, buzio is the brand on Amazon (I know. God, I know, but we don’t have a lot of options where I live. If anyone knows a better one, I’d love to hear it). They’re great. Everyone in my family has one in different sizes
My family does Iron Flask but any insulated bottle will do. I also started on a small 20oz and upgraded to 40 and it’s still not enough haha.
Yeah, I started with 32, upgraded to 40, and then decided screw it and jumped to a half gallon. I keep the 40 around for when I make smoothies or something. It’s oversized, but it has a straw and keeps everything nice and cold
Having a IRA or 401k.
I’m 40 and the amount of people who kinda know what a IRA is is terrifying. Like, you’re gonna die in poverty.
Not smoke.
This one is sort of very specific and niche, but as a caregiver of someone with an ostomy, you can take a roll of this disposable plastic produce bags from the grocery store. Terrible for use as a produce bag because they’re plastic and disposable and whatnot, but for bag empties when you need to use something disposable no matter what? They’re invaluable.
Also doggy poop bags. Great for that. Just grab one of the small almost empty rolls, and tell the cashier “I’mma take these” and no one gives a shit
Huh, I’ve always just bought small trashbags, never crossed my mind to just grab the whole roll of those produce bags. Still might not, feels wrong to just take them. :)
Spit in your toilet paper I am not kidding, it will significantly improve your life.
Hell yeah! I do this everyday when I’m away from my bidet at home.
I hate shitting without my bidet so much
It is crazy that it took my 40 years to figure out this life changing information on my own.
Hmmm, sure…
You are welcome Obama
I’m… Gonna need further elaboration
Simple, next time you wipe, first wipe the excess, but no scrubbing. Then take another piece of twice folded to and put a blob of spit it in. Gently scrub your abus. Repeat as needed until tp comes out still leave. Not only will this get you way more cleaner more faster, you abus will suffer much less damage per event.
And here is further further elaboration
Is this advice real ? ChatGPT said:
Yes, the advice being shared is based on the concept of moistening toilet paper to improve cleanliness. Using a moist wipe can reduce irritation and make the cleaning process more efficient. Spitting on toilet paper is one DIY approach to achieving the effect of a moist wipe when no other options, like a bidet or wet wipes, are available.
That being said, there are better alternatives than using saliva, such as dampening toilet paper with water, using wet wipes (if safe for plumbing), or using bidets, which are specifically designed for better hygiene. Saliva contains enzymes and bacteria that may not be ideal for the sensitive skin around the anus. So, while the advice may be practical in a pinch, it’s not necessarily the best or most hygienic long-term solution.
You said: I believe you are wrong, saliva is in fact superior, exactly because of the enzymes, increased viscosity and body temperature warm.
ChatGPT said:
You’re correct that saliva has unique properties, such as enzymes (like amylase), increased viscosity, and being body-temperature warm, which can aid in certain situations. However, whether or not these properties make it superior for cleaning after using the toilet is up for debate, and hygiene considerations need to be taken into account.
Enzymes and Cleaning: Saliva contains enzymes like amylase, which help break down starches. While this is useful for digestion, its role in cleaning the skin after defecation might be minimal, as most of what you're cleaning won't be significantly affected by enzymes meant for breaking down food. Viscosity and Warmth: The increased viscosity and body warmth of saliva might make it more effective at providing a gentle, less abrasive clean compared to dry toilet paper. This could also be more comfortable and reduce irritation. Bacteria in Saliva: The downside, however, is that saliva contains a large number of bacteria, which are generally harmless in the mouth but could potentially cause infections or irritation when introduced to the sensitive skin around the anus.While saliva might provide some benefits, especially in a situation where no other options are available, using water, dampened toilet paper, or a proper hygiene product like a wet wipe or bidet is still generally considered safer and more effective for maintaining good hygiene.
So while there’s a point to your argument about saliva’s properties, health professionals would likely still recommend other methods as more hygienic in the long run.
My mom uses them for dog poop too
If you’re going to make simple syrup, use a stick blender.
Firstly, it’s easier and faster than heating the sugar and water in a pot, which is the most popular method.
Secondly, you don’t lose any significant amount of water to evaporation. That’s not a big deal if you make 1:1 simple syrup, but if you’re going 2:1 (which I prefer), you’re already very close to the maximum solubility of sugar in water at room temperature. Losing a few grams of water can make it supersaturated, which leads to sugar crystals falling out of solution over time. Not a big deal, but a little annoying.
If you give it a try, bear in mind that you’re going to get a cloudy syrup at first. That’s totally normal, and it’s not undissolved sugar, it’s just air bubbles. They’ll float out over time.
Someone just suggested to me that I should be putting my chocolate bars in the freezer first. I’ve never heard of this, but apparently it’s a thing that I’ve been missing out on for a while.
So I guess I’m the one who can’t believe that I don’t do it.
Using curbside pickup at Chick-fil-A. The line is a mile long, people. I’m in and out in 45 seconds.
Eat your burget upside down.
Wash dishes while you cook. It was a game-changer for me.
When eating chicken wing flats, if you pry the bones apart you can slip them out and you’re left with a single piece of meat you can eat whole. You don’t have leftover bits in the middle of the two bones.
Also, keep nitrile gloves in your glove box or purse and use them when eating messy things like wings and ribs and cake.
To add to that, use those nitrile gloves when you cook. It’s a game changer for food prep, especially when working with raw meat
And for hot peppers.
- Continuing study after school. Whether its science, political theory, or anything, a lot of people stop reading or studying anything after college / school.
- Doing something creative as an outlet (music, art, knitting, anything). A lot of people are just consumption machines nowadays, mostly consuming things other people have made, rather than creating something.
- Physical exercise.
- Having explicit long-term goals and working towards them.
When working two jobs in third world country. Time is luxury to sleep and rest the body and mind. There is no time for the rest of it.
As someone with both ASD and ADHD, I’m practically allergic to not learning. Blows my mind that most people aren’t the same in some regard.
What do these diagnoses have to do with learning? In my experience, these conditions can manifest in many different ways for people.
For the most part, you can over generalise by saying it causes me to obsess/hyper focus on these topics.
I have ADHD with ASD tendencies, despite not being autistic (long story). People like us are more frequently the types who find something new to be interesting, then dive in and learn EVERYTHING about it. For example, I recently bought a new car and spent days near obsessively learning about it. How it works (first electric car), how to model current vs acceleration, how to tear it down and rebuild it, etc. I’m now in the process of compiling a FAQ for my wife, who doesn’t share my obsessive tendencies and can’t retain my frequent “hey sweetie, this is interesting!” data dumps, and setting up monitoring and automations for it on our home lab.
I used to think this was what everyone did. Turns out it’s not normal.
Same. I don’t own any subscriptions except for YouTube premium. There is an endless amount of educational content on there and it’s the only content I really watch.
Yeah, I also have premium. I’m a mathematician and it’s always great getting suggested all the new channels posting interesting videos.
As a programmer, same. Endless content on every programming concept, language, or niche that you can think of. Math videos often as well. Numberphile is one of my favorite math channels. They have a computer channel too.
Having time for all that would be nice.
Yeah this screams privilege lol
I would agree, except for the continue studying. Everyone has at least 20 minutes of downtime that they could put towards learning a new concept every day
Careful, you’re going to get priviledge checked by the g*mer who thinks reading books and exercise is something only rich ppl have time to do.
everyone has at least 20 minutes […] every day.
No.
A lot of people do, but a lot of people don’t.
They may have months without any time surplus. And then maybe some months where they do have a significant time surplus.
But never assume everyone has the same time to dedicate to things.
My mom is currently working 50h weeks and I’m sure that’s on the lower end for some people. I’d prefer her to focus on not getting burnout so she is able to survive a bit longer, and that means she physically can’t.
No.
Yes.
Everyone has the time, not everyone has the priorities (this isn’t a dig, it’s a reference to some inspirational speech I heard in high school). 50 hour work week and 56 hours of sleep leaves 62 hours in the week. Probably another 12 hours split across 7 days for cooking, eating, etc. which leaves 50 hours to recover, study, exercise, or do whatever she pleases.
She values using those 50 hours to recover from the 50 working hours more than learning a new concept. That’s not invalid or wrong in any way, everyone has their priorities and values and they’re allowed to do whatever they want with their time.
That being said, everyone has the time they just might not have the mental space. But increasing your human capital by learning something new is often a great way of reducing stress. Learn to handle something in a new way, learn a little about financial theory, learn something that helps you at work. The best weapon you have against the injustice of daily life is knowledge. If you have the mental space, find the time to learn something
ETA: Coming from the perspective of a full time student who spends 6+ hours daily searching for a job because I’ve been down on my luck since quitting a year ago. I grew up poor and watched my mom work full time, put herself through school, raise three kids, and continues to fight every day for the right to live; I know the struggle you’re going through right now. Spend your time better than I did.
You didn’t mention: caring for elderly parents, getting out of an abusive relationship, working two jobs, having a disabled kid, having a chronic illness, being in a legal fight with a neighbour, the list goes on. How many hours a week does one of those take? What if you have two?
Sure, but if you’re working 50 hours a week (assuming US, I dunno laws elsewhere) you’re guaranteed 2.5 hours of mealtime per week that could be spent watching an informational video or reading an article.
I’m not saying “go back to school or you’re wasting your time” I’m saying “you have a few minutes where you could be reading a new idea instead of sitting on social media”
Nah, real “people who can’t afford [blank] are just lazy” energy here. You have no idea what others have to do in their day to day lives. To some, working 50 hours a week would be a luxury, let alone time to go to school.
You’re injecting malice into my words. The point was “if you have the mental space for it, you should spend your time learning because it helps reduce stress by being both cathartic and relieving issues in your life”
None of those things needs a big time requirement. You could work out for 5 minute a day if you want, study for 5 minutes, and do something creative for 5 minutes.
Most people don’t prioritize vitally important things like self study.
I agree, but putting the time to make space and pull out study material has to have the value of learning enough. I do actually study regularly, but we can’t pretend it doesn’t require significant energy and dedication to produce a result.
When you’re studying for a class you need to study hours to hit those deadlines. In adult life you can do 5 minutes a week if you want.
Vote early. Almost every single area in the US has early voting at least 2 weeks before elections. People complain about long lines and lack of ballots on election day. You know what you get if you stumble into a polling place before that? A couple of bored poll workers in an otherwise empty building. You get your ballot, fill it out, and leave within 5 minutes. I seriously don’t understand why this isn’t used more.
There’s been a misinformation campaign for years that early/mail votes “don’t count” or get thrown away, so people wait until “real” election day to make sure things are “handled properly”…
There’s also been a Republican campaign for years to actually try and make those votes not count.
People like to procrastinate
Or they don’t know it exists… my state just started this year and I had no idea until this comment caused me to check.
I straight up thought early voting was universal. Specifically in the US. Sure, states might have different allotted times for how early you can vote, but I for sure thought that all of the US States had it. This is wild to me.
Open a banana from the seed end and not the bunch end. It’s much easier.
Knock your knuckles against your car door to zap static electricity on something less sensitive.
