Opinion: The government should push N95 masks

[webfact]

 

By Ken Lohatepanont

 

For a while, earlier in the pandemic, face masks became fashion statements. Search for “fashion masks” on the online shopping platform Shopee and you are inundated with choice. Competing with surgical masks to adorn the faces of the masses, it did not matter much in a relatively Covid-free Thailand in 2020 which mask one chose — despite almost universal compliance with mask wearing, the risk of infection was low enough that it simply became an exercise in box-checking.

 

All of that is different now, of course, with the Omicron variant circulating freely in Thailand.

 

At this point, it is understandable that most are fatigued with reading about Covid. A year since the first case of Covid was discovered in Thailand, many are eager to get on with our lives. The government has set criteria for when it will declare Covid-19 an endemic disease. There is very little appetite for wide-ranging social restrictions. We have essentially arrived at the new normal: living with Covid-19. 

 

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Full story: https://www.thaienquirer.com/37067/opinion-the-government-should-push-n95-masks/

 

-- © Copyright Thai Enquirer 2022-01-31

 

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[Virt]

16 minutes ago, webfact said:

We have essentially arrived at the new normal: living with Covid-19. 

Different solutions in different countries.

Last day of restrictions here in Denmark.

 

Back to normal tomorrow and that's what living with covid really means, when it's not a critical threat to society anymore.

 

The only thing that are not normal it's that we probably will need to get a yearly shot, or maybe just the elderly and weak.

I can accept a shot once a year if it means all restrictions are dropped all year.

 

But for now I'm happy to live in a place where all restrictions are removed.

 

I will probably keep my mask on while shopping and in crowded public transport until our numbers drop some more, since we still have extremely high numbers of positive per day and i expect number to rise even more after restrictions are removed.

 

No reason to deliberately try and get covid, but the important thing is that I'm not forced to wear a mask, but i can wear it if i feel like it.

Huge difference....

 

It will be interesting to see if it backfires to remove all restrictions, but i don't think so.  

I think we might have a month or so where the work force will be affected by lack of staffs, but i don't think ICUs will be overburdened.

 

Time will tell ????

[khunjeff]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

A year since the first case of Covid was discovered in Thailand, many are eager to get on with our lives.

I'm pretty sure it's been two years, but at this point time is just a blur.

[Capella]

N95 masks of course offer more protection against nasties like Covid and also PM2.5, but they're too expensive for your average Thai. Who would pay for them?

[daveAustin]

Bigging up mask restrictions might be your opinion, Ken, but it isn’t mine. ‘Standard’ masks fine indoors, but should be voluntary outdoors. It creates more anxiety than the virus is worth. Also, it has likely been in Thailand since 2019/early 2020 given the proximity to Wuhan; don’t know where your one year has come from, though we all know Thailand wasn’t really up to actively testing for it. 

[Jimbo2014]

 How about we start to revert to no masks once vaccination levels are high enough?  I agree that constant restrictions, closed venues and blocking travel are a disaster.  Omicron has a very very low mortality rate and a low hospitalisation rate.  Agreed a rapid spread will cause a spike in deaths, but by comparison, thailand has approximately 30,000 deaths from pollution annually, 25,000 from Road accidents,  80,000 deaths from diabetes, and only 11,000 from Covid (and Omicron will be far fewer).  I dont see anyone stopping traffic, banning crop burning, checking factories or sugar levels in drinks .  Why are we being so sensitive about covid???? 

Edited January 31, 2022 by Jimbo2014

[Chris.B]

I am surprised mankind didn't suffer pandemics earlier in the late 20th and early 21st centuries prior to Covid. Over population, high living densities in cities and cheap international travel meant we were due for pandemics anyway.

 

I think face masks will become the natural order of things such as shown in parts of the Far East Asia prior to Covid. This won't be the last pandemic, just a matter of time before some other sickness comes along. 

 

 

[StayinThailand2much]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

A year since the first case of Covid was discovered in Thailand, many are eager to get on with our

So, this article is from 2021?

[Metapod]

masks do nothing and mandates are fascism.

[Burma Bill]

should push N95 masks

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[KannikaP]

3 hours ago, Jimbo2014 said:

How about we start to revert to no masks once vaccination levels are high enough? 

Let's repeat this again. Masks are to stop YOU giving Covid to others via your virus laden spittle whilst talking, singing etc. 

Vaccines are to stop you having bad symptoms/reaction to the virus once you have caught it off a maskless person. A vaxed up person can still catch and pass on Covid.

Edited January 31, 2022 by KannikaP

[jacko45k]

3 hours ago, Jimbo2014 said:

Omicron has a very very low mortality rate and a low hospitalisation rate.

And an extremely high infection rate... which bumps the other true numbers up too!

[Jimbo2014]

33 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Let's repeat this again. Masks are to stop YOU giving Covid to others via your virus laden spittle whilst talking, singing etc. 

Vaccines are to stop you having bad symptoms/reaction to the virus once you have caught it off a maskless person. A vaxed up person can still catch and pass on Covid.

Something else worth repeating.  Thailand has approximately 30,000 deaths from pollution annually, 25,000 from Road accidents,  80,000 deaths from diabetes, and only 11,000 from Covid (and Omicron will be far fewer).  Thats 0.016% of the population, many of whom may well have died that week from the course of underlying diseases but were classified as Covid deaths.  Do we really have to choke a whales blowhole for this? 

[jacko45k]

2 minutes ago, Jimbo2014 said:

Something else worth repeating.  Thailand has approximately 30,000 deaths from pollution annually, 25,000 from Road accidents,  80,000 deaths from diabetes, and only 11,000 from Covid (and Omicron will be far fewer).  Thats 0.016% of the population, many of whom may well have died that week from the course of underlying diseases but were classified as Covid deaths. 

Except those that were classified as diabetes deaths eh!!!

[Chris.B]

2 hours ago, Burma Bill said:

should push N95 masks

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Second-hand?? ????

[MrJ2U]

8 hours ago, Capella said:

N95 masks of course offer more protection against nasties like Covid and also PM2.5, but they're too expensive for your average Thai. Who would pay for them?

Way to expensive for the average Thai let alone hospital staff.  Rarely seen staff wearing them in hospitals.

 

And when the weather gets hot it's freaking uncomfortable despite the extra safety.  

 

After 15 minutes its soaking wet with sweat.

 

A lot of the usual price gouging going on.

[bangon04]

I wonder who might have a major financial stake in the import/sale/distribution of N95 masks inside Thailand?

[Kwaibill]

Been rereading some of the litearature re: masking. The key is that even cloth masks reduce the innoculum (amount of viral particles inhaled) and, per the outcome numbers, reduce the severity of disease by as much as 92%. That is a huge differential.

Granted, these are observational and animal studies; for some reason you can't do control group studies with people..." Here, we'l.l expose y'all to Covid and see how many masked vs unmasked die."

Some such data is now available from real world observation, just no way to ethically configure a controlled trial with people. Hamsters supplied with filtered air got less sick and died much less often.

Areas more compliant with mask usage had better epidemiological profiles than "I don't wanna!" countries. Thailand was, with Vietnam, Singapore, et alia, mentioned as one of the less severely affected regions regarding mortality and hospitalzation vs case load.

Pays yer money and take yer chances.

 

[Letseng]

9 hours ago, daveAustin said:

Bigging up mask restrictions might be your opinion, Ken, but it isn’t mine. ‘Standard’ masks fine indoors, but should be voluntary outdoors. It creates more anxiety than the virus is worth. Also, it has likely been in Thailand since 2019/early 2020 given the proximity to Wuhan; don’t know where your one year has come from, though we all know Thailand wasn’t really up to actively testing for it. 

Why does a mask create anxiety? Anxiety over what?

 

[Letseng]

3 minutes ago, Kwaibill said:

Been rereading some of the litearature re: masking. The key is that even cloth masks reduce the innoculum (amount of viral particles inhaled) and, per the outcome numbers, reduce the severity of disease by as much as 92%. That is a huge differential.

Granted, these are observational and animal studies; for some reason you can't do control group studies with people..." Here, we'l.l expose y'all to Covid and see how many masked vs unmasked die."

Some such data is now available from real world observation, just no way to ethically configure a controlled trial with people. Hamsters supplied with filtered air got less sick and died much less often.

Areas more compliant with mask usage had better epidemiological profiles than "I don't wanna!" countries. Thailand was, with Vietnam, Singapore, et alia, mentioned as one of the less severely affected regions regarding mortality and hospitalzation vs case load.

Pays yer money and take yer chances.

 

Cloth masks are ok if washed daily. They shld also be more than one layer & layers shld be of diff. materials. Singapore has some good articles about it.

 

[Letseng]

12 minutes ago, bangon04 said:

I wonder who might have a major financial stake in the import/sale/distribution of N95 masks inside Thailand?

No need to import, they can produce those. Many available, locally produced masks have the standard but no grading as such.

[Enoon]

5 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Let's repeat this again. Masks are to stop YOU giving Covid to others via your virus laden spittle whilst talking, singing etc. 

Vaccines are to stop you having bad symptoms/reaction to the virus once you have caught it off a maskless person. A vaxed up person can still catch and pass on Covid.

I guess that's why he said "once vaccination levels are high enough".

 

Because when they are the chances of many vaccinated (but infected) people becoming debilitatingly/life threateningly ill are greatly reduced...........so we don't have to go around worrying about infecting them.

 

The virus is not going away..........the vaccine enables us not to worry about having it, or passing it on to anyone else.....WHO IS VACCINATED.

 

GEDDIT?

 

 

Edited January 31, 2022 by Enoon

[TooMuchTime]

I thought flimsy cloth masks worked all along?  Everyone here was adamant about masking up with cloth masks and paper surgical masks.

 

I guess omicron is much smaller than other variants and can get past the pores.

[KannikaP]

9 hours ago, Enoon said:

I guess that's why he said "once vaccination levels are high enough".

 

Because when they are the chances of many vaccinated (but infected) people becoming debilitatingly/life threateningly ill are greatly reduced...........so we don't have to go around worrying about infecting them.

 

The virus is not going away..........the vaccine enables us not to worry about having it, or passing it on to anyone else.....WHO IS VACCINATED.

 

GEDDIT?

 

 

You are completely wrong. If someone who is vaccinated passes it onto an unvaxed person, they can then pass it on. For you to say that we (vaxed) do not have to worry about passing it on to another vaxed person beacause they are already ill will never solve the problem. They will have it and pass it on & on & on.

Masks, social distancing and cleanliness, as it was at the start of the pandemic are the best ways to stop passing it on.

What does the word in BOLD mean please?

Edited January 31, 2022 by KannikaP

[jacko45k]

41 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

What does the word in BOLD mean please?

It is a rude way of saying 'Do you get it', or 'do you understand'. Using capitals and bold suggests shouting at you. 

[KannikaP]

41 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

It is a rude way of saying 'Do you get it', or 'do you understand'. Using capitals and bold suggests shouting at you. 

Thanks. I wanted Enoon to answer but he can't be BOVVERED, INNIT!   LOL 

Edited February 1, 2022 by KannikaP

[KannikaP]

11 hours ago, Kwaibill said:

reduce the severity of disease by as much as 92%. That is a huge differential.

How can wearing a mask reduce the severity of Covid. Once you've got it, it's up to your vaccine to reduce that.

[Kwaibill]

11 hours ago, KannikaP said:

How can wearing a mask reduce the severity of Covid. Once you've got it, it's up to your vaccine to reduce that.

You either did not read the entire post or are unable to understand it.

Any covering over mouth and nose reduces the amount of viral particles entering the body via the respiratory system. Reduced inoculum (viral load) has now  been shown to result in less severe outcomes. No absolute proof yet, but if has been observed that masked populations have fewer severe outcomes.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/masking-science-sars-cov2.html

[KannikaP]

9 minutes ago, Kwaibill said:

You either did not read the entire post or are unable to understand it.

Any covering over mouth and nose reduces the amount of viral particles entering the body via the respiratory system. Reduced inoculum (viral load) has now  been shown to result in less severe outcomes. No absolute proof yet, but if has been observed that masked populations have fewer severe outcomes.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/masking-science-sars-cov2.html

No need for the 'unable to understand it'. Yes I do realise that a mask CAN reduce the amount of virus breathed in, but does that not decrease if you are more than 2 metres away from an infected, non-mask wearing idiot? That is the whole idea of 'social distancing'

Edited February 1, 2022 by KannikaP

[Kwaibill]

3 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

No need for the 'unable to understand it'. Yes I do realise that a mask CAN reduce the amount of virus breathed in, but does that not decrease if you are more than 2 metres away from an infected, non-mask wearing idiot? That is the whole idea of 'social distancing'

Sorry, no dissing intended.  "Unable to understand" would more likely be a result of my communication (lack of) skill.

Social distancing is an important factor in reducing transmissability of Sars CoV ll, but the "non-mask wearing idiot" is unlikely to honor that stricture either.