Is covid a hoax

[dinsdale]

Covid isn't a hoax. It's real. It was made with gain of function in the Wuhan lab. mRNA vaccine injury is not a conspiracy theory. It's well documented.

[dinsdale]

1 hour ago, fredwiggy said:

Whether it's the norm or not, wearing masks in Thailand, especially during the burning times, is a smart idea.

The masks you see people wearing, i.e. disposable medical masks, do absolutely nothing in protecting from PM 2.5. Same as "protection" from covid.

[Hummin]

2 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

The masks you see people wearing, i.e. disposable medical masks, do absolutely nothing in protecting from PM 2.5. Same as "protection" from covid.

People are people, they feel better by using the masks.

 

Been going with grab a dusin times the last week, and as quick they see I'm foreigner, they put their masks on. 

 

Not the one we had yesterday afternoon, he just continued to pick his nose

[fredwiggy]

6 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

The masks you see people wearing, i.e. disposable medical masks, do absolutely nothing in protecting from PM 2.5. Same as "protection" from covid.

They do give some protection from large particles and other airborne droplets............https://www.pacificprime.co.th/blog/n95-vs-surgical-masks-what-to-wear-when-air-pollution-is-bad/....................https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/surgical-masks-surprisingly-effective-pm2-5/?srsltid=AfmBOopwsi_cVY9jyBwY0dzAWOmEnnSgYuCXkzR-bifo7aT4gc7pSZpc

[dinsdale]

Just now, fredwiggy said:

They do give some protection from large particles and other airborne droplets............https://www.pacificprime.co.th/blog/n95-vs-surgical-masks-what-to-wear-when-air-pollution-is-bad/

You do know what 2.5 means in PM 2.5 means and that airborne covid particles are aerosolided don't you? 

[fredwiggy]

2 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

You do know what 2.5 means in PM 2.5 means and that airborne covid particles are aerosolided don't you? 

If you read the links you'll understand a bit more. I didn't say they stopped all particles but are protection from some.

[simon43]

2 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

They do give some protection from large particles and other airborne droplets............https://www.pacificprime.co.th/blog/n95-vs-surgical-masks-what-to-wear-when-air-pollution-is-bad/....................https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/surgical-masks-surprisingly-effective-pm2-5/?srsltid=AfmBOopwsi_cVY9jyBwY0dzAWOmEnnSgYuCXkzR-bifo7aT4gc7pSZpc

In order for a mask to be 'fit for purpose', such as protecting from smoke particles or from smaller micro-organisms or viruses, one does need to choose very carefully from the types of masks that are available.  I'm 99% sure that most people who wear a mask to protect themselves from pollutants or pathogens, or to protect others from pathogens coughed/breathed out by themselves, have no clue what kind of mask to buy. 

 

I wouldn't expect the average IQ person to know about these things, and therefore it's up to the shop or manufacturer to ensure that masks on sale are correctly and clearly labelled for their intended purpose.

[Hamus Yaigh]

On 5/19/2025 at 10:25 PM, MaskLover2025 said:

Masks are for cowards and the mentally ill. I was fine with masks for a couple of years, but anyone who wears one now is a complete coward. Simple as that. 

What I get from this post is that the messenger is simple as that.

[fredwiggy]

4 minutes ago, simon43 said:

In order for a mask to be 'fit for purpose', such as protecting from smoke particles or from smaller micro-organisms or viruses, one does need to choose very carefully from the types of masks that are available.  I'm 99% sure that most people who wear a mask to protect themselves from pollutants or pathogens, or to protect others from pathogens coughed/breathed out by themselves, have no clue what kind of mask to buy. 

 

I wouldn't expect the average IQ person to know about these things, and therefore it's up to the shop or manufacturer to ensure that masks on sale are correctly and clearly labelled for their intended purpose.

Yes, there are masks that are much better suited for breathing in air in Thailand, but they aren't "fun" to wear, which is why most just choose the surgical masks, which aren't as effective as the better ones. Any mask is better than none. If anything, to stop the wearer from sneezing or coughing on others close to them.

[tomazbodner]

On 5/19/2025 at 5:19 PM, hotsun said:

Can only go off of my own experience, which is that nobody i know got covid. Ive gotten severe flus since then but never cared enough to get tested for it

Not to be pedantic, but...

 

If you know yourself, then you cannot be sure that nobody you know got COVID, since you never cared enough to get tested for it, when you had flu-like symptoms, so you might have had it, but due to lack of testing didn't get it confirmed.

 

I did have it, though. And a couple of tests confirmed it. That was one of the earlier Omicron variants. And here's my experience with it...

 

Several times before I had a relatively nasty flu. Tested - negative each time.

This one time, I had a bit of headache, lack of energy like if I didn't sleep well the night before, basically just like a mild cold... I was going to see someone at the airport, and just to show I don't have it, I took the test - 2 lines. Can't be. Tried a few more tests. All positive. Dang! OK, I have heard that vitamin C and Zinc apparently helped treating it... maybe symptoms were yet to come so I wanted them to be milder... had it fridge, started taking it... 3 days later, all tests turn negative. Symptoms? Basically none.

 

My partner's experience: Had a sore throat. Tonsillitis, she thought. Went to hospital but she was asked to take COVID test in a tent in front of building first - positive. Talked to doctor on the video call, gave her a bunch of symptom treating medications, specifically stating that antibiotics don't work for virus, so she could only have that herbal stuff Thailand promoted, some paracetamols, NAClong, etc. Symptoms getting worse by the minute. Got get Amoksiklav. 2 days after starting to take it, all symptoms were gone, despite still having 2 lines on the test. A few days later, the lines disappeared as well. So it's pretty obvious that her symptoms were from something bacteria-related and had little or nothing to do with COVID.

 

So yes, that raised a lot of questions on what we were really having and what we were really treating. I'll leave it at that, though.

[impulse]

1 hour ago, fredwiggy said:

If anything, to stop the wearer from sneezing or coughing on others close to them.

 

Here's the experiment I suggest:  Hack up a big lugey and spit it as far as you can.  Then try it with a mask.

 

I'm not anti-mask.  I keep one with me for bad air days, especially around pollen and construction and agriculture.  I just draw the line at others mandating my behavior, and I don't try to mandate others.

 

[fredwiggy]

5 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

Here's the experiment I suggest:  Hack up a big lugey and spit it as far as you can.  Then try it with a mask.

 

I'm not anti-mask.  I keep one with me for bad air days, especially around pollen and construction and agriculture.  I just draw the line at others mandating my behavior, and I don't try to mandate others.

 

That's what I was trying to implicate. To each their own. People wearing masks aren't cowards or mentally ill but cautious. They might not be as effective as they think, but having peace of mind is always a good thing.

[madone]

16 hours ago, impulse said:

 

But in the past, we were allowed to discuss vaccine side effects without getting deleted and/or canceled and/or even fired (as happened to some doctors).

 

who is deleting and cancelling you today? 

seems they missed a post,

[madone]

6 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

That's what I was trying to implicate

 

because why just simply imply when you can use more letters?

[impulse]

5 minutes ago, madone said:

who is deleting and cancelling you today? 

seems they missed a post,

 

2 years ago, my post would have been deleted.

 

Edit:  In fact, a lot of them were.  It was okay if I just mentioned my vaccine injury, but I got deleted every time I mentioned that mine wasn't the only one.

 

[fredwiggy]

Just now, madone said:

 

because why just simply imply when you can use more letters?

Can't stay away can you? I did use more letters if you would read the reply.

[madone]

2 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

2 years ago, my post would have been deleted.

 

Yet here we are, still discussing it.

[impulse]

3 minutes ago, madone said:

Yet here we are, still discussing it.

 

If we ignore the past, they'll try it on again next time.

 

[Airalee]

3 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

Whether it's the norm or not, wearing masks in Thailand, especially during the burning times, is a smart idea. People get lung disease from the smoke, and any protection while outdoors is self protection. The same for any nation where air pollution is a problem, like this study shows............https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_air_pollution.

But we’re not talking about pollution and the merits of wearing a mask.  There is no need to deflect and join ranks with the rest of the misinformation peddlers.  You’re better than that.

 

We are talking about the multitudes of posters that come on the forum with false claims (as they have been doing so for ages), stating that the amount of Thais who wore masks before Covid is the same as now and that is patently false.  Numerous photos from before Covid have been posted when these claims come up but the same worn out tropes are trotted out over and over.

[Lacessit]

On 5/19/2025 at 10:25 PM, MaskLover2025 said:

Masks are for cowards and the mentally ill. I was fine with masks for a couple of years, but anyone who wears one now is a complete coward. Simple as that. 

The data says a person infected with COVID is 70% less likely to infect others if they are wearing a mask, and uninfected people are 30% less likely to become infected.

 

You are free to call people who wear masks complete cowards, just as I am free to call people who reject masks as a public health measure utter morons.

[Lacessit]

2 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

If you read the links you'll understand a bit more. I didn't say they stopped all particles but are protection from some.

People without a scientific background don't understand a COVID virus is only 120 nanometers in diameter, and impossible to project any distance. It has to be attached to a larger particle of sputum or snot to get anywhere. Masks filter out most of said larger particles.

 

It's like saying one can hit a pea as far as they can hit a golf ball.

[impulse]

1 hour ago, Airalee said:

But we’re not talking about pollution and the merits of wearing a mask.  There is no need to deflect and join ranks with the rest of the misinformation peddlers.  You’re better than that.

 

We are talking about the multitudes of posters that come on the forum with false claims (as they have been doing so for ages), stating that the amount of Thais who wore masks before Covid is the same as now and that is patently false.  Numerous photos from before Covid have been posted when these claims come up but the same worn out tropes are trotted out over and over.

 

I think it's more nuanced than that.  Taking myself as an example, before Covid, I never wore a mask.  I didn't even know where to buy one.  While being muzzled for about a year by law, I realized that they were beneficial in circumstances like dusty wind, cottonwood season, sucking diesel fumes, etc.  They were a PITA at most times and I was very happy when they rescinded the mandates.

 

Today, I have absolutely zero fear of Covid or flu or the creeping crud.  But I still wear a mask occasionally.  Partly because they've become ubiquitous.  If there's dust in the air, I pull one out.  If over half the people around me are wearing masks, I pull one out.  When I walk into a hospital (several times a month), I pull one out.  And it's not out of fear. 

 

[MaskLover2025]

2 hours ago, Lacessit said:

The data says a person infected with COVID is 70% less likely to infect others if they are wearing a mask, and uninfected people are 30% less likely to become infected.

 

You are free to call people who wear masks complete cowards, just as I am free to call people who reject masks as a public health measure utter morons.

I don't reject them as a public health measure, I reject them because saddos use them to feign a delusional sense of moral superiority. I also reject them because they create a miserable environment, make communication difficult and fail a basic laws of diminishing returns test. If I felt wearing one was still worthwhile then I would, but they are not. The risk of covid is now so minute that wearing one constantly, even while alone, is total overkill and disproportionate to the severity of the situation. It's a very simple argument that most people around the world understand, but in Thailand, locals and some expats seem incapable of looking at anything beyond the lens of rigid public health guidelines. Based on the logic of mask zealots, we should wear masks for the rest of our lives - that is quite clearly insane and a truly miserable way to spend your already limited time on this planet. 

[MaskLover2025]

56 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

I think it's more nuanced than that.  Taking myself as an example, before Covid, I never wore a mask.  I didn't even know where to buy one.  While being muzzled for about a year by law, I realized that they were beneficial in circumstances like dusty wind, cottonwood season, sucking diesel fumes, etc.  They were a PITA at most times and I was very happy when they rescinded the mandates.

 

Today, I have absolutely zero fear of Covid or flu or the creeping crud.  But I still wear a mask occasionally.  Partly because they've become ubiquitous.  If there's dust in the air, I pull one out.  If over half the people around me are wearing masks, I pull one out.  When I walk into a hospital (several times a month), I pull one out.  And it's not out of fear. 

 

If you're wearing one because over half the people around you are, then no it's not out of fear - it's just pure cowardice underscored by a crippling inability to think independently of group norms, even when the group is beset by herd-like thinking. You can still be compassionate and think for yourself, the two are not mutually exclusive.

[cdemundo]

On 5/19/2025 at 10:25 PM, MaskLover2025 said:

Masks are for cowards and the mentally ill. I was fine with masks for a couple of years, but anyone who wears one now is a complete coward. Simple as that. 

Just out of curiosity.

Is your favorite film genre American pickup truck commercials?

[MaskLover2025]

Just now, cdemundo said:

Just out of curiosity.

Is your favorite film genre American pickup truck commercials?

Apart from a few musical artists, I am not particularly fond of anything that comes from America. You can have moderate political views yet still realise totally irrational and cowardly behaviour when you see it. As I mentioned on another post, I live a nomadic lifestyle, travelling to all different parts of the world - thus I have a decent benchmark for understanding how over or not over covid countries are, and I can say that based on this that Thailand is the country full of the most irrational and frankly wimpy people. The only other country that comes close is Japan.

[jaywalker2]

On 5/19/2025 at 10:45 PM, still kicking said:

So, in your opinion, most Japanese fall into that opinion.

Japanese wear masks when sick in order to display consideration to others. It lets others know that they are ill so they can take precautions if they choose and also indicates their concern for the health of their fellow citizens

 

[impulse]

47 minutes ago, MaskLover2025 said:

If you're wearing one because over half the people around you are, then no it's not out of fear

 

I gave up my rebel without a clue phase long before I started traveling internationally.  Nowadays, I spend all my time in China and Thailand and I have no problem conforming to their social norms.  I also wear long pants and a collared shirt whenever I'm out in public (except the pool and the beach).   Unlike a lot of foreigners, I care what they think of us. 

 

If my wearing a mask lets them be more comfortable, I'll wear a mask.  It's no skin off my nose.

 

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, MaskLover2025 said:

I don't reject them as a public health measure, I reject them because saddos use them to feign a delusional sense of moral superiority. I also reject them because they create a miserable environment, make communication difficult and fail a basic laws of diminishing returns test. If I felt wearing one was still worthwhile then I would, but they are not. The risk of covid is now so minute that wearing one constantly, even while alone, is total overkill and disproportionate to the severity of the situation. It's a very simple argument that most people around the world understand, but in Thailand, locals and some expats seem incapable of looking at anything beyond the lens of rigid public health guidelines. Based on the logic of mask zealots, we should wear masks for the rest of our lives - that is quite clearly insane and a truly miserable way to spend your already limited time on this planet. 

When did I suggest wearing a mask at all times?

 

The obvious places to be wearing masks is where there is a high density of people. I don't wear a mask on a scooter or in my car.

 

It's not moral superiority. It's simply following the science, given I am in the most vulnerable age cohort.

[MaskLover2025]

14 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

I gave up my rebel without a clue phase long before I started traveling internationally.  Nowadays, I spend all my time in China and Thailand and I have no problem conforming to their social norms.  I also wear long pants and a collared shirt whenever I'm out in public (except the pool and the beach).   Unlike a lot of foreigners, I care what they think of us. 

 

If my wearing a mask lets them be more comfortable, I'll wear a mask.  It's no skin off my nose.

 

You just admitted that you care about what other people think about you, meaning you wear a mask as a display of performative morality. Thus, despite presenting yourself as this all-benevolent, all-compassionate, altruistic, morally superior Westerner, you are simply wearing it to soothe your own ego. God, what a <deleted>. No wonder so many people despise mask shaggers. And it is skin off your nose, since you restrict yourself from breathing freely.