Coronavirus- Why aren't more American wearing masks out in public ???

[Cassie]

Masks are being made that are clear where your lips are so lips can be read.

[GuitarStv]

Masks are being made that are clear where your lips are so lips can be read.

Yeah I saw those but unless everyone is wearing one it doesn't do me too much good. Its doesn't really bother me too much as I'm use to it but others get frustrated and impatient with me. That doesn't bother me much either ;-).

At least you can't tell when they're yelling things at you due to frustration.  :P

[Jack0Life]

I went to Costco today and every had masks on. I knew they made the announcement earlier but it was nice to see.
They are the only major chain that I know of that are enforcing the facial protection inside the store.
Forget relying on the government, I'm  curious as to why don't more stores aren't enforcing this.
To me same thing as most stores require you to have shoes and/or shirts on before entering the store.
Why not ? More protection for everyone inside the stores.

[alex753]

I went to Costco today and every had masks on. I knew they made the announcement earlier but it was nice to see.
They are the only major chain that I know of that are enforcing the facial protection inside the store.
Forget relying on the government, I'm  curious as to why don't more stores are enforcing this.
To me same thing as most stores require you to have shoes and/or shirts on before entering the store.
Why not ? More protection for everyone inside the stores.

Well you may get your wish as this brave new social culture takes hold.  I guess 2020 is the year in which the human population is required to wear masks to socialize. :/ 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/terrifying-mechanical-dog-now-stalking-203902608.html

https://news.yahoo.com/off-duty-officer-body-slams-022823346.html

https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/04/us/michigan-security-guard-mask-killing-trnd/index.html

 

[Cranky]

There’s 7 pages of comments now so I’m sure this has been said, but I’ll say it again:  mask wearing lowers your oxygen intake=lowers your immunity= more susceptibility to any illness. Breathe people!  It’s the best thing for you!

Citation, please.

[Kris]

There’s 7 pages of comments now so I’m sure this has been said, but I’ll say it again:  mask wearing lowers your oxygen intake=lowers your immunity= more susceptibility to any illness. Breathe people!  It’s the best thing for you!

Lol oh brother...

What YouTube “doctor” did you get that from?

[MasterStache]

There’s 7 pages of comments now so I’m sure this has been said, but I’ll say it again:  mask wearing lowers your oxygen intake=lowers your immunity= more susceptibility to any illness. Breathe people!  It’s the best thing for you!

Please anyone reading this make sure you fact check. Misinformation could lead you to make some very poor choices. The typical person is wearing a cloth mask, which does not fit tightly against your face thus allowing your breath to disperse quite freely. It's intended to disrupt the aerosols making it harder for folks around you to inhale them. No one is going to suppress their immune system wearing a cloth mask. Even for mask such as an N95, the only remote danger is prolonged wearing which could lead to breathing issues. The people most susceptible to the issues associated with those mask are those with lung, breathing conditions etc. There is no reason for any non-healthcare workers to be wearing an N95 mask. It's extreme overkill.

[RetiredAt63]

There’s 7 pages of comments now so I’m sure this has been said, but I’ll say it again:  mask wearing lowers your oxygen intake=lowers your immunity= more susceptibility to any illness. Breathe people!  It’s the best thing for you!

Please anyone reading this make sure you fact check. Misinformation could lead you to make some very poor choices. The typical person is wearing a cloth mask, which does not fit tightly against your face thus allowing your breath to disperse quite freely. It's intended to disrupt the aerosols making it harder for folks around you to inhale them. No one is going to suppress their immune system wearing a cloth mask. Even for mask such as an N95, the only remote danger is prolonged wearing which could lead to breathing issues. The people most susceptible to the issues associated with those mask are those with lung, breathing conditions etc. There is no reason for any non-healthcare workers to be wearing an N95 mask. It's extreme overkill.

I have an N95 mask (had used it before all this started, so of no use to health professionals) and I wear it grocery shopping. It protects others from me, and it protects me from the people passing me in the aisles who are not wearing any kind of mask.  It's hot and stuffy, so not fun to wear, and I wouldn't want to run wearing it, but I get enough air to walk around.

[KBecks]

I've seen some things on Facebook where people are saying they've noticed health effects of wearing masks for *long periods of time*.  This may be of concern if you are working and need to wear a mask all day long.  I would imagine that taking some breaks from the mask and doing some deep breathing away from people might be good for that.

The only thing I wanted to say here is -- please wear your mask over your mouth *and* nose.  I see a lot of photos of people with their noses uncovered and I don't think there is an excuse for this, at least, I have not heard of one.

[dodojojo]

I see so many people on tv taking their masks off to talk...Talking is one way of transmitting the virus, it's exactly the time to keep your mask on.

[Seadog]

I see so many people on tv taking their masks off to talk...Talking is one way of transmitting the virus, it's exactly the time to keep your mask on.

I get a kick out of seeing obese ppl take their masks off to smoke. People really need to get some perspective. They're like the habitual drunk driver who always remembers to buckle up.

[MasterStache]

There’s 7 pages of comments now so I’m sure this has been said, but I’ll say it again:  mask wearing lowers your oxygen intake=lowers your immunity= more susceptibility to any illness. Breathe people!  It’s the best thing for you!

Please anyone reading this make sure you fact check. Misinformation could lead you to make some very poor choices. The typical person is wearing a cloth mask, which does not fit tightly against your face thus allowing your breath to disperse quite freely. It's intended to disrupt the aerosols making it harder for folks around you to inhale them. No one is going to suppress their immune system wearing a cloth mask. Even for mask such as an N95, the only remote danger is prolonged wearing which could lead to breathing issues. The people most susceptible to the issues associated with those mask are those with lung, breathing conditions etc. There is no reason for any non-healthcare workers to be wearing an N95 mask. It's extreme overkill.

I have an N95 mask (had used it before all this started, so of no use to health professionals) and I wear it grocery shopping. It protects others from me, and it protects me from the people passing me in the aisles who are not wearing any kind of mask.  It's hot and stuffy, so not fun to wear, and I wouldn't want to run wearing it, but I get enough air to walk around.

I have a couple as well for construction projects. I actually don't like wearing them because they are quite uncomfortable and as you eluded to, make for a sweaty mouth at times. They also tend to fog up my glasses. Also the N95 mask with front valves/openings offer only protection to you but not others as they have a one way valve. They may actually propel droplets further. Those are the types routinely sold at big box stores and are currently sold out. That's a bit of a worry. 

[RetiredAt63]

There’s 7 pages of comments now so I’m sure this has been said, but I’ll say it again:  mask wearing lowers your oxygen intake=lowers your immunity= more susceptibility to any illness. Breathe people!  It’s the best thing for you!

Please anyone reading this make sure you fact check. Misinformation could lead you to make some very poor choices. The typical person is wearing a cloth mask, which does not fit tightly against your face thus allowing your breath to disperse quite freely. It's intended to disrupt the aerosols making it harder for folks around you to inhale them. No one is going to suppress their immune system wearing a cloth mask. Even for mask such as an N95, the only remote danger is prolonged wearing which could lead to breathing issues. The people most susceptible to the issues associated with those mask are those with lung, breathing conditions etc. There is no reason for any non-healthcare workers to be wearing an N95 mask. It's extreme overkill.

I have an N95 mask (had used it before all this started, so of no use to health professionals) and I wear it grocery shopping. It protects others from me, and it protects me from the people passing me in the aisles who are not wearing any kind of mask.  It's hot and stuffy, so not fun to wear, and I wouldn't want to run wearing it, but I get enough air to walk around.

I have a couple as well for construction projects. I actually don't like wearing them because they are quite uncomfortable and as you eluded to, make for a sweaty mouth at times. They also tend to fog up my glasses. Also the N95 mask with front valves/openings offer only protection to you but not others as they have a one way valve. They may actually propel droplets further. Those are the types routinely sold at big box stores and are currently sold out. That's a bit of a worry.

Mine is just a standard mask, no valve.  I have the metal adjusted to fit snugly over my nose, and it goes under my chin.  That is why it is hot inside it, it is doing its job.   ;-)

I don't understand people who wear them over the mouth but not the nose.  Or take them off to talk/smoke/eat/drink.  Are they living places where there is not much information on how to wear them properly?  It's fine to take them off if you are outside and maintaining social distance, the big issue is inside where ventilation systems may bring you droplets from someone who is quite far away.

[MasterStache]

There’s 7 pages of comments now so I’m sure this has been said, but I’ll say it again:  mask wearing lowers your oxygen intake=lowers your immunity= more susceptibility to any illness. Breathe people!  It’s the best thing for you!

Please anyone reading this make sure you fact check. Misinformation could lead you to make some very poor choices. The typical person is wearing a cloth mask, which does not fit tightly against your face thus allowing your breath to disperse quite freely. It's intended to disrupt the aerosols making it harder for folks around you to inhale them. No one is going to suppress their immune system wearing a cloth mask. Even for mask such as an N95, the only remote danger is prolonged wearing which could lead to breathing issues. The people most susceptible to the issues associated with those mask are those with lung, breathing conditions etc. There is no reason for any non-healthcare workers to be wearing an N95 mask. It's extreme overkill.

I have an N95 mask (had used it before all this started, so of no use to health professionals) and I wear it grocery shopping. It protects others from me, and it protects me from the people passing me in the aisles who are not wearing any kind of mask.  It's hot and stuffy, so not fun to wear, and I wouldn't want to run wearing it, but I get enough air to walk around.

I have a couple as well for construction projects. I actually don't like wearing them because they are quite uncomfortable and as you eluded to, make for a sweaty mouth at times. They also tend to fog up my glasses. Also the N95 mask with front valves/openings offer only protection to you but not others as they have a one way valve. They may actually propel droplets further. Those are the types routinely sold at big box stores and are currently sold out. That's a bit of a worry.

Mine is just a standard mask, no valve.  I have the metal adjusted to fit snugly over my nose, and it goes under my chin.  That is why it is hot inside it, it is doing its job.   ;-)

I don't understand people who wear them over the mouth but not the nose.  Or take them off to talk/smoke/eat/drink.  Are they living places where there is not much information on how to wear them properly?  It's fine to take them off if you are outside and maintaining social distance, the big issue is inside where ventilation systems may bring you droplets from someone who is quite far away.

I was standing outside in the Home Depot line waiting to get inside a week or so ago. A lady proceeded to walk to the line smoking a cigarette right by the no smoking sign. She took a couple puffs and put her mask on. Geesh!

[RetiredAt63]

There’s 7 pages of comments now so I’m sure this has been said, but I’ll say it again:  mask wearing lowers your oxygen intake=lowers your immunity= more susceptibility to any illness. Breathe people!  It’s the best thing for you!

Please anyone reading this make sure you fact check. Misinformation could lead you to make some very poor choices. The typical person is wearing a cloth mask, which does not fit tightly against your face thus allowing your breath to disperse quite freely. It's intended to disrupt the aerosols making it harder for folks around you to inhale them. No one is going to suppress their immune system wearing a cloth mask. Even for mask such as an N95, the only remote danger is prolonged wearing which could lead to breathing issues. The people most susceptible to the issues associated with those mask are those with lung, breathing conditions etc. There is no reason for any non-healthcare workers to be wearing an N95 mask. It's extreme overkill.

I have an N95 mask (had used it before all this started, so of no use to health professionals) and I wear it grocery shopping. It protects others from me, and it protects me from the people passing me in the aisles who are not wearing any kind of mask.  It's hot and stuffy, so not fun to wear, and I wouldn't want to run wearing it, but I get enough air to walk around.

I have a couple as well for construction projects. I actually don't like wearing them because they are quite uncomfortable and as you eluded to, make for a sweaty mouth at times. They also tend to fog up my glasses. Also the N95 mask with front valves/openings offer only protection to you but not others as they have a one way valve. They may actually propel droplets further. Those are the types routinely sold at big box stores and are currently sold out. That's a bit of a worry.

Mine is just a standard mask, no valve.  I have the metal adjusted to fit snugly over my nose, and it goes under my chin.  That is why it is hot inside it, it is doing its job.   ;-)

I don't understand people who wear them over the mouth but not the nose.  Or take them off to talk/smoke/eat/drink.  Are they living places where there is not much information on how to wear them properly?  It's fine to take them off if you are outside and maintaining social distance, the big issue is inside where ventilation systems may bring you droplets from someone who is quite far away.

I was standing outside in the Home Depot line waiting to get inside a week or so ago. A lady proceeded to walk to the line smoking a cigarette right by the no smoking sign. She took a couple puffs and put her mask on. Geesh!

Yikes!  And to complete the grossness, what did she do with the cigarette?

[Loretta]

I had to make an unscheduled trip to a pharmacy in a busy shopping center in a ritzy titzy suburb of DC today and I was shocked to see so few people wearing masks.  Like, is the pandemic suddenly over?  Did the 80 degree spring days we just had blow people’s minds into thinking this chapter of our lives is finito?  To their credit the CVS employees I encountered were wearing masks but they were walking closer to me than I wanted them to be.

[expatartist]

Hello from Hong Kong! We eliminated most community spread early on, and our cases for the past few months have been mostly imported (primarily the UK and US), so our airport has been shut to all non-HK residents. Vietnam, which also shares a border with China and has much fewer resources, has done even better, with 0 deaths and only a couple hundred cases. Taiwan has done a brilliant job as well.

Mask-wearing in Asia became common during the SARS epidemic which traumatised HK in particular. Since then, it's considered impolite to have a naked face when you have a respiratory infection since you could easily spread your nastiness to others. In Mainland Chinese cities, it's common for the middle-class and up to wear pollution masks of varying effectiveness. So mask-wearing became a habit here. IMO too many are still wearing disposable surgical masks - a travesty for the environment - but more and more are making fabric masks, now we know this isn't going to go away in a couple of months.

Hong Kong has done well in spite of, rather than because of, our government
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2020/05/how-hong-kong-beating-coronavirus/611524/

Hong Kong and Taiwan have had no need for lockdowns because we took action early on, and mask-wearing is done by most everyone. In our dense cities, social distancing is not usually an option.

[T-Money$]

I had to make an unscheduled trip to a pharmacy in a busy shopping center in a ritzy titzy suburb of DC today and I was shocked to see so few people wearing masks.  Like, is the pandemic suddenly over?  Did the 80 degree spring days we just had blow people’s minds into thinking this chapter of our lives is finito?  To their credit the CVS employees I encountered were wearing masks but they were walking closer to me than I wanted them to be.

The people I know that don’t wear masks (including me) have either already had the virus, or they aren’t afraid of it and think getting the virus is an inevitability. 

[deborah]

I had to make an unscheduled trip to a pharmacy in a busy shopping center in a ritzy titzy suburb of DC today and I was shocked to see so few people wearing masks.  Like, is the pandemic suddenly over?  Did the 80 degree spring days we just had blow people’s minds into thinking this chapter of our lives is finito?  To their credit the CVS employees I encountered were wearing masks but they were walking closer to me than I wanted them to be.

The people I know that don’t wear masks (including me) have either already had the virus, or they aren’t afraid of it and think getting the virus is an inevitability. 

But there are a number of people who've had the virus and then tested negative (so it's finished and they're not giving it to people), but have then tested positive again. Some several times! If I had actually had the virus I would definitely be wearing a mask.

[RetiredAt63]

I had to make an unscheduled trip to a pharmacy in a busy shopping center in a ritzy titzy suburb of DC today and I was shocked to see so few people wearing masks.  Like, is the pandemic suddenly over?  Did the 80 degree spring days we just had blow people’s minds into thinking this chapter of our lives is finito?  To their credit the CVS employees I encountered were wearing masks but they were walking closer to me than I wanted them to be.

The people I know that don’t wear masks (including me) have either already had the virus, or they aren’t afraid of it and think getting the virus is an inevitability.

Fabric masks are not to protect you from others, it is to protect others from you, as expatartist pointed out up-thread.  You could have the virus and 1. be an asymptomatic carrier, or 2. be shedding virus but not having symptoms yet.  In either case you would not know you were shedding virus, but you would be.  Hence you are the one who should be wearing a fabric mask.

I wear my N95 in public places because it protects both ways, which means I am safer (95%) from people like you.

[MasterStache]

Yikes!  And to complete the grossness, what did she do with the cigarette?

Just tossed it on the ground and smashed it with her foot.

[MasterStache]

I had to make an unscheduled trip to a pharmacy in a busy shopping center in a ritzy titzy suburb of DC today and I was shocked to see so few people wearing masks.  Like, is the pandemic suddenly over?  Did the 80 degree spring days we just had blow people’s minds into thinking this chapter of our lives is finito?  To their credit the CVS employees I encountered were wearing masks but they were walking closer to me than I wanted them to be.

The people I know that don’t wear masks (including me) have either already had the virus, or they aren’t afraid of it and think getting the virus is an inevitability.

Fabric masks are not to protect you from others, it is to protect others from you, as expatartist pointed out up-thread.  You could have the virus and 1. be an asymptomatic carrier, or 2. be shedding virus but not having symptoms yet.  In either case you would not know you were shedding virus, but you would be.  Hence you are the one who should be wearing a fabric mask.

I wear my N95 in public places because it protects both ways, which means I am safer (95%) from people like you.

+1

[KBecks]

I think it's important to respect that this virus is no joke. I've become an older person recently, and have to understand that a case could be asymptomatic, it could be mild, it could mean a very difficult hospitalization, or it could be death.

Also, the new news that some *children* are experiencing strange and harmful reactions to COVID-19 is, as a parent, slightly terrifying to me.

Many people will recover but for some, it's a very rough journey.  No joke.

I am looking to minimize risks as much as possible.  I don't want to get COVID-19 in the name of herd immunity because it might be horrible.

[T-Money$]

I think it's important to respect that this virus is no joke. I've become an older person recently, and have to understand that a case could be asymptomatic, it could be mild, it could mean a very difficult hospitalization, or it could be death.

Also, the new news that some *children* are experiencing strange and harmful reactions to COVID-19 is, as a parent, slightly terrifying to me.

Many people will recover but for some, it's a very rough journey.  No joke.

I am looking to minimize risks as much as possible.  I don't want to get COVID-19 in the name of herd immunity because it might be horrible.

I don’t consider COVID a joke, but for the overwhelming majority of the population the risks from the virus are much less significant than the risks from the reaction to the virus. 

The conformist/one size fits all policies don’t make any sense to me.   They excessively damage those with very low risk and hurt those with very high risk.   In the Northeast US the majority of COVID death has been associated with long term care facilities (same pattern as Europe), yet it was only last week in New York State that long term care facilities were no longer forced to accept COVID-infected patients.  Ridiculous.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Churchill-New-York-s-tragic-nursing-home-mistake-15273400.php

Wouldn’t the R0 value decrease if healthy people became infected and recovered?

I wish we lived in a COVID free world, but unless we are a small isolatable nation like Iceland or New Zealand without mutation or vaccine the virus is here to stay it would appear. 

Also, I see a lot of people minimizing their risk “as much as possible” yet totally ignoring (and in some cases downright celebrating) their risk from more lethal diseases - smoking, alcoholism, obesity, cancer, heart disease.   I think it’s important to acknowledge the emotional reaction to COViD while ignoring greater risks that society has accepted for decades. 

For me, COViD in children is not terrifying — at least not anymore terrifying than influenza.   Sadly there are a number of immunized children that die from influenza every year.  There is an assumed risk in living, reducing those risks in a rational manner is beneficial, but increasing irrationality causes a lot of consequences.

[KBecks]

I'd like to know more about the COVID complications in children.  Thankfully there are not many cases at this time.

I agree that people should make their own decisions and consider all the risks they take in life.  That said reasonable, personally-chosen prevention makes a lot of sense.

[MasterStache]

Wouldn’t the R0 value decrease if healthy people became infected and recovered?

R0 isn't an exact science. It involves complex mathematical models, forensic investigation and a good deal of guesswork. There are still so many unknowns with the virus itself. When they thought they had a handle on symptoms new ones started popping up. It's even agreed upon that the virus mutated as it made it's way to the US. Herd immunity isn't a guarantee. Anti-bodies only last so long and it's widely believed you may be able to be re-infected. So the answer to your question is "not necessarily."

I would prefer not to get infected. I could easily pass it off to one of my children or my spouse who may react differently. I may pass it off unknowingly to someone else who cannot fight the virus.     

[penguintroopers]

I think it's important to respect that this virus is no joke. I've become an older person recently, and have to understand that a case could be asymptomatic, it could be mild, it could mean a very difficult hospitalization, or it could be death.

Also, the new news that some *children* are experiencing strange and harmful reactions to COVID-19 is, as a parent, slightly terrifying to me.

Many people will recover but for some, it's a very rough journey.  No joke.

I am looking to minimize risks as much as possible.  I don't want to get COVID-19 in the name of herd immunity because it might be horrible.

This is kind of where we are too. While we know with our age and health we will likely fall in the asymptomatic/mild side, there is still the risk of hospitalization and death. Coupled with the conflicting reports on whether or not this could cause long-term complications, we'd rather just play it safe and stay at home. We were largely homebodies before this so its not much difference.

The whole "but you don't get scared of the flu" argument has really bothered me because it is true that we don't fear the flu, but the flu doesn't have unknown long term consequences and people our age being hospitalized or dying around 10x more frequently.

If you could confidently tell me that my risks were a really bad one to three week flu with no future conditions and no hospitalization, we would be taking more risks and more accepting of the possibility of being sick. We would be willing to accept the get sick for the heard immunity good argument.

[index]

I think it's important to respect that this virus is no joke. I've become an older person recently, and have to understand that a case could be asymptomatic, it could be mild, it could mean a very difficult hospitalization, or it could be death.

Also, the new news that some *children* are experiencing strange and harmful reactions to COVID-19 is, as a parent, slightly terrifying to me.

Many people will recover but for some, it's a very rough journey.  No joke.

I am looking to minimize risks as much as possible.  I don't want to get COVID-19 in the name of herd immunity because it might be horrible.

I don’t consider COVID a joke, but for the overwhelming majority of the population the risks from the virus are much less significant than the risks from the reaction to the virus. 

The conformist/one size fits all policies don’t make any sense to me.   They excessively damage those with very low risk and hurt those with very high risk.   In the Northeast US the majority of COVID death has been associated with long term care facilities (same pattern as Europe), yet it was only last week in New York State that long term care facilities were no longer forced to accept COVID-infected patients.  Ridiculous.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Churchill-New-York-s-tragic-nursing-home-mistake-15273400.php

Wouldn’t the R0 value decrease if healthy people became infected and recovered?

I wish we lived in a COVID free world, but unless we are a small isolatable nation like Iceland or New Zealand without mutation or vaccine the virus is here to stay it would appear. 

Also, I see a lot of people minimizing their risk “as much as possible” yet totally ignoring (and in some cases downright celebrating) their risk from more lethal diseases - smoking, alcoholism, obesity, cancer, heart disease.   I think it’s important to acknowledge the emotional reaction to COViD while ignoring greater risks that society has accepted for decades. 

For me, COViD in children is not terrifying — at least not anymore terrifying than influenza.   Sadly there are a number of immunized children that die from influenza every year.  There is an assumed risk in living, reducing those risks in a rational manner is beneficial, but increasing irrationality causes a lot of consequences.

It is not about minimizing "YOUR" risk. It is about minimizing the risk to OTHERS. By not wearing a mask, you can contribute to community spread. Even if you have had it and now pose zero risk to the public, going out in public without a mask reinforces the behavior to others. If there is one jackass in the grocery store not wearing a mask, they feel social pressure. If there are 30% jackasses in the grocery store not wearing masks, they feel vindicated. Wearing a mask is a pretty low bar asked to help the people around you.

Be a leader.

 

[former player]

I don’t consider COVID a joke, but for the overwhelming majority of the population the risks from the virus are much less significant than the risks from the reaction to the virus. 

We don't actually know the risks from the virus.  Doctors are now finding potentially permanent lung scarring in survivors-

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/coronavirus-covid-19-some-patients-may-suffer-lasting-lung-damage

The stickiness in the blood that the virus causes is also recorded as damaging hearts, kidneys and brains.  It's not yet known whether the heart, kidney and brain damage is permanent.

Nor is it known the extent to which these effects may be shown in people who were minimally symptomatic or asymptomatic.

So to say that the (unknown but starting to reveal themselves) long term risks from the virus, on top of the immediately apparent risks, are less than the risks from trying to stop it is to miss a potentially significant part of the risks from the virus.  Given the numbers who have had the virus in the USA, it will be interesting to watch the trends in their long-term health and lifespan data.

[beltim]

Wouldn’t the R0 value decrease if healthy people became infected and recovered?

R0 isn't an exact science. It involves complex mathematical models, forensic investigation and a good deal of guesswork. There are still so many unknowns with the virus itself. When they thought they had a handle on symptoms new ones started popping up. It's even agreed upon that the virus mutated as it made it's way to the US. Herd immunity isn't a guarantee. Anti-bodies only last so long and it's widely believed you may be able to be re-infected. So the answer to your question is "not necessarily."

I would prefer not to get infected. I could easily pass it off to one of my children or my spouse who may react differently. I may pass it off unknowingly to someone else who cannot fight the virus.     

To add to this, even if people who have had the virus generate protective antibodies that prevent them from getting re-infected, and even if that prevents them from spreading the virus as an intermediary, this wouldn't reduce the spread by nearly as much as wearing masks.

[RetiredAt63]

I think it's important to respect that this virus is no joke. I've become an older person recently, and have to understand that a case could be asymptomatic, it could be mild, it could mean a very difficult hospitalization, or it could be death.

Also, the new news that some *children* are experiencing strange and harmful reactions to COVID-19 is, as a parent, slightly terrifying to me.

Many people will recover but for some, it's a very rough journey.  No joke.

I am looking to minimize risks as much as possible.  I don't want to get COVID-19 in the name of herd immunity because it might be horrible.

This is kind of where we are too. While we know with our age and health we will likely fall in the asymptomatic/mild side, there is still the risk of hospitalization and death. Coupled with the conflicting reports on whether or not this could cause long-term complications, we'd rather just play it safe and stay at home. We were largely homebodies before this so its not much difference.

The whole "but you don't get scared of the flu" argument has really bothered me because it is true that we don't fear the flu, but the flu doesn't have unknown long term consequences and people our age being hospitalized or dying around 10x more frequently.

If you could confidently tell me that my risks were a really bad one to three week flu with no future conditions and no hospitalization, we would be taking more risks and more accepting of the possibility of being sick. We would be willing to accept the get sick for the heard immunity good argument.

Oh hell, I'm afraid of the flu too.  My grandparents died from the Spanish flu.  DD got quite sick from H1N1, spent the night in emergency; she was in her early 20s at the time.  I get my flu shot every year.  There is significant flu mortality every winter, I'm amazed at how many people skip vaccination.  Herd immunity would happen if everyone who could be vaccinated got vaccinated.

By the way, they are starting covid-19 vaccine testing in Eastern Canada. I can just see, 5 years from now, people not bothering to get the flu or covid-19 vaccine, "because they are healthy and don't need it".

[wenchsenior]

I think it's important to respect that this virus is no joke. I've become an older person recently, and have to understand that a case could be asymptomatic, it could be mild, it could mean a very difficult hospitalization, or it could be death.

Also, the new news that some *children* are experiencing strange and harmful reactions to COVID-19 is, as a parent, slightly terrifying to me.

Many people will recover but for some, it's a very rough journey.  No joke.

I am looking to minimize risks as much as possible.  I don't want to get COVID-19 in the name of herd immunity because it might be horrible.

This is kind of where we are too. While we know with our age and health we will likely fall in the asymptomatic/mild side, there is still the risk of hospitalization and death. Coupled with the conflicting reports on whether or not this could cause long-term complications, we'd rather just play it safe and stay at home. We were largely homebodies before this so its not much difference.

The whole "but you don't get scared of the flu" argument has really bothered me because it is true that we don't fear the flu, but the flu doesn't have unknown long term consequences and people our age being hospitalized or dying around 10x more frequently.

If you could confidently tell me that my risks were a really bad one to three week flu with no future conditions and no hospitalization, we would be taking more risks and more accepting of the possibility of being sick. We would be willing to accept the get sick for the heard immunity good argument.

Oh hell, I'm afraid of the flu too.  My grandparents died from the Spanish flu.  DD got quite sick from H1N1, spent the night in emergency; she was in her early 20s at the time.  I get my flu shot every year.  There is significant flu mortality every winter, I'm amazed at how many people skip vaccination.  Herd immunity would happen if everyone who could be vaccinated got vaccinated.

By the way, they are starting covid-19 vaccine testing in Eastern Canada. I can just see, 5 years from now, people not bothering to get the flu or covid-19 vaccine, "because they are healthy and don't need it".

I have had flu many times as a young woman, and I am quite wary of ever getting it again.  The last couple times I got it I was around age 30 and it absolutely wrecked me for about 10 days, and my lungs for more than a month.  I was a complete idiot back then and was barely aware of the existence of a vaccine for it, but after those two years, I have never missed a flu shot.  And I know someone personally (no health conditions, early 50s) who developed severe complications from flu and ended up in induced coma on a ventilator for weeks.  It took him months of rehab and years of daily work to get his lung capacity and hand dexterity back to functional (though not as good as pre-flu).  He was a professional-level musician, and can no longer play at anything like the level he once did.

Flu is no joke, that's for sure. 

I also talk to a lot of people who confuse regular colds with the flu, or 24-48 hour gastrointestinal puking illnesses with the flu.  People, that shit is NOT the flu. 

[T-Money$]

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/18/havens-dr-atul-gawande-coronavirus-spread-can-be-slowed-if-60percent-of-people-wear-masks.html

Perhaps you’re all correct.

[Kris]

I think it's important to respect that this virus is no joke. I've become an older person recently, and have to understand that a case could be asymptomatic, it could be mild, it could mean a very difficult hospitalization, or it could be death.

Also, the new news that some *children* are experiencing strange and harmful reactions to COVID-19 is, as a parent, slightly terrifying to me.

Many people will recover but for some, it's a very rough journey.  No joke.

I am looking to minimize risks as much as possible.  I don't want to get COVID-19 in the name of herd immunity because it might be horrible.

This is kind of where we are too. While we know with our age and health we will likely fall in the asymptomatic/mild side, there is still the risk of hospitalization and death. Coupled with the conflicting reports on whether or not this could cause long-term complications, we'd rather just play it safe and stay at home. We were largely homebodies before this so its not much difference.

The whole "but you don't get scared of the flu" argument has really bothered me because it is true that we don't fear the flu, but the flu doesn't have unknown long term consequences and people our age being hospitalized or dying around 10x more frequently.

If you could confidently tell me that my risks were a really bad one to three week flu with no future conditions and no hospitalization, we would be taking more risks and more accepting of the possibility of being sick. We would be willing to accept the get sick for the heard immunity good argument.

Oh hell, I'm afraid of the flu too.  My grandparents died from the Spanish flu.  DD got quite sick from H1N1, spent the night in emergency; she was in her early 20s at the time.  I get my flu shot every year.  There is significant flu mortality every winter, I'm amazed at how many people skip vaccination.  Herd immunity would happen if everyone who could be vaccinated got vaccinated.

By the way, they are starting covid-19 vaccine testing in Eastern Canada. I can just see, 5 years from now, people not bothering to get the flu or covid-19 vaccine, "because they are healthy and don't need it".

I have had flu many times as a young woman, and I am quite wary of ever getting it again.  The last couple times I got it I was around age 30 and it absolutely wrecked me for about 10 days, and my lungs for more than a month.  I was a complete idiot back then and was barely aware of the existence of a vaccine for it, but after those two years, I have never missed a flu shot.  And I know someone personally (no health conditions, early 50s) who developed severe complications from flu and ended up in induced coma on a ventilator for weeks.  It took him months of rehab and years of daily work to get his lung capacity and hand dexterity back to functional (though not as good as pre-flu).  He was a professional-level musician, and can no longer play at anything like the level he once did.

Flu is no joke, that's for sure. 

I also talk to a lot of people who confuse regular colds with the flu, or 24-48 hour gastrointestinal puking illnesses with the flu.  People, that shit is NOT the flu.

I agree that the vast majority of people who talk about Covid being "just" the flu:

1) are seriously misinformed
2) have very likely never actually had the flu and think they did because they've had severe colds.

[deborah]

This talk of herd immunity is also off.

Currently, EVEN IN THE MOST EFFECTED PLACES no more than 10% of people have got covid19 (even if you look at the higher than normal death rates rather than the lower figures of reported cases). To get herd immunity (in a disease that gives it - and we’re not sure that covid19 does, since people are getting it more than once) we need at least 60% of the population to get it.

[GuitarStv]

This talk of herd immunity is also off.

Currently, EVEN IN THE MOST EFFECTED PLACES no more than 10% of people have got covid19 (even if you look at the higher than normal death rates rather than the lower figures of reported cases). To get herd immunity (in a disease that gives it - and we’re not sure that covid19 does, since people are getting it more than once) we need at least 60% of the population to get it.

I for one, would like to thank America for taking on the leadership role of being the first country to attempt herd immunity by maximizing infection by citizens.