austin repro at BEAULIEU

[Hedd_Jones]

Hedd,

Your opinions of the effectiveness of face coverings is interesting - can you post links to the research that backs them
up?

Heres one for you. 

https://www.rcn.org.uk/news-and-events/n...ion-290621

[Graham Barker]

Hi Ian, I am thinking of going to UK for the centenary too, but without car. I might book the site accommodation (when bookings open) if they have a reasonably lenient cancellation policy.
Graham Barker 
Auckland.

[Hedd_Jones]

Hedd,

Your opinions of the effectiveness of face coverings is interesting - can you post links to the research that backs them
up?

Another for you to peruse. 

https://eurjmedres.biomedcentral.com/art...20-00430-5

---

Tony

Daughter has 100% had it. Caught at school. PCR trst positive. She is suffering some of the long covid symptoms. Biggest worry is her weight loss as food is no longer tasty and enjoyable. 

Wife probably had it in February of last year, before testing was availible. Caught in her work setting (childcare). Knocked her for 6. 

Is it something Id like to catch? - certainly not. 
Is it something that frightens me? - again certainly not. 

Wife and I are both fully vaccinated, nothing for the daughter because of her age. 

Personally I follow the rules as made by the government, mainly as they are made (rightly or wrongly) in good faith based in both scientific and economic reasons. And in the cold light of day our government is not doing anything significantly different to any of the other governments of developed countries around the world. 

Personally I believe we are all going to have to catch a dose at some point. Lockdowns are simply about making sure everyone has a fair crack of the whip if you get ill enough to need hospital. But covid isn't going anywhere. 

I do read a lot of scientific papers in the subject, being a proffessional engineer by trade. I take a lot of notice of various sites containing statistics. 

What I dont do is make my mind up based on the small sample of anecdotes from friends and family.

[Tony Betts]

hi ian,

thanks for the kind reply.

i must say, i dont tend do well with colds. and they tend to linger on to long for me, were as others clear them quicker. so id rather push my luck with covid as little as possible.

hedd is welcome to twist what i was actually saying in my initial reply. "thats very hedd" i know a standard mask wont give me 100% protection, and i wasnt trying to suggest that. but in a crowd of say 10 people, if i get 50% protection. its still a hell of alot better protection than those without a mask.

my annoyance with the ignorance of antivaxers, is they ruin my life, in the same was as they are ruining yours by not traveling over for the 100th anniversary.

and as for your next strain of covid getting worse. it COULD already be on its way, just look out for the MU strain. 

tony

[daveg]

Hedd,

Thanks for the links, 

The first is a small scale anecdotal study that implies the FFP masks offer better protection than standard surgical masks. 

The second is a literature review with no original research but concludes-

"Simple masks covering mouth and nose are primarily used to prevent transmission by holding back droplets. This is useful when the recommended minimum distance of 1.5 m is not feasible. The masks provide only limited self-protection for its wearer and this is only when they are used properly.

High-quality FFP2/3 masks are a more reliable protection from infections."

 I will try and get some FFP masks but on the meantime I will continue with the type of mask given to me and worn by all the staff when I had my vaccinations - hopefully it is better than a sieve!

[Tony Press]

I know this isn't Seven related and a bit like politics and religion, but in Victoria and NSW standard masks are compulsory outside the house. 

Obviously we aren't as clever as UK but we had 76 cases today which I believe is well below UK ?

[Andy Bennett]

Accepting the limitations of the effectiveness of masks for airborne protection (but any protection enhancement is good in my books), I think they provide a personal reminder of 'being careful'.

Lots of statistics about how often you touch your face/mouth in an average hour. So if you are wandering around an autojumble touching things many people have touched before you then there has to be a risk that covid (or other viruses) have been transferred to those items. If you are wearing a mask then it must by definition offer a little reminder not to touch your mouth having just rummaged through a box of bits.

So for me it is mask wearing...

[Charles P]

In the age of Covid I have perfected the art of contactless travel on public transport, touching nothing, using hand gel and pressing the button to open train doors with my elbow.
However, my newly found fluidity of movement hit the buffers on a train last week. Nonchalantly standing (masked) by the door as the train arrived in the station I carefully "bumped" the green door opening button on the panel to my side and waited. Imagine my dismay as the toilet door next to me gracefully slid open, and another passenger, frustrated at the delay reached to the press the correct button.

[andrew34ruby]

I tend to wear a mask fort various reasons. For one thing it reminds other people that Covid exists. They might remember to wash hands, stay 2 metres apart etc.

[Ilmoro]

I find myself feeling a little sorry for Hedd here; I think all he was implying, and rightly so, was that face masks should not be assumed to offer significant protection from Sars Covid19 on their own.

They are used primarily to prevent the wearer from transmitting virus particles to others, not to prevent the wearer from inhaling particles (though they are partially effective in this role) They do not form a perfect face seal and sneezing or coughing will allow virus to escape from the mask. Virus particles are much smaller than the filter mesh (though small wet particles are trapped) They should be changed regularly and not screwed up in a pocket with loose change, this will reduce mask effectiveness. In short, they are one tool that in the real world “probably” reduces the transmission of Covid19 and should be used in conjunction with social distancing, hand washing and avoiding crowded public places.

“Probably” the most effective action to reduce your chance of contracting Covid is to stay home and not interact with anyone outside your close family bubble. Anything else is a risk…

…But so is venturing out in a 90 year old car with poor brakes, poor lights, poor crash protection and an engine mostly not capable of exceeding 45mph…
You decide what and how much risk you want to take, for yourself and others you might affect by your actions.

If you want to verify any of the above; please Google away