Indeed and following on from @Cousin Jack thoughtful response, I actually said:Yorick wrote: ↑Wed Nov 24, 2021 5:51 pmThat's not what he said...Cousin Jack wrote: ↑Wed Nov 24, 2021 5:45 pmMethinks you miss the point. Masks don't protect surgeons, they protect patients. Masks don't protect you against Covid, they protect others if you have Covid, and by doing so they reduce the amount of Covid circulating that eventually will protect you.
Screwdriver wrote: ↑Wed Nov 24, 2021 5:03 pm
Yep it's just a numbers game really. A mask won't really protect you or anyone around you, it's effect is to slightly skew the probabilities of one infected person infecting another.
You need to adjust your autowrong settings for the Screwdriver alias. Those N95 masks do not filter out the virus, they are way too small for that. If you are breathing it out, people around you are breathing it in. There is no real protection to be had from the mask in isolation. Not for you or people around you.
The mask primarily stops mucus and sputum though as soon as you start to fiddle with it, your mere behaviour negates the entire purpose for wearing it. Oh and unlike the other five billion or so folk, I suppose you religiously dispose of your single use disposable mask after every use? Or do you shove it in your pocket like the rest of us and use it again and again...
A mask works as part of a systemic approach to reduce the rate of spread, largely carried by the vastly more contagious viral load carried in sputum or mucus which we deposit in the local environment. I often see people pull down their masks to speak; the exact circumstance when this minimal barrier is at it's peak potential to help reduce the spread of this virus.
The primary effect of a mask is to prevent droplets from persisting in the environment or contaminating surfaces which is why hand washing is (to the best of my knowledge) actually the more effective control method both for the person and the environment they may contaminate.
Masks, handwash and distancing combine to produce a net effect on a statistically significant population size. If you are in an enclosed space with a person infected with COVID a mask does not really protect you. The best protection is to get as far away as possible! If the carrier is wearing a mask, you rely on them not touching it (ever) and transmitting the virus by smearing it over surfaces you may also touch (apparently for up to 72 hours).
I am genuinely sorry if this casual remark has caused confusion though it would help if you were to question me further rather than jump straight in as you did.
