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Comment by truckster | Hacker News Reader

I don't condem their approach on this situation, not having a lockdown. What I don't aggree with is not making wearing a mask mandatory. At least this should've been made a must for everyone

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In Australia, we've been told to not wear a mask for a few reasons:

- its hard to wear them right without training, (you adjust them regularly, which means you're touching your face more).

- They can become little virus breeding grounds (if exposed) - they're moist and if virus lands on them it may breed

- they can be very claustrophobic

- masks were in short supply in the beginning and they were needed by medical personnel.

Not a doctor, this is just the reasons I've heard. If more infections occur that advice may change.

> its hard to wear them right without training

We don't talk enough about the goals for wearing masks. My mask may not be helping me because I'm not disciplined enough about wearing it, washing it, touching it. But if I cough or sneeze into a mask, the people around me are a lot more protected.

I don’t think virus can replicate on cloth? They can’t replicate independent from their host, right?

The reasoning I heard was - you breathe on the mask it gets moist and has some mucus on it maybe, maybe its enough for the virus to multiply, making a nice little culture dish, particularly if you wear it all day. I have no idea, this is just the reasons that I've heard put up.

Bacteria and fungus could reproduce inside a web mask, moisture and a source of food (spit, sugar, mucus, protein, or similar) is enough. Virus however need targeted cells to invade and take over the cell mechanisms to reproduce the virus. Said target cells for COVID19 are unlikely to be reproducing in your mask.

So buy (or make) 2 masks, use them on alternate days, and make sure they dry out completely between uses. If particularly scared/careful wash and dry them between uses.

(from below) Yah, think I misremembered that - I think it was because they were worried people wouldn't maintain the masks well and bacteria would grow.

- Not really that hard, and wearing still reduces face touching for most people

- Virus needs a host to replicate. Bacteria may be, but we haven't seen an epidemic of bacterial stuff in South Korea, Taiwan, or Singapore

- really?

- you can make your own masks from old clothes.

These are just the reasons we've been told by the medical folk.

I would disregard the advice (at least on this matter) of any medical professional that claims that viruses replicate outside of a host.

It's downright malpractice.

Yah, think I misremembered that - I think it was because they were worried people wouldn't maintain the masks well and bacteria would grow.

Who is "we've" and who is "the medical folk"?

This is the same advice we received in NZ.

That is not unique to Sweden

You may find this hard to believe that but there is very little evidence that masks work for this particular disease,

The group think is strong with the masks - but in reality, the scientific evidence is scant and inconclusive at best. This is why CDC never recommended them in the first place.

There are a large number of people that put all their faith in masks, because what else is there? They fervently hope and really want masks to work. And I understand that I wish masks worked, but do they really? The scientific evidence is just not there.

This post will be heavily downvoted for the same reason. It is a psychological thing. When they put on the mask people feel like they are doing something.

People strongly believe that masks HAVE TO WORK it just MAKES SENSE THAT THEY WORK, HOW COULD MASKS NOT WORK?, in reality, the evidence is not there. Masks feel to me like a superstition or flat earth belief. Where is the evidence?

Questioning the efficiency of masks is heresy, you'll get banned from Youtube or Facebook for questioning masks, but not for questioning vaccines or for promoting vitamin C as a cure for cancer ...

Why is that? Because there is no evidence, if there were you'd be pointed to that.

One of the best things about wearing a mask is I no longer touch my face. Without something covering it I rarely noticed how often I would do it.

I’ve also noticed people are less inclined to take elevators with me and takes wider berths when walking. Which are all wins as far as I’m concerned.

The fact it prevents a cough or sneeze from shooting 6ft is also a benefit.

Touching your face makes not difference at all. Just one of the nonsense promoted by the scaremongers. COVID patients do not sneeze either.

Touching face maybe reduces hepatitis and other gastro-intestinal diseases.

The virus enters your nose via aerosols that will pass through masks just fine.

Do you have sources or articles? I’ve read quite a few and I’m unconvinced to say the least.

The study showing it doesn’t stick long to to surfaces lends some support to touching your face but I’d rather be safe than gamble on those probabilities and a longer term accumulation.

The worst and most common argument I’ve heard is that “it only prevents you from infecting other people, not them from infecting you”, as if that isn’t a major piece of the puzzle.

I know most infections happen with extended close contact and masks are pretty useless outdoors - which is why I only wear it in close quarters indoors. But I can’t imagine it doesn’t help at some level with the way it limits the velocity of your exhales and protects touching, even if it’s 10-30% safer than it’s worth it IMO.

I take elevators and live in a building with thousands of other people sharing the same public spaces. There seems plenty of opportunity.

> COVID patients do not sneeze either

First, coughing absolutely is a coronavirus symptom even if sneezing isn't.

Second, I sneeze every day, sick or not. And I don't even suffer from allergies. You're conflating it not specifically being a symptom with it not happening. Sneezing happens for different reasons.

“COVID patients do not sneeze either.“

COVID prevents people from sneezing? I would assume one would still sneeze whether or not they have COVID.

it is not a symptom, treating everyone as a potential suspect is the exact problem that dehumanizes people

you should not be wearing a mask just because there is 1/100,000 chance you might be sick.

Yes, you should, if it decreases the R0 factor to the point the disease dies out. Kind of the whole ball game here.

But people with COVID including asymptotic carriers still sneeze, yes?

So you don't vaccine your kids either ? Because, you know, the chance they'll caught measles or chicken pox is not that high...

For me it's the same way of thinking

Cyclists should be familiar with this debate, as it is closely mirrors the bicycle helmet debate.

Seems like it should work, and there is some weak evidence that it is better than nothing, but mostly we wear it as a talisman to ward off evil car-spirits. Despite weak evidence (because of it?) opinions run strong, and some cycling forums have to ban the subject in the interest of civility.

Maybe it's worse than the bike helmet debate, because the general left/right debate has been applied to it. So you get people berating those in masks, or castigating the President when he doesn't wear one.

Might as well be putting stars on our bellies.

I am as much for science based thinking as anyone but the facts that there is little proof that they work is silly to point out, when there is very little proof that they don't work. The lift of people wearing masks in public is so small that on even a tiny percentage of "working" it's worth it. People pointing out that there is little actual proof, as if there has or has been the proper amount of time and resources for proper peer-reviewed studies in a variety of environments, are likely actively harming people by encouraging more risky (even if it's a small percentage of chance of it being risky) behavior.

glofish>"You may find this hard to believe that but there is very little evidence that masks work for this particular disease,"<

glofish is right, there's little evidence that masks work for Covid-19. Peruse the following and other articles:

"The Face Mask Debate Reveals a Scientific Double Standard":

https://www.wired.com/story/the-face-mask-debate-reveals-a-s...

>"COMMENTARY: Masks-for-all for COVID-19 not based on sound data":<

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/04/commenta...

>"Do face masks really reduce coronavirus spread? Experts have mixed answers:"<

https://www.livescience.com/are-face-masks-effective-reducin...

> This is why CDC never recommended the

I thought it was because there were not enough masks early on

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