Relative size of particles - photo

[schuylergrace]

I don't totally agree with you but hopefully we can agree to disagree.

Of course, we can agree to disagree, but I haven't been listening to Dr. Fauci. I've been listening to my brother, who's a PhD virologist and has worked in the CDC's hot lab (an amazing, but scary, place to see). Masks aren't foolproof, but they do work to slow the spread of the infectious particles we are worried about now, as has been proven in regions where mask usage is high. Your likelihood of catching COVID, or any communicable disease, is directly proportional to the amount of the infectious agent you bring into your body. So, those stray virii that are sitting around on a grocery cart handle or may linger in the air after the fluid droplets they hitch a ride on have evaporated aren't very likely to make you sick (they still can, though). They are like toxins: the more you are exposed to, the more likely you are to have an adverse reaction. Water is toxic if you drink enough. But think about it; why would doctors wear masks when they are in the OR? They'd be much more comfortable without them, but they help prevent the doctor and other staff from infecting the patient. And we are in this situation because people here didn't take the virus as seriously as they should have and didn't follow the precautions the CDC, the NIH, and others asked us to. The U.S. has had the worst COVID outcomes of any first-world nation, precisely because we had much of our population not following even basic guidelines against spreading the infection, including mask wearing and vaccination.