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Comment by stronglikedan | Hacker News Reader

Non-medical masks don't keep stuff out. They just keep stuff in, so the only reason to wear it is to not spread your water droplets when you sneeze or cough. Medical masks keep stuff out, but are in short supply.

I think I'm helping more by going with the recommendations and not wearing a mask. Some people feel better wearing them, and that's fine too.

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I think you might have misunderstood the parent comment (since your reply is somewhat of a non sequitur). My interpretation was that "if I wear a mask, then people will assume I'm infected and give me space, which is actually just better for me regardless of the mask's direct efficacy".

This binary assertion is fairly broadly given and I think it’s a narrow view that is a subtle form of unintentional disinformation that endangers. Any reduction of viral load on exposure is by nature better. The intensity of initial viral Old can help determine whether you get covid 19 and how strong it hits. It’s difficult to believe that some worth of cloth covering will have absolutely zero reduction of viral load. No you shouldn’t think it’s a comprehensive protection. But it’s silly to handwave away as useless as many do. Anything that limits spread should be encouraged. People still need to minimize going out, but if they have to, and have nothing else, dismissing all other masks as useless is not helpful.

I'm not so good with spreading my own potential risk around. It's essentially selfish to not wear a mask because 'it can't help me'.

Further, just yesterday on HN, there was a post about how a University study of airplane travelers showed mask-wearers got both benefits - they rarely caught anything and rarely infected anyone, even with the simplest masks.

False - hand to nose mouth contact is THE primary vector for this illness - masks are very effective in reducing this. Please stop spreading misinformation as it could lead to deaths.

I'm not spreading misinformation. Most people don't bother to wear the masks correctly, and they provide a false sense of security and overconfidence.

Is the overconfidence documented anywhere, in terms of its effect? Is the problem avoided by having a reasonable sense of security?

> hand to nose mouth contact is THE primary vector for this illness

Do you have a source for this? It's contrary to most of what I've read (droplets through air is primary vector).

Droplets through the air is not primary vector - this is not aerosolized well like measels, the drops fall to the ground -> 6 foot rule is designed to avoid most droplets.

"In an adjusted analysis of compliant subjects, masks as a group had protective efficacy in excess of 80% against clinical influenza-like illness." -https://www.ijidonline.com/article/S1201-9712(08)01008-4/ful...

All the folks saying masks don't work literally never cite to any actual study - I think it's something like 90+ studies showing masks work and maybe 1 or 2 without a good result for masks.

I'm curious where you get the assertion that

> Droplets through the air is not primary vector

and

> hand to nose mouth contact is THE primary vector for this illness

In contrast, Johns Hopkins guide currently states: "Transmission - By respiratory droplets and by fomite. Virus found in respiratory secretions and saliva. - Viral shedding by asymptomatic people described, uncertain to what degree this occurs and abets transmission. - Stool shedding also described, but uncertain what role, if any, that plays." https://www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX...

Droplets through the air (that land on the second parties nose or mouth) is not what Hopkins is talking about. The virus is in respiratory droplets. If you sneeze on something its contaminated. If you touch your nose or mouth and touch something its contaminated. etc. If someone touches any of those surfaces (hard to avoid in a shared space with door handles etc) they risk infection.

In daily living you touch door handles, gas pump handles, elevator buttons, railings, subway hang straps and bars etc. Even before covid, how many people sneezed on you? Far fewer.

If we just were worried about folks sneezing on us we could stop washing our hands.

I'm not trying to argue about whether hand washing is important. I'm trying to increase my understanding of the transmission, and I hadn't heard before that touch face/nose/mouth is the primary way of the disease spreading as you stated. As you had said earlier in the thread: "Please stop spreading misinformation as it could lead to deaths". If you have a source for stating it is the primary method of transmission, I'd still like to see it. Otherwise, perhaps don't repeat that claim, in the interest of not spreading misinformation.

Here's the best article I've found on transmission, and a key excerpt. http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/03/commentar...

> In risk communication guidelines for healthcare, however, the WHO states, "COVID-19 appears to spread most easily through close contact with an infected person. When someone who has COVID-19 coughs or sneezes, small droplets are released and, if you are too close, you can breathe in the virus" (emphasis added).9 But wait: Inhalation is not part of the traditional definition of droplet transmission.

> For healthcare organizations, the CDC recommends airborne, in addition to standard (contact) and droplet precautions, for the care of COVID-19 suspected or confirmed patients.10

> For the general public, the CDC describes SARS-CoV-2 transmission as primarily by droplets from coughs or sneezes, which "land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly inhaled into the lungs" (emphasis added).11 But, again, inhalation is a new addition to the traditional definition of droplets. In contrast to its recommendations for healthcare, the CDC makes no mention of airborne transmission in public settings.

> The CDC admits some possibility that COVID-19 may be transferred by hands to mouth, nose, or eyes from contaminated surfaces, but notes that "this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads."11

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