Yes, and prolonging the inevitable at least one of our goals. If everyone who gets coronavirus gets it tomorrow, the health care system will be swamped. This is the point made by that Swedish epidemiologist that everyone hates these days. Yes, everyone will probably get it, but if we can slow down how quickly they get it, the health care system continues to operate as designed and everyone who needs care gets it.
Yes, but you can’t make the perfect the enemy of the good. If you could get 100% blockage of all airborne particles larger than an oxygen molecule, and get 100% usage of these hypothetical magic masks worldwide, you could certainly stop the spread of the virus totally, not just slow it down. Since that’s impossible, by using masks that reduce the speed of the spread and thereby save the health care system from being overwhelmed while the disease spreads (and it will spread), you end up controlling the problem.
I hesitate to make points by analogy but if an elevator cable snaps and you are hurtling to the ground, a perfect solution would be to stop the elevator totally and let everyone get off and take the stairs. Since that’s not viable, they put in restrictors which slow down the speed of your descent so the impact at the end won’t kill you. This isn’t as good, but it’s achievable and it will still save your life.
yes understood thats the idea but this will lead to many more deaths and suffering due to this long lockdown we are facing, wouldnt it make more sense to ask for volunteers and if you cant find enough or are not able to handle enough patients for herd immunity at least you would have a much fairer and better controlled environment and a better chance at finding a vaccine?
You are confusing matters. I agree that the lockdown is an overreaction and should be reconsidered. Face-masks are a harmless and convenient way to slow the spread of the disease.
The only difference between an airplane crash and a perfect landing is the controlled speed of the descent. That’s the same thing here. If you control the speed of the spread of the infection, the health care system doesn’t get overwhelmed. You’re not trying to stop it. You probably can’t stop it. You are just slowing the speed of the spread.
You want to do this with the minimum impact possible. Face masks, asking people to practice social distancing, encouraging older people to avoid crowded places, are all easy and convenient ways to slow the spread. Shutting down the world economy was not at all easy and convenient and shouldn’t be confused with these other less drastic measures.
interesting, i dont think the face masks are harmless, to use your excellent analogy you are indeed trying to control the speed of the descent and also informing everyone they will have a safe landing and everyone will take care of eachother but meanwhile you ask the elderly and people with less immunity to come to the back of the plane and push them outside…
edit: oops left out the part that explains my view lol
that these elderly dont mind being pushed because they believe they will be safe because they have a parachute
masks wont protect anyone and will only make people less careful about social distancing and elderly will hesitate longer in seeking help because they have been wearing their masks and think they are safe
That’s what I’m hoping happens to Nico. He goes to some store and there’s a sign on the door, “No mask, no entry” sort of like the “no shirt, no shoes, no service” signs we used to see in the 80s. There’s a box full of free masks the store has made for people who don’t have one. He needs whatever he was going to buy, perhaps not desperately but enough that it’s seriously inconvenient not to have it. What does he do?
My guess is he puts on the free mask they have available, buys his thing, and then goes home and posts on BBAD about how masks are a sign of oppression.
We’ll never know, will we, as I don’t expect you to post about it.
By the way, that’s not how I’d react. In cases where I fail, I usually just admit it. You might recall I tried to do El Camino de Santiago five years ago and failed.
