“We’re Witnessing the Fall of Public Health… and Your Best Tool is a Mask” (Excellent article from Disabled Ginger)
“Measles in Texas, bird flu in Louisiana, tuberculosis in Kansas and Covid everywhere. Public health has been dying a slow death for years, we can’t count on it anymore. What can we count on? A mask!”
It can be hard to afford masks on an ongoing basis. Also, some of us worry about the planetary impacts of all those disposable masks. Good news on both counts: It turns out that masks are reusable to an extent. Pointers include keeping six or seven N95s in rotation.
I mostly am able to avoid confined indoor spaces but sometimes can’t avoid.
It’s a bit surreal seeing a room full of my fellow “senior liberals” not feeling the need to mask up in an indoor confined space. And being the only person masked up, and having some people walk up to me and ask if I’m sick. Really??? No, I’m not self-important enough to go out when I’m sick. <eye roll>
I wonder if people are just tired of thinking about it. That’s what one friend of mine said. That she was “tired of thinking about it.”
Maybe sort of like people are tired of thinking about climate change.
And with Covid, maybe the people who have good healthcare access feel like that will protect them. It has protected (some) people for a long time.
And of course some people feel protected by the vaccine. Some people have had five or more boosters. But the vaccine isn’t free to everybody, as it was during the height of the shutdowns. Last time I checked it was almost $200 for people without insurance.
My favorite tips are, as always: Avoid indoor settings except when absolutely necessary; wear a mask inside a confined indoor setting. And I do believe in the power of vitamin D from sunshine and other sources to boost the immune system.
But the best tip is to simply care about other people who are more vulnerable than ourselves. And prioritize our activities accordingly.