A properly worn respirator is the most effective way to prevent infection and spread of COVID-19 disease.

The most effective respirator at a reasonable price is an elastomeric respirator with detachable filters. The best filter is N100 or P100. These filters are at least 99.97% efficient at filtering out the tiny particles that carry the virus.

Respirators are effective against all variants of the virus. They are also effective against other respiratory viruses and pollen.

The respirator should be NIOSH-approved.

Make sure you do a seal check each time you wear the respirator so that no air leaks around the mask.

Make sure the filter material doesn’t get wet because it won't work as well when it is wet.

Don't ever remove the respirator when you are around other people or are where other people have been recently. Don't even remove it to eat. Find a safe place to eat away from other people who might be infected.

(Image: A cop wearing an elastomeric respirator, lic. CC-BY-AT-2.5. Attribution: Ryssby at en.wikipedia)

@Pat I think we can agree at this point covid is here to stay forever... so whats the game plan for you personally, just wear a resperator for the rest of your life anything you interact with someone?

@freemo

If I get COVID-19, I'm mostly likely dead, so yes all those fuckheads who can't be bothered to wear a fucking mask in order to save the lives of million people are causing of all us who are old or immuniocomprised to have to continue to wear protection.

So what, exactly, is your motivation to want cause more people to die from COVID-19? Are you just sadistic? Does your Pfiser stock go up a half point every time a million more people die? Why do you want to kill more people?

Don't answer right now. Think about it. Talk it over with your priest or your rabbi or your therapist or your accountant first.

Then come back explain why it is so important to you to cause more people to die.

@Pat You could argue tthat about flu and other common diseases... there are always a rare few people who will be at high risk.

But again my question is, knowing what you said to be true, what is your end game here.. is the proposal that no 2 humans should ever interact again without a resperator? If the risk is so dire that means even sleeping with one if your married... is that the end game?

@freemo

We've had this convo a dozen times now. If just a majority of peolpe wore a respirator, the epidmeic would end and we wouldn't have to wear masks anymore.

But because of greed or graspingness or ignorance, those who control public health policy and the media want the pandemic to continue, even if millions more die.

@Pat @freemo Covid will not "end". It has a long asymptomatic period, several animal reservoirs, and like all coronavirus has the ability to mutate fast enough that reinfection is always possible.

This winter will hopefully be the last big surge, but by next spring we will need good faith conversations about how we live with Covid for the next 100 years a la the 1918 influenza which still crops up every so often.

Annual boosters seem to be one step as does improving ventilation in public spaces. Masks and social distancing however are not going to be solutions that can last decades.

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@antares

Well put, this is exactly my stance... masks are fine whenthere is a huge pandemic and you need to sort things out short term... it isnt a solution for the future though.

@Pat

@freemo

The future is anti-viral nanobots programmed to recognize specific targets.

@antares

@freemo

The far-future is a transhumanist transition to something other these frail, ephemeral biological shells.

@antares

@Pat @freemo as long as it sucks less than Zoom meeting in place of social interactions I'm game. I don't want to live in a world without hugs and high fives.

@antares

Yeah, zoom meetings suck. I prefer open source solutions like jitsi.

@freemo

@Pat

I don't think it's the tech. Starting next week, my wife will be away on a very recently planned stay away from home for family reasons. It's the first time we've been separated for nearly 20 years of our marriage.

I'm not worried about the open-source nature of the platform. We'll be out of the comforting, physical contact we've had for nearly 2 decades. The far-future is the far-future. The next month is going to be a big ball of suck. And if people express dismay over lack of human contact and having masks in the way of seeing that smile... I can't dismiss that.

@antares @freemo

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