It was cruel to trick people that they can protect immunocompromised loved ones by masking & being precautious
February 8 | Posted by mrossol | Coronavirus, Health, ScienceBy Vinay Prasad, Feb 8, 2023
There are still some people taking precautions because they know someone who’s immunocompromised or live with someone who’s immunocompromised. We have set these people up for failure. Public health has lied to them.
First, I draw distinction between transient immunosuppression and permanent immunosuppression. If you are transiently immunosuppressed, for instance, you just had a bone marrow transplant, and it is expected to change with time, it makes sense to take precautions transiently. I’m not talking about masking in Costco— I am talking about sealing yourself away from the outside world for a couple of weeks.
If instead, you have a stable state of immunosuppression— it’s not expected to be any different anytime soon— the advice you’ve gotten is wrong. You will not be able to avoid covid19 indefinitely, through no failure of will power.
Sars cov 2 is so contagious your best efforts will not keep the virus away . It’s not a question of if you can avoid the virus, it’s only a question of when you get it.
There are still people who believe wrongly that if they mask, if they test religiously, they can prevent their loved ones from getting COVID. That’s not true. It’s setting them up for disappointment. One day, someone will infect their loved one. It might even be them. The test will be falsely negative. The mask will fail, which is what masks do. The question is whether or not they even have any effect at all is the ones scientists debate.
Some contend we have a personal duty to slow the spread of the virus. This claim is incorrect because our individual actions cannot do this. There are 8 billion people; 100 billion interactions a day. If 3% of the US population makes a herculean effort, it is like removing 3 grains of sand from a beach. Absolutely nothing is different.
Having the personal anxiety that you can shield your loved ones from COVID is unhelpful. The tests don’t work well enough. Masks don’t work. It is only a matter of time before they become infected. If anything, the best time to be infected might be……
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