masks – R&R – Reachout and Rebuild

Trump’s Base: 2 Anecdotal Cases Regarding Sources of News

David Posnett — Fri, 06 Nov 2020 19:51:53 +0000

From Gigi Morris (Sag Harbor):

This may offer some insight into what is happening in this country.

About 3 weeks ago, I had a cleaning lady coming to my house in NH (she lives in VT) and I mentioned that I’d be home. So, of course, she and I would both need to wear a mask. She said she wouldn’t come if she had to wear a mask (having told me earlier she was strapped for cash.) She said to call her “when this flu blows over.” I said I didn’t think it would blow over any time soon. She said she needed to “educate me.” She explained that she doesn’t listen to all that “fake news,” and sent me this link (see below) with a note, “the truth will set us free.” She refers to covid as the “19-flu.” You don’t have to watch it, but it’s essentially a German lawyer explaining that it’s all a hoax, no worse than the flu.

This is not someone I would have ever thought of as ‘on the fringe’. In fact, she is very nice. Maybe 50. Always seemed over-educated for the job.
This is the link on the German lawyer that she sent me:
https://vaccineimpact.com/2020/testimony-of-german-attorney-those-responsible-for-corona-scandal-must-be-criminally-prosecuted-for-crimes-against-humanity/

Likewise, a very nice handyman who I’ve known for a few years came by about a week prior to that, and told me the same thing. He’s kind and has two black children and is ‘pro-choice’ and is planning to work in solar power. And yet, he also said he avoids the mainstream “fake” news and gets his information “from friends and neighbors.” Trump, he said, just speaks his mind and the media is undermining our democracy.

How Masks Matter

David Posnett — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 14:50:42 +0000

OMG! Who did this?!?! Best 2 minutes of your day, week, month, maybe year. #WearAMask #SleepingBeauty #COVID19 #Masks #MasksSaveLives pic.twitter.com/ArgUIL77B3

— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) October 18, 2020

OK. Seriously, what is the latest on masks? Bottom line: if most people wear an effective mask we can significantly curb viral transmission

It is increasingly clear that there are differences in mask quality and protection. Here is one example of a recent report:

https://hartfordhealthcare.org/about-us/news-press/news-detail?articleid=27691&publicId=395

Fitted N95, no valve (14 in photo)
3-layer surgical mask (1)
Cotton-polypropylene-cotton mask (5)
2-layer polypropylene apron mask (4)
2-layer cotton, pleated style mask (13)
2-layer cotton, pleated style mask (7)
Valved N95 mask (2)
2-layer cotton, Olson style mask (8)
1-layer Maxima AT mask (6)
1-layer cotton, pleated style mask (10)
2-layer cotton, pleated style mask (9)
Knitted mask (3) NOT GOOD
Double-layer bandana (12) NOT GOOD
Gaiter-style neck fleece (11) USELESS

Read a more in depth study here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-72798-7#Fig4

Another set of data looks at transmission among airline passengers on Emirates and specifically on their 8h flights Dubai – Hongkong. Emirates has a strictly enforced mask policy. Even on completely booked flights with, for example, 7 COVID+ passengers, there was no transmission to other passengers! https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/10/20/925892185/do-masks-really-cut-your-risk-of-catching-covid-19-on-long-plane-flights

Their conclusion is that strictly enforced mask usage works.

The bottom line: if most people wear masks we can significantly curb viral transmission. It is useful to have an effective mask too.

The following graph plots adherence to mask policy versus quality of the mask used. With poor quality masks it does not matter whether a high percent of people use a mask. And with poor adherence to mask wearing rules, even those that wear a high quality mask are not protected. One needs both a good mask and strict mask use enforcement.

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/04/dont-wear-mask-yourself/610336/

COVID-19 – US is only industrialized country without a national policy

David Posnett — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 15:26:48 +0000

By: Norbert Goldfield MD – founder of ‘Ask Nurses and Doctors’ (AND)

August 14. ‘Ask Nurses and Doctors’ (AND) notes

Negative Covid Tests,
Ongoing Anxiety,
No Jobs,
What Is to be Done?

All my symptomatic patients for the past week have tested negative for COVID. My physically chronically ill Covid + patients are still symptomatic but they are on disability. A number of my patients are very anxious about COVID have either physical/mental health symptoms and/or food insecurity or both. One patient yesterday was surprised when I asked her about food insecurity and she reluctantly said she couldn’t make it to the end of the month as her child support payments from her ex had stopped. Our practice has the ability to help

The overall situation in Massachusetts: We have identified nearly 113,000 cases since the inception of the pandemic. In the Springfield MA area where I practice, we continue to experience an infection rate of 1.4% (slightly lower than the Massachusetts rate of 1.8%). Although this is relatively low, it is probably an underestimate based on limited testing of asymptomatic individuals. But it also signifies ongoing community spread of this viral infection. This means that there is still risk in our community, and that risk will increase as people revert to pre-pandemic routines, such as gathering without appropriate distancing or masking. As one drives into Massachusetts from any state, flashing billboards greet you stating you need to either demonstrate a negative COVID test or quarantine for 14 days.

Research wise there was a nice article on masks that concluded: “some mask types approach the performance of standard surgical masks, while some mask alternatives, such as neck fleece or bandanas, offer very little protection. Our measurement setup is inexpensive and can be built and operated by non-experts, allowing for rapid evaluation of mask performance during speech, sneezing, or coughing.”

School openings are the challenge this week and for the immediate future. ‘Ask Nurses and Doctors’ (AND) is engaged in several states on the issue. The bottom line is for most states safe school openings including protecting bus drivers is simply not possible without additional federal funds. Put differently, Italy is struggling to figure out how to change its classroom furniture to accommodate social distancing – but they are doing it as a country! Our AND work with Health professionals (HPs) is most effective if the HPs stick to the science, put out a steady stream of LTEs, Op-eds, and radio/TV appearances and lets the public/interest groups weigh in on next steps.

You’ve all read the numbers – hot spots other areas cooling down in terms of deaths and frequencies. With no end to the pandemic insight, coronavirus fatigue is gripping America. So what is to be done? While most likely we will, as a country, continue to run in place amidst feckless executive branch leadership, I have outlined in previous reports a few options. Foundations regularly release new ideas on how to get the country moving – to no effect. The suggestion that the medical leadership in the executive branch consider resigning is not going to happen; in fact, the executive branch has settled on a new strategy – bring on physicians, such as Scott Atlas, who have no relevant background except their punditry on Fox News.

Governors working together on their own also will likely have a minimal impact. How about willing Governors working together with the Democratic House to impanel a bipartisan group of experts insisting on a national effort with timelines? Encouraging the Democratic House is worthwhile as the alternative is less testing, less contact tracing, school’s openings in a completely haphazard manner, and, most importantly, more deaths than would occur if we did have a national policy. We are the only industrialized country without a national policy. At the same time, I continue via AND to organize health professionals in a number of Congressional districts and very much am looking for health professionals to help me swing Fl, MI, PA electoral votes to Biden. Feedback welcome.

Stepien or Parscale? The Corona virus does not care.

David Posnett — Thu, 16 Jul 2020 03:36:18 +0000

WaPo reports that “Trump replaces campaign manager as polls show him trailing Joe Biden in 2020 race”.

President Trump announced on Facebook Wednesday evening that Bill Stepien would become his campaign manager, replacing Brad Parscale,…

Recent national and swing-state polls have shown Trump falling further behind former vice president Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, …amid a spreading pandemic that has greatly harmed the economy.

Honestly? All they can think about is control of the narrative. The Trump campaign still isn’t taking this seriously. No one wears masks? And that includes Trump’s followers, like Lee Zeldin, who attended the Tulsa rally and then returned on Airforce 1 with other Trump loyalists (no masks in sight) – see picture.

Mass gatherings and rallies? Still OK. The Republican convention in Florida? Or wherever they can find a compliant governor? OK. Parties and mass gatherings for July 4th? OK. And now, we are starting to see an uptick of new cases of Covid-19 including in Suffolk County NY.

It’s unavoidable. The virus doesn’t care about politics. By-passing the CDC for political control of the numbers of new cases and the reports from the hospitals? Still, the virus doesn’t care.

It is stunning that these people think they can out-maneuver SARS CoV-2. And as long as we don’t control the pandemic there is no hope of rescuing the economy.

It might be useful to read some history books. The plague easily triumphed over competing European superpowers of the time:

They Live in this Country. God Help Us.

David Posnett — Sun, 12 Jul 2020 03:35:55 +0000

Submitted by Rita Wasserman.

Here is the problem:

4 Bests

David Posnett — Sun, 05 Apr 2020 20:29:24 +0000

1. Best mask ever

2. Best read this morning:

What We Pretend to Know About the Coronavirus Could Kill Us

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/03/opinion/sunday/coronavirus-fake-news.html?referringSource=articleShare

3. Best video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxF_CDDJ0YI

Tony Schwartz: The Truth About Trump | Oxford Union Q&A. This is the guy who wrote “The Art of the Deal”. The interview dates to Nov 4th 2016.

4. Best news regarding climate change:

https://www.euronews.com/2020/03/04/nasa-confirms-a-fall-in-greenhouse-gas-emissions-in-china-amid-coronavirus-outbreak

The Case for Masks

David Posnett — Wed, 01 Apr 2020 21:26:53 +0000

The headlines and what the reasoning is behind them:

Austria makes masks compulsory as protection debate shifts!

Four European countries make masks mandatory!

From Czech Doctors & Citizens – The CRUCIAL MISSING Coronavirus Protection Guideline https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVEVve-3QeM

A University of San Fransisco research scientist shows how anyone can make a mask using a long sleeved T shirt, scissors and a paper towel as a filter. He shows how to cut the t-shirt and it is utterly simple and easy to do. He tells us the scientific data on masks and what materials work.

How Czech Republic Maintains Low Contagion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2dOs-LhJaQ

How to make your own mask https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FB–BOyTiU

I would add that I use construction masks that I got at Home Depot: less than $10 for one box with 50 masks. Not sure whether they are still available.