COVID-19
The Real Reason to Wear a Mask — Not What You Think
People focus on secondary issues and completely miss the primary problem
The spread of the coronavirus is just starting. Florida and Brazil prove that summer won’t stop it. Keeping the economy shut down will eventually endanger the food and fuel supply, along with people’s sanity. What a mess!
Most likely, the entire population will eventually be exposed. How you do depends mostly on overall health, genetics, self-care, and luck.
Medical treatments, at best, keep the victim alive until the body can defeat it. The real problem is slowing the transmission of the infection down enough to span a longer time-frame. Too many cases, too close together, will overwhelm medical facilities, taking up space needed for other emergencies.
You, the responsible individual, need to do your part
Masks
Masks and social distancing aren’t foolproof, but they do slow down the transmission rate. Doctors wear masks during surgery to keep their own breath from spreading an infection to the patients. The same applies to you. Their masks are much better, but even the minimum is better than nothing.
Masks could become the new status symbols
They can also prevent you from catching the virus through air transmission from someone else. Unfortunately, that’s not the only transmission method, so you still need to wash your hands and follow other precautions.
Fools refuse to wear them
Some claim a constitutional right not to wear one. Could refusal to wear one be viewed as a form of assault? Don’t know.
Some may have a legitimate medical reason not to wear one. They could use a clear plastic face shield. It’s probably more expensive and may not be as effective, but better than nothing.
Complete refusal is ridiculous. Just like the druggie or drunk getting into a car, the person refusing to wear a mask shows contempt for their own body and a lack of respect for everyone else. Going out without your mask is as reckless as driving 90 mph through a school zone.
Leadership?
A good leader sets the example. In this case, the leader could wear a 500-dollar shield, even for press conferences. The shields could even have American flags and other insignia. That’s for leaders who listen to the scientists.
Playing Ostrich?
Failure to do so puts the leader into this position: “Do as I say and not as I do.” Of course, some leaders play ostrich, with their head in the sand and butt in the air, waiting to be kicked. The virus comes with a hefty boot.
Conclusion
Only a vaccine can stop the virus. Until then, we should do everything possible to slow down the spread. Failure to control the spread of the virus potentially puts a big strain on the medical system. Then there won’t be space for:
car-accident victims, heart attacks, any emergency, or urgent surgeries.
Remember, the life you save by wearing a mask may be your spouse, child, parent, sweetheart, or yourself.
Note: The news announced that the Houston, TX medical center, the largest in the world, was full 2 hours after this article was published.
If you need some other reasons, here’s what it will do to your body.
