Am I the only one looking forward to not having to wear a mask.

[cinematicdiversions]

I understand this somehow became a political issue due to the anti science nut jobs. But wearing a mask is not a sign of virtue. It is a sign that there is an active health threat in the area and you are not protected from it.

If that is no longer the case, why wear the mask? And what is with all these articles from people stating how they love the mask because they don't need to wear makeup or smile at people. You know they sell burkas if you are interested in that route.

The Trump looneys turned not wearing a mask into some ridiculous political theater. I hope we are not deciding to turn wearing a mask where none is needed into our own version of virtue signaling political theater.

[forthemiddle]

1. That's exactly how I feel!

If a business asks me to wear one I will, otherwise it’s no mask for me!

[VarryOn]

103. My mask is in my pocket until I get to a business' door...

Mask required? No problem, and I put mine on. Not required, I've not been wearing mine for about 2 weeks in those circumstances.

I'm fully vaccinated, so my frame is I'm not likely to catch the virus. And if I do, it won't be that bad. Also, I'm very unlikely to spread it.

If things worsen, I have no issue reverting back to always wearing a mask indoors. I never have done it outdoors.

Based on today's CDC guidance that we vaccinated folks done need to worry about most indoor situations. I'm hoping my employer frees up the vaccinated in the office.

[SheltieLover]

2. Vaccines are 94-95% effective & not enough data on variants to determine safety imo

Jmo, but I'm not giving up my masking / social distancing anytime soon.

[Marie Marie]

26. I'm with you on this.

[Treefrog]

27. Same here.

A lot of people think they’re completely safe if fully vaccinated. It’s not true and I’m amazed how many here don’t know that.

Story posted here earlier about 7 people working for the Yankees organization who all tested positive after vaccination.

[beaglelover]

32. Did any of them need to be hospitalized or die??????????????????????????????

[womanofthehills]

75. Yes, unfortunately-

(CNN)About 5,800 people who have been vaccinated against coronavirus have become infected anyway, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tells CNN.

Some became seriously ill and 74 people died, the CDC said. It said 396 -- 7% -- of those who got infected after they were vaccinated required hospitalization. https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/14/health/breakthrough-infections-covid-vaccines-cdc/index.html

[beaglelover]

77. So according to that article.....

5,800 vaccinated people got COVID out of 77,000,000 people who were vaccinated. Of those 5,800, only 396 required hospitalization and 74 died. I'll take those odds thank you very much!!!

[womanofthehills]

105. This is not good - CDC changing how they count breakthroughs

Bloomberg) --

Federal health officials this month decided to limit how they monitor vaccinated people who have been infected with Covid-19, drawing concern from some scientists who say that may mean missing needed data showing why and how it happens.

At the end of April, more than 9,000 Americans were reported to be infected after being vaccinated, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While that’s a tiny percentage of the 95 million people fully inoculated at the time, researchers still want to find out what specific mechanisms may be spurring the infections.“We shouldn’t be narrowing the focus, we should be broadening and develop a systematic plan,” said Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla.

At the start of May, the CDC shifted from monitoring all reported breakthroughs to only those that result in hospitalization or death, Tom Clark, head of the vaccine evaluation unit for the CDC’s vaccine task force, said in an interview. The goal of the new strategy, according to the agency: maximize the quality of data collected on cases.

Total number of breakthrough infections reported to CDC9,245
Females 5,827 (63%)
People aged 60 and older 4,245 (45%)
Asymptomatic infections 2,525 (27%)
Hospitalizations 835 (9%)
Deaths 132 (1%)
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/cdc-limits-review-of-vaccinated-but-infected-draws-concern/ar-BB1gx1au?ocid=uxbndlbing

[SheltieLover]

119. Ty for sharing.

I've no use for CDC at this point.

[CrackityJones75]

83. Should we calculate the odds of that?

Should we calculate the odds of that? Or should we just agree that is an amazingly small percentage?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

49. You are exactly right. For the life of me I can't understand why people can't understand that. nt

[GulfCoast66]

55. Because we now have actual data. Not studies from the vaccine development period.

100,000,000 vaccinated Americans. Less than 10,000 breakthrough cases. That 1 in 10,000.

Less than 150 dead. Out of 100,000,000. That getting close to one in a million. Literally.

Joe’s team is following science with this call.

I’m fully vaccinated. My odds are way worse at dying from driving than from Covid.

I can’t understand why so many people can’t understand that.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

59. Yup... Stats show chance very small. But there is a chance and the fact

has always been that we don't know who that one person who could infect us is. I say if you don't care don't wear a mask. If you do, leave those who want to to do as they please?

[GulfCoast66]

62. I don't care if people continue to wear masks.

If fact I will happily wear one in facilities that still request I do so. I dislike the mask but have been very careful to follow science and mask up.

But I don’t like reading all the overplaying of the odds of getting Covid after Vaccinated.

I’ll continue to follow the CDC guidelines as I have for over a year.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

74. I think there's residual mistrust from CDC, Fauci, trump, the

whole lot of them. To ME anyway.

[consider_this]

115. Okeydoke, but...

I expect those vaccinated people were also taking the regular mask wearing and distancing precautions. Do we have any way to know the efficacy without combining the vaccine with those precautions - including the precautions being taken in the general community. what happens when those dissappear (as i am sure [not]) that unvaccinated are going to stick to the recommended precautions. I really worry for the children right now.

[XanaDUer2]

87. me neither

my job requires me to stand near people. Masks for me still

[cadoman]

97. if the science says otherwise you'd be crazy not to

But you should have the choice to continue masking if you are not confident in their assessments, or live in a low-vaccination rate red state.

[totodeinhere]

118. Nobody is telling you that you cannot wear a mask.

But I am willing to take a chance if my odds of getting it are only 5%. And studies show that even if you do get a breakthrough infection your chances of getting seriously ill or dying are virtually nil if you are fully vaccinated. That's good enough for me.

If I were to go through my life worrying about the remote chance that something might go wrong then I would never drive a car or take a train or airliner. Almost any activity carries at least some minimal risk.

[eissa]

3. I hate wearing it and am so glad I no longer need to

Before I get attacked, I wear my mask everywhere and abide by all the guidelines. Do I like wearing it? No, I absolutely hate it. I do worry that going out without one now will have people thinking I'm some anti-mask republican, but I'm not sticking with it if there is no need to just to score some political points. I look forward to never wearing that thing again.

[smirkymonkey]

51. I feel exactly the same way.

I always wear one when I go out or go into a place of business (which isn't often), but I really hate it. Especially outside when I just want to breathe in the fresh spring air and smell the trees and flowers. I will still carry a few extra masks with me in my bag, but I am happy that the restrictions are loosening.

[Trueblue1968]

81. people are just gonna squabble and fight about this. doesn't bother me i want to be safe.

to my brothers and sisters ..... folks take care and be safe.

[hlthe2b]

4. I find it somewhat amusing that the public has found this to be so onerous and unacceptable...

Then again, like most health care professionals, I spend 40% of my life wearing one type of face mask or the other.

I WILL enjoy not having to deal with anti-maskers causing scenes (or worse) everywhere I go though.

Save those masks for next winter's flu season, though (and should additional variants of COVID-19 require)

[rurallib]

5. As far as I know there are still active health threats all across the country

And the vaccines are not 100% effective and there are huge swaths of people who refuse to get vaccinated.
Based on that, preferring not to take a chance on getting what sounds like a miserable illness, I will continue to mask until rates of infection are much lower.

Oh, did I mention that the virus mutates?

[SheltieLover]

7. +1

[Siwsan]

11. Precisely where I am, when it comes to masks.

I'm just not confident we are past the risk.

[abqtommy]

44. +100 Thanks! The mask has been just dandy as part of my Personal Protection for over a

year now. And I'll keep it handy going forward because there's more illnesses and
pandemics here and coming along.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

6. A lot of people are wearing masks when they absolutely do not have to.

Such as walking in the park. It simply makes no sense to keep wearing them everywhere. The whole point of masks and social distancing was to keep us as safe as possible until we could get vaccinated. I'm vaccinated, and I'll be very happy to go maskless as much as possible. I will honor any signs in stores telling me to wear a mask.

[underpants]

13. When the CDC released the new guidelines last week for outside wear

I think it was last week.

I was like D’UH. I don’t wear a mask outside walking the dog and neither does anyone else. Suburban setting so we can easily avoid each other.

At work the unofficial rule was masks at all times anywhere on campus unless you were in your own office. Okay. I’m outside from time to time but we Te still thin here so again easy to avoid each other.

[eissa]

22. We would escape to the coast during shutdown

to get some fresh air while hiking trails by the ocean. Here we were in an area with clean, fresh air, and very few people, yet some were wearing masks while hiking. We would quickly put ours on if we were to encounter people, but never understood why it was needed in remote areas like this.

[chowder66]

23. There are people realizing that masking outside has helped their allergies. nt

[womanofthehills]

106. I live 4 miles down a dry dirt road and discovered wearing a mask on a dirt road is a great thing

Fewer particulates in my lungs. Also helps with allergies and cleaning my chicken coop. However, it doesn’t help much with the gross chemical smell in our local dollar store.

[chowder66]

112. That's great! I live in L.A. so it also helps with the smog. Sorry about your dollar store!!nt

[llmart]

52. That's exactly how I feel about it.

I'm not around a lot of people on a regular basis as it is, so I'm quite pleased with the CDC's announcement.

[womanofthehills]

80. Bad decision with so many new variants heading our way

Actually, the “variant of concern” labeled by the WHO is doubling every day in the UK and is is now in US. The B.1.617.2 and B.1.617.3. This variants mutations may make the virus better at evading the bodies defenses.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

99. Exactly. In my novice opinion we are only in a lull now. Stupid, naive

me thought that when Biden got in, it would be roses everywhere. No new virus variants would get in. And the government would know exactly where every variant case was. How silly of me. Much of TX doesn't even know about variant infiltration cuz it's more expensive and not timely for private labs to sequence.

[womanofthehills]

82. Bad decision with so many new Indian variants heading our way

Actually, the B.1.617.2 Indian “variant of concern” (labeled by the WHO) is now doubling every week in the UK and is now also in the US. This variant’s mutations may make the virus better at evading the bodies defenses.

[Elessar Zappa]

8. I'm vaccinated

with cystic fibrosis and I’ll stop wearing them soon, except when I’m in a crowded indoor situation.

[Siwsan]

9. I understand people continuing to mask, to err on the side of caution

For me the vaccine offers about 90% protection - and I'm not sure for how long. Additionally, I could still get Covid, be asymptomatic, and pass it on to someone who, for whatever reason, isn't vaccinated. Then there's the variants. These vaccines protect us from most, but there's still the risk that some could, potentially, overwhelm the antibodies. So, there are situations when I will definitely still be wearing a mask.

I just don't see why that should be an issue.

[underpants]

17. Funny it will feel odd not having one at some time.

I’m keeping them handy for a while. Hell we all avoided even flulike symptoms this year. I guess I’m sort of conditioned. Okay. I did my part.

[Siwsan]

18. I have a box of the blue paper masks.

I will probably do a 'step down' from my cloth ones to those. However, I'm not getting rid of the cloth ones. I just have a gut feeling we aren't really out of the woods, yet.

[Haggard Celine]

10. I'm pretty sick of masks.

During the worst part of the outbreak I was pretty scared, and I looked at unmasked people like they'd lost their minds. I never saw anybody make a scene over having to wear one, though. But now I've been vaccinated, and my friends and family have as well. I'm ready to find out what normal is like, because I've totally forgotten.

[Liberty Belle]

12. Trouble is there's no way to know if unvaccinated people go maskless, too.

There is still a 9% chance of getting COVID and passing it along to others right now, so I wouldn't want to be maskless except around other vaccinated people.

I don't want to be in say, a crowded store with a maskless Trumper breathing down my neck with no mask on.

I wish they would issue vaccine cards and require all indoor venues to ask for proof of vaccination, or make people put on masks. But of course even if the feds require this many businesses won't comply.

Guess I'll go back to ordering stuff online for a while, or do curbside pickup. Just when I was finally feeling safe to go out again with a mask on, since being vaccinated, now I'm worried again. I have a 90-year-old Mom I see daily and can't take chances.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

56. Agree. Plus all the people who had covid... More seems to be

coming out that they could get it again. And wonder how many of them are getting vaccinated? Bottom line it seems to me that if you are close physically to a lot of people... No matter what.. higher risk.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

101. +1,000,000

[rickford66]

14. I like wearing it in the super market.

I can mumble out loud about the bad drivers.

[underpants]

16. I think I will for a while.

I’m sure businesses will keep up their signs if for nothing else not looking like Neanderthals.

[MissMillie]

15. Well, the mask makes my glasses fog up, so... no. (n/t)

.

[CrackityJones75]

85. This!

I actually think the mask is more hazardous to my health at this point because I can’t see where I am going.

However I am both vaccinated and had covid last september.

[GReedDiamond]

89. I went to an eyeglass store where I bought anti-fogging spray...

...for my glasses. You also need an eyeglass cleaner and microfiber cloth specifically for eyewear, which I already had.

After cleaning your lenses, you just spray (1 squirt) the anti-fogger onto the microfiber cloth, and apply it to both sides of the lenses, then use a dry microfiber cloth to spread the anti-fogger fully over the lenses until it's no longer visible.

Now you may wear your mask with no fogging of your glasses. One application should last about one week.

[smirkymonkey]

92. Oh, that's good to know. I don't always need to wear my glasses, but part of the reason I don't is

because of the fogging. Thanks for the tip!

[GReedDiamond]

94. Yer Welcome!

[snowybirdie]

19. Such a wonderful country!

We can all decide for ourselves how we'll approach mask wearing. Think what you want and don't lecture to strangers. The American way.

[Tracer]

20. I was attacked by a pro-masker!

Was at my town's recycling center about a month ago (and before the state said it was OK to be maskless outside, away from people).

The trash dumpster is well away from the recycling section and obviously -- outside. Maskless and alone, I pulled up to dump my bag of trash --- which would take all of 10 seconds --- and an older guy pulls up and starts screaming at me to "wear the damn mask" and literally shrieking other things at the top of his lungs.

Shocked at his outburst, all I could do was say "we aren't close, it's outside and I'm vaccinated". He stormed off to his car and sped away.

[VarryOn]

104. Good for you! You were nicer than I'm afraid I could've been...

It never ceases to amaze me how many people cant mind their own damned business. These are probably the ones who volunteered to "take names" in the early grades! Lol

As I increasingly go without my mask since I'm fully vaccinated, I need a great anger-free response to whatever Karen points out my failing (in her eyes.). A dash of humor would be cool, too

[spinbaby]

21. I've switched to a lighter mask

After having an N95 mask clamped to my face, wearing a lightweight medical mask feels like no mask at all.

[cinematicdiversions]

25. Mandatory Post

[maxsolomon]

24. I'm actually a little pissed at the CDC right now.

Giving fuel to Anti-Masker's defiance. Not only is it NOW safe to go unmasked outdoors, it apparently was ALWAYS safe to do it.

'When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines last month for mask wearing, it announced that “less than 10 percent” of Covid-19 transmission was occurring outdoors. Media organizations repeated the statistic, and it quickly became a standard description of the frequency of outdoor transmission.

But the number is almost certainly misleading.

It appears to be based partly on a misclassification of some Covid transmission that actually took place in enclosed spaces (as I explain below). An even bigger issue is the extreme caution of C.D.C. officials, who picked a benchmark — 10 percent — so high that nobody could reasonably dispute it.

That benchmark “seems to be a huge exaggeration,” as Dr. Muge Cevik, a virologist at the University of St. Andrews, said. In truth, the share of transmission that has occurred outdoors seems to be below 1 percent and may be below 0.1 percent, multiple epidemiologists told me. The rare outdoor transmission that has happened almost all seems to have involved crowded places or close conversation."

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/11/briefing/outdoor-covid-transmission-cdc-number.html

[Treefrog]

28. I lost faith in the CDC long ago.

[maxsolomon]

33. That's really sad, isn't it?

They don't have much faith in the intelligence of Americans, either. Can't say I blame them much...

[Treefrog]

35. Yes, on both points!

[Deuxcents]

29. A lot of this is common sense

But I understand some people need o be told what to do. I’m vax’d twice but have had pneumonia twice so.. I’m wearing my mask for a while b/c too many anti vaxers did not participate n most likely don’t wear masks.

[beaglelover]

30. Nope, can't wait until I don't have to wear a mask. I'm fully vaccinated, I should not need to!

[Native]

31. I'm definitely happy about this. I just wish I had an "I'm vaccinated" pin to put others at ease.

[maxsolomon]

36. You can get them. Easy peasy.

https://dissentpins.com/products/im-vaccinated-pin

Baseball hats, Ts, masks. Anything you want!

[Native]

41. I just ordered a pack of bright silicone wristbands!

24 for $8.99, Prime.

[maxsolomon]

42. awesome, I might do the same and pass them out!

America!

[SMC22307]

34. Equating masks with burqas. How original.

Ooh, and virtual signaling! LOL

[cinematicdiversions]

38. No... but saying you want to continue to wear a mask so you don't need to maintain personal

hygiene and appearance standards is a bit strange (And yes there are actual editorials promoting this)

https://www.insidehook.com/daily_brief/news-opinion/women-keep-face-masks-male-gaze

But you have a point Burkas are a bit sexist may I suggest something from our summer camp collection for the man in your life. Perhaps a Hockey mask.

[48656c6c6f20]

121. So Burka or crazed killer mask?

That doesn't seem to help your character much. You've made impression and I guess it's the one you're looking for.

[CousinIT]

37. No. I hate wearing them but they do have some advantages:

Keeping my face warm in Winter
Keeping me from choking when doing yard work, spraying bug spray or mowing the lawn - whatever makes me hack.

So I will keep my masks for that and keep one with me for whenever they are still required too.

[Chainfire]

39. The people who never wore a mask, or were not vaccinated

will be be reminding us that he/she never got the virus, so it really was a hoax..... I know how they think.

[GulfCoast66]

40. Unless a facility requires one, I'm done with it.

I have no problem if others continue to wear them. And the new guidelines lay out who should still wear them and when they should still be worn.

The latest data I could find showed 10000 or so breakthrough cases out of 100 million vaccinated people. Unless I did my math wrong(always a possibility) that is a 1 in 10,000 chance. Less than 150 deaths. The math speaks for itself.

Politically it would be devastating to the party that encouraged science and totally altered Americans lives while the entire time telling the public ‘until we have a vaccine’. And then after almost 50% of Americans are vaccinated telling them nothing can change. Even though science shows them safe.

I also fear some liberals have made wearing masks as being a sign of our identity. And for that reason are reluctant to give them up.

By June or July everyone who wants the vaccine will have it. And a good many Americans will continue dying of Covid, although at a lesser rate. The unvaccinated will be dying.

[LeftInTX]

66. I started going to the gym...I get too hot with it on all the time...

Yes, I'm vaccinated....

I always have it with me, but on the treadmill and some weights, I get overheated and take it off.

My body is paying a price for not going to the gym for over a year.

(The gym does not have a mask requirement)

[beaglelover]

70. My gym still has a mask mandate, but most people on the cardio equipment pull it down while

they are exercising. I do as well now that I'm fully vaccinated. I'm not worried about getting COVID at this point.

[Chainfire]

43. The people who never wore a mask, or were not vaccinated

will be be reminding us that he/she never got the virus, so it really was a hoax..... I know how they think.

I will continue to honor the wishes of business owners who have signs posted. I sure would love to go out to eat, something we haven't done for 15 months. I don't know if I am ready for that.....

[Chainfire]

45. The people who never wore a mask, or were not vaccinated

will be be reminding us that he/she never got the virus, so it really was a hoax..... I know how they think.

I will continue to honor the wishes of business owners who have signs posted. I sure would love to go out to eat, something we haven't done for 15 months. I don't know if I am ready for that.....

[Ka-Dinh Oy]

46. I hate wearing masks but I plan on wearing them for a very very long time.

I even have some cool masks on order right now. I get fun prints on cloth masks that I can insert the surgical masks into.

I just do not like being in public places without one on despite the fact I am totally vaccinated.

Maybe it is considered paranoia but I like to err on the side ofcation.

[FakeNoose]

47. I never got a cold all winter, in fact I haven't had one in over a year

I'm sure the mask-wearing has made a difference for all of us.

But there are a lot of inconveniences too. I'm hard-of-hearing and I normally rely on lip-reading when people talk to me in public, so of course that's impossible to do while we're wearing masks. I used to be a little vain about wearing make-up when I go out (I'm a woman), but in the last year I've gotten completely over that! People I have met in the last year - not many, but a few - I'll have to meet all over again without their masks. I really couldn't recognize them now.

[Iggo]

48. Minor nitpick.

It is a sign of virtue.

That’s not all that it is.

But it definitely is that.

[TheFarseer]

50. Masks suck

I’ll wear it if necessary but I’d much rather not wear one.

[Tripper11]

53. I am very much so....but....

I will continue to wear mine when I need to interact in public ie: grocery stores etc.
My wife is immunosuppressed and when she got her vaccines had to sign a paper acknowledging that due to her illness her vaccine may not be as effective as a healthy person/
So out of love and caution, I will mask up for the time being.
I am, optimistic we are getting there, but with breakthrough cases, I am still a little worried.

[Foolacious]

54. No, there are probably others. N/T

[Doc_Technical]

57. Wearing a mask

is cheaper than going to the dentist.

[LeftInTX]

68. LOL!!!

Easier than applying lip balm every 5 minutes too!

[Marrah_Goodman]

72. That would be funny if it wasn't true

I like wearing the mask. I lost a front tooth and I am saving up for an implant. So right now I can go out without feeling like people are staring at my missing tooth.

[Wounded Bear]

58. Am still wearing one indoors, though...

and will probably continue for a couple of more months. Will be watching the stats on pct vaxxed, particularly in my local area.

I've pretty much stopped wearing outside, but I carry one with me for if I get close to others.

[LanternWaste]

60. Is there any objective evidence, or even anecdotal experience you can specifically point to...

which engenders this (most sincere, I'm sure) hope of yours? :"I hope we are not deciding to turn wearing a mask where none is needed into our own version of virtue signaling political theater."

Are there people you encounter saying "yipee! I'm so happy to continue wearing my mask despite not needing it!!!"?

And was your dig at the similarities between masks and burkas simply an irrelevant fallacy, or merely petulance on your part?


Welcome back

[cinematicdiversions]

63. There are entire posts chock fuil of people stating they will wear the mask because...

They don't want to be mistaken for Republicans...

As well as those that all of a sudden don't trust the C.D.C. under Biden strangely enough.

Also, a boatload of chicken littles.

This is wonderful news. And about time to. We wore the masks. We got vaccinated. its over time to get back to regular life again

I think that last part scares some people.

[LanternWaste]

67. You seem frustrated people are making benign choices that don't involve you without you.

That said, I doubt normal life scares anyone, but I certainly understand the self-righteous sanctimony that can lead people to allege as much... it may be the only pat on the back they get all week.

[cinematicdiversions]

73. I am sorry I gave that impression

I am not frustrated at all by the C.D.C> ruling. I am elated. I am more humored in an observing other people kind of way at the length some people will go to keep the mask wearing status quo, however.

If you want to wear a mask for any reason (Outside of a bank of course) go for it. You be you.

[seaglass]

88. Don't have much of an imagination do you? I have a 12 day old grandchild that I would like to see

stay healthy. 71 million fuckers voted for Trump. Do you think I should just believe maskless people are vaxxed? That I can't get an asymptomatic case of covid and pass it along to my brand new grandchild???

[Yavin4]

61. Risk mitigation is being shifted to the individual.

If you're concerned about the virus, then by all means continue to wear the masks and social distance even if vaccinated, but the government is not going to mandate that vaccinated people do so.

If you're not vaccinated and don't want to wear a mask and socially distance yourself, then you're taking on a risk like a cigarette smoker does.

[ecstatic]

64. This is a game changer

Anyone who continues to wear a mask will be exposed as non-vaxxed, but if they don't wear a mask, they'll be infected by non-vaxxed/infected trumpers who aren't in masks either.

A lot of pressure there.

[Shrek]

65. Tired of my glasses fogging up

Can't wait to trash it forever.

[mcar]

69. I'm delighted

Here in FL, I have to assume many of the people I encounter have not been vaccinated. Up until today, I have worn a mask in grocery stores and to pick up takeout.

Fewer and fewer people have worn masks here, regardless. I no longer have to be considerate.

[Marrah_Goodman]

71. I kind of like them

I had a front tooth get knocked out and am waiting to get an implant. The mask has been a blessing. Also, haven't been sick once since I started wearing one.

[Texaswitchy]

76. I will continue to wear a mask in public.

Even with the shots.

There are to many without the shots and will not get the shots.

I have been paying attention to India.

Go on YouTube and watch news from there.

They thought they had the virus under control also.

I do not care what others do but me and my mask will go out together for the rest of the year.

[Calculating]

78. I'm right with you

I'm vaccinated and ready to get back to normal. I wear glasses and wearing a mask with them is awful. I'm willing to trust in the vaccine and go back to living life.

[Skittles]

79. yes but that time isn't any time soon

nope

[BradAllison]

86. Take a look at public/sporting events in Japan

Even before Covid. You'll see about 50% are wearing masks. A throw back to the SARS and Avian outbreaks.

Are they virtue signalling?

For now I'll stick with my mask. And it's really no one's fucking business if they don't like it.

[LeftInTX]

91. I lived in Japan 1960-63..they all wore masks back then

Long before SARS....

I always wanted to wear on myself cuz I thought they looked cool.

[Arazi]

90. Done with it outdoors. Will decide about wearing it indoors case by case

Grocery, doctor's office, big box stores - probably yes. Anywhere lots of potential spreaders are spending a lot of time inside I'll be cautious.

Local nursery/landscape store, quick pizza pick-up, liquor store - probably not. In and out with minimal exposure...

I'm not dining indoors or going to movies or any other extended close contact venue this year

[LetMyPeopleVote]

93. I love this graphic

I am looking forward to not wearing a mask

Link to tweet

[JCMach1]

95. Not alone... I did my duty, but real Covid damage and old sinus scar tissue

(from getting line driven by a pitch and stopping the ball with my face) left me wanting out from under the mask at all times.

It really, really did make it hard to breathe at times... No hyperbole. 2 big reasons I always wanted to slap whiney MASKHOLES.

[cadoman]

96. I wear it out of duty, but can't wait till we get 70% and can stop

Being able to go to shows, socialize, date, hug, chat. We used to be such a fun people. The sooner we get back to that the better.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

102. We used to be fun people? Like that :)

[Ms. Toad]

98. Only 45% of the people in my county are vaccinated.

And there have been 140 cases/100,000 in the past 2 weeks. That is considered a very high rate of infection.

It has nothing to do with virtue - it has to do with being safe. No vaccine is 100% safe. J&J is in the 75% range; Moderna and Pfizer in the 95% range. As long as there is a high rate of infection, vaccinated people will still be in contact with a high number of people who are ill. 25% of lots of sick people is still a significant chance of infection. Once the number of sick people goes down (or the vaccination rate increases) it will be safe to go without masks.

But that's not yet.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

100. I am no statistician... But my intuitive side says that this whole horror

has been about being around a lot of people. Like I don't think the 95% efficacy would be true IF you were, say, in close proximity to a room full of covid-19 patients. And for those of us stuck in a stupid state, a gathering could involve hundreds of deniers. Like I said, not a statistician, but the risk rate has GOT to be higher than jogging on a path in CT.

[Ms. Toad]

109. The 95% doesn't change, but your risk does..

If you count exposures that will give you COVID, there are a whole lot more i of those i exposures indoors than on a jogging path.

This isn't exactly how it works (and the numbers are a bit exaggerated to be large enough to be understandable), but it is useful to explain the concept:

Going to a very crowded wedding reception, where you hang around pinnacles, circulate the room, over a several hour period, in an area where COVID is high and vaccination rate is low might create 50 exposures that would give you COVID. If you're vaccinated with an nRNA vaccine, you'd have a 2.5% chance (.05 x 50) of walking away with COVID. With J&J, a 12.5% chance.

Move the wedding party to an area where 70% of the people are vaccinated, the COVID infection rate is low, and people are masked, and the number of exposures that would cause COVID will drop dramatically. If it drops to 1 exposure, rather than 50, your chance of walking away with COVID drops to .05% (.05 x 1). With J&J, a .25 chance (.25 x 1).

The exaggeration is in the number of COVID-causing exposures at a single event - it is far more likely that even in a wedding with tons of people you would only encounter 1 COVID-causing exposure (and none at most weddings in a safe area with people still wearing masks). All of the super-spreading weddings I am aware of have been tracked back to a single person as the weeding patient zero. But i hope the larger numbers show how your intuition works out with the vaccine efficacy rates to match your intuition Over time, in an area with high infection rates, low vaccination rates, and early mask removal, you will build up to those 50 COVID causing exposures a lot faster than if you stick to the jogging trail in an area with low infection and high vaccination.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

110. Thank you! Let me re-phrase to see if I got it..

What 95% effectiveness means is that you have a 5% chance of getting infected if vaccinated

Based on how many people you are around, and whether or not the group is vaccinated or practices safe behavior -and- depending on the physical place you are in, that number ( your chance of getting infected) slides up or down.

To me, this is not understood by most people.

[Ms. Toad]

111. Yup. You got it. N/t

[Laura PourMeADrink]

114. And risk for those who have already been infected must follow

The recent Mt Sinai study found 10% of soldiers who have had covid-19 once got reinfected. Their physical circumstances affected this outcome. Around lots of people in tight quarters.

[Norbert]

107. I will wear one as long as it's mandated.I didn't say I like to wear them though

[Silent3]

108. Yes, but I'll keep my masks for use later

We saw such an enormous drop in flu cases along with the COVID precautions, I think it would be a good idea going forward, now that we've gotten used to wearing masks, to put one on when you're feeling sick but still have to be out in public, or during flu outbreaks.

[Devil Child]

113. You are not alone n/t

[Demsrule86]

116. It is not about politics...flu is way down with mask wearing...personally, I hate the flu.

[DiamondShark]

117. Personal opinion only.

I think every person not wearing a mask is an anti-vaxer, con, and/or trump humper. I don't care that CDC says it is ok, until there are 0 cases I will wear a mask and the listed categories will continue the spread of the virus.

[cinematicdiversions]

120. Not wearing a mask means you are pro vaccine, pro science at this point.

I have a hard time understanding why this concept is so hard.

And for the love of god I have a hard time understanding why people cannot accept the US did well.

Y'all must have been a barrel of laughs on VJ day.

[DiamondShark]

122. When congress relaxes the rules regarding masks, then and only then,

we will be gaining. You may disagree with my opinion on people not wearing masks in public, but until the virus is eradicated worldwide we are all still at risk from variants.

May 13, 2021 CDC data shows 37231 New Cases and 733 New Deaths in the US. Seems to me the virus is still active and we should not drop our guard as we get closer to the end.