I'm going to make the Covid / Flu comparison...

[Yavin4]

33. Globally, COVID-19 has killed 3.6 million people which is probably below the rate of death from...

poverty. The average age of those who died is approx. 80 years old. For people aged 50 and over, the virus can be very deadly. For everyone else, it's a little worse than the flu, but your chances of survival are good unless you have a co-morbidity. Even today, the global counts are falling all over the world including India.

I think that social distancing (people working from home, capacity limits on social gatherings, etc.) had more to do with the decline in colds and influenza than masks. I think that masks are becoming a crutch that people put too much value into. You're right in that people need to take charge of their own individual health. Build up their immune systems through better diets and exercise. And getting vaccinated.