Vaccination does something, other people masking does nothing. So not sure you're quite there yet.
Respirators are always going to provide the best personal protection. My understanding, and it makes sense to me, is that regular masks do more to prevent the transmission of particles than protect the wearer. Even surgical masks - my personal choice - work for this. They're cheap and washable, thus reusable until the fitting strip breaks.Vaccination does something, other people masking does nothing. So not sure you're quite there yet.
The way the covid vaccination has worked out is that is has insignificant impact on infection or transmission and significant impact on the consequences of infection. So in a social setting it's neither here nor there.
If you want to protect yourself learn how to use high quality respirators and live with the oxygen reduction and the expense. Everything else is just pandering to the ignorant and fearful.
Respirators are always going to provide the best personal protection. My understanding, and it makes sense to me, is that regular masks do more to prevent the transmission of particles than protect the wearer. Even surgical masks - my personal choice - work for this. They're cheap and washable, thus reusable until the fitting strip breaks.
In sum, viral transmission is reduced if everyone wears masks so that fewer people get sick. Educate on the wearing of masks in closed settings like shops, schools, and public transport and mandate it. Compliance is good in NZ.
Masks to make a return in secondary schools. A tiny bit of sense prevails at last!
Get jabbed & wear a mask where mandated. It’s so simple.
I haven't seen it mentioned, but you wouldn't expect the new variant to be as bad in terms of mortality, most of the weak were seen off last time around.
I wonder how 25% staff absence will impact on schools. I think many will be lucky to get away with 25%, it'll run through schools like a dose of salts...
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...plan-for-covid-workplace-absences-of-up-to-25
SAGE must have done some math modelling of the consequences of these actions. Whatever the outcome of the modelling (surely it will be published at some point), it does look like the government does not want to introduce any more NPIs as many backbenchers object for some reason.Yep, I fully expect it’ll be more than 25% and many schools will be left with not enough staff to provide proper face to face teaching. Still, this is what you get when you put virtually no interventions in place and those you do are too little too late (again).
I am now beginning to hear and read ministers and other commentators alluding to the crass and utterly desperate opinion that nothing would stop Omicron anyway so the government policy is fine, but it was never about stopping it. It was (or should have been) about slowing it down so as to spread the infections over a longer period and hence the NHS wouldn’t be overloaded and we wouldn’t need to be planning for 25% workforce absence through sickness. Absolutely reckless behaviour by the government yet again frankly!
SAGE must have done some math modelling of the consequences of these actions. Whatever the outcome of the modelling (surely it will be published at some point), it does look like the government does not want to introduce any more NPIs as many backbenchers object for some reason.
The headline is provocative but Woolhouse makes many good points:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...ckdown-did-more-harm-than-good-says-scientist
It doesn’t.Woolhouse's argument essentially boils down to locking away the vulnerable so that everyone else can get on with things
The headline is provocative but Woolhouse makes many good points:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...ckdown-did-more-harm-than-good-says-scientist
The “why” matters, since this is going to run and run. If the government’s response has been catastrophic because it failed to provide adequate support, that’s different to saying it should have locked up more young people for having parties. The latter actually shifts responsibility onto the public - and often those who’ve suffered most.It’s just a different take on the same thing - Government and leadership have been catastrophic.