Haven't had a cold or sinus infection or any kind of allergy since Jan of 2020. I will keep my mask

[joetheman]

I usually have at least 6-8 weeks of very bad colds and sinus infections every year. Last year none!
I will continue to wear my mask for several reasons:

I am used to it
It has protected me from very bad sinus and cold infections
I feel safer
I know too many people who refuse to get the vaccine.
When school fully opens I will be around several children who will bring home all the school germs as in the past.

I am free to wear it. To those who cried wearing a mask is taking away their freedoms, wearing my mask is my freedom.

[MineralMan]

1. Good point, and it echoes my own thinking about this.

[Siwsan]

2. Same here. I haven't had a cold since February, 2020

I was in the midst of that cold when I was exposed, several times, to Covid 19. There's a theory that having a cold might have provided protection, since I already had a type Covid antibody at work in my system. However, I wouldn't recommend it as a deterrent.

I will definitely keep masking when I'm shopping. At least for now.

[Freddie]

5. Yes shopping and other public indoor spaces

Like on a plane. But not outdoors, or indoors if the people are vaccinated.

[Freddie]

3. Agree!

But I really miss singing in the church choir and I intend to go back when we resume, probably in the fall. It’s mostly seniors like myself and I don’t think there’s any anti-vaxxers in the group.

[Pantagruel]

4. Me too !

You have everyone else masking , distancing and sanitizing, almost feel sorry for the beleaguered germs. But I hate the mask, already taking my walks with it around my neck rather than over my mouth. Still will wear it shopping or in crowds for a while longer.

[Ilsa]

6. No infections in my household, either.

Masking, handwashing, wipes, etc has kept us healthy.

[dalton99a]

7. Assholes who scream freedom should respect the freedom of mask wearers.

[FakeNoose]

20. Exactly right

[Klaralven]

8. I worry about day cares and schools, since in normal years they have recurrent waves of disease

Haven't seen data, but I'd bet that pediatric conjunctivitis was way down last year.

[LeftInTX]

23. I'm sure social distancing is a big factor too..

My granddaughter is 4 and autistic. There is no way that she can wear a mask, so she has stayed home the entire time. However, she probably could do social distancing.

Also little kids don't do well with masks. Maybe 1st grade and up, but I'm sure there are compliance issues with little kids.

[demigoddess]

47. we have a handicapped daughter who is on the level of a one year old. She

surprisingly, wore the mask okay. Just tried to take it off occasionally. I was surprised.

[brewens]

9. Yup. Most years, but not every year, I get something. I always get a flu shot and only once in

the last 20 years or so have I had anything that was probably flu. One get by the vax somehow sometimes I guess. Nothing this last year. I didn't miss it a bit.

I would hope to see the CDC urge masks every cold and flu season from here on out. I suspect a lot of people like me already intend to wear them. A lot of us have a good supply. Why leave them on the stack and go out and get sick?

[LeftInTX]

24. Thinking this too...

But keep in mind, our immune systems "are always learning" and they "learn" from colds and flu.

I don't know what would happen if someone wore a mask for 10 years, then all of a sudden went without one?

I do feel immuno-compromised individuals should wear masks from here on out.

I will probably wear one if I develop a cold or flu etc. (This was already the routine at the doctors office just before Covid, they slapped a mask on me..LOL)

I may wear one here and there too...But I don't want to be so "free of germs" that it actually lowers my immunity.

I do think there will be studies and guidelines for seasonal cold and flu here on out.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

30. People here don't seem to understand that.

I'm glad you've brought it up.

Our immune systems are designed to fight lots and lots of infections in the early years, getting more and more robust. I'll gloss over the fact that infant and childhood mortality was very high in the past. Anyway, if we made it to age ten, we were probably good to go for another forty or more years.

I'm worried about all the young kids who've been home for a year now, haven't been exposed to the kinds of things they would have been exposed to. There's going to be a huge lot of illnesses while they essentially catch up.

I've had maybe three colds since I moved to my current city in 2008. With colds, once you've had one specific cold and recovered from it, you can't get that cold again. It's just that there are several hundred different cold viruses. It's why little kids typically get lots and lots of colds. And apparently, if your immune system just isn't very strong, you can get a cold a second time from the same virus.

You are absolutely right to say I don't want to be so "free of germs" that it actually lowers my immunity.

[brewens]

43. I'm 60, so I'm hoping my immune system doesn't need any more natural tuning up.

I'll go with just trying to avoid contracting any viruses. I won't go crazy about it though. When COVID is gone, if I don't have a mask on me, I'll go ahead and go in somewhere anyway.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

48. Older people (I'm 72) tend not to get

very many colds, simply because they've already had so many, they've come up against the majority of the cold viruses.

I got flu several times growing up, including probably the Asian flu in 1957. It's been nearly 50 years since I've last had flu. I don't bother with the vaccine, either, although I would never tell anyone else they should pass on the shot, and perhaps somewhere down the road I will change my mind and start getting it.

I think there's a genuine risk of creating people with greatly reduced immune systems because they are simply not being exposed to things.

[mahina]

10. Be ready to tell anyone who objects

To mind their own business and keep walking

I had one just yesterday, the very day the new CDC guidelines came out.

[MontanaMama]

11. I've had two of these interactions.

One the day before the CDC announcement and one the day after. Both were middle aged men raising their voices at me and telling me to take off my mask.

[Wounded Bear]

13. Funny how their "freedom" to infect others doesn't apply to those who choose to wear masks...

[MontanaMama]

15. Right?

The first who guy told me to take off my mask...was pissed from the get go. I asked him if he were vaccinated and he told me that was none of my business. When I told him my mask was none of his business and he could fuck right off I thought he was going to pop a vein in his head. I was at a plant nursery picking up some hanging baskets and I told the guy helping me that maskholes can dish it out but can never take it. We just laughed out loud and the maskhole walked off in a snit. Unfortunately, those kind of people will just set their sights on someone else.

[Wounded Bear]

12. Statistics support this. Flu season was wiped out this past year...

almost certainly because of people wearing masks in public.

[RobinA]

45. So Here's My Question

And I'm serious about this question, it's not snark. If facemasks wiped out flu this year, what about the COVID rampage? More to the point, if anything we did this year got rid of this year's flu, why wasn't it equally effective on COVID?

[Wounded Bear]

46. Covid is more transmissable and virulent. Even masked people were getting it...

That's why the discussion in this thread emphasizes: masks can slow the spread, but even with a mask on if you're in a crowded building for hours on end with contagious people, the disease will spread.

And given the number of people resistant to mask wearing, and the continuing attendance to congregant events like the Former Guy's rallies, mask wearing was far from "universal."

[johnp3907]

14. Yeah, I usually feel like I have a cold or sinus infection from November to March.

I’m going to stick with my masks.

[Phoenix61]

16. Masks are common in some countries

during cold and flu season. Some where them when they believe they are ill to help not spread their germs. If I spent time on public transport, there’s none here, I’d definitely wear one there.

[Bayard]

17. How do we keep masked people from giving the fully vaccinated dirty looks?

They just think we're mask-holes. Mr. Bayard went to the grocery this morning, and put on his mask because everyone else in the store was wearing them.

We need badges that say--YES! I am fully vaccinated!

[Elessar Zappa]

19. I'm gonna wear one until

local and business mandates end for that very reason you describe above. I don’t want people thinking I’m a maskhole.

[Random Boomer]

35. Fully vaccinated does not mean 100% immunity

You can be fully vaccinated but still catch Covid. It will, however, be a much milder version of the disease and you are likely not to need hospitalization.

Unless there's some overpowering reason that wearing a mask is out of the question, just wear the damn mask. It will provide even more protection when combined with the vaccine and it bolster support for mask regulations.

[Skittles]

42. WEAR A MASK

JUST DO IT

[Jon King]

18. Absolutely a personal choice, I will never wear one again if possible.

I totally get why some would wear them going forward. Our family is vaccinated and done with them.

[Grins]

21. Both kids in college-we stopped getting colds!

I can’t remember having a cold in at least the last 6-years. Could be more!

[forgotmylogin]

22. It's also great to keep you face warm in the winter. n/t

[LeftInTX]

26. Yes

I live in Texas, so not much of a winter..

But when we lost power during that freeze, I wore my mask in the house and outdoors...

[seta1950]

25. Exactly

I’m going to wear mine too, I don’t know that all those without a mask are vaccinated, do I?

[tavernier]

27. I absolutely agree!

Plus I hardly ever have to shave my beard anymore.

(Yeah, I’m an old lady)

[LeftInTX]

33. Back to waxing!! Argh!!

[LittleGirl]

28. I'm allergic to Dust!

So I wear a mask to dust the house, vacuum and grass!
So I wear a mask mowing the lawn.
I wore a mask when I lived in AZ doing gardening so I’m used to it.
I will definitely wear one on flights as I’ve gotten the worst flu from those sick bastards that fly when they are sick!

So even though I’m getting my second shot on Wednesday, I’ll be wearing my mask whenever I damn well please. If someone questions me in public, I’ll ask them why they care? Fuck them.

[Hekate]

41. I'm also allergic to house dust, and had a collection of paper masks I used for dusting...

Various clinics and doctor’s offices used to have masks available for patients, and for years I’d routinely pick up one or two.

Pollen, too, but I never thought to wear a mask for pollen, until now — and it really helps! I’m tempted to take a Sharpie and write “POLLEN” and draw a little flower on some of my masks to use thru the spring...and summer...and fall.

[LittleGirl]

44. Sure you could

But it’s none of their business either

[BobTheSubgenius]

29. Hampered by the lack of a giant pharma industry, we in Canada are still mandated to wear them.

In fact, we are operating under travel restrictions in this province (BC) until at least the 25th of this month, largely because our vaccination program is quite far behind that of the US.

I have no problem with mask-wearing for as long as it takes to be truly safe. I think you are prudent, at this juncture.

[Auggie]

31. Same here -- no cold for 14 months

Mask + social distancing =

[KPN]

32. Same here. That's exactly what I've been thinking! Virus free for 15 months now;

why would I go back?!

[tiredtoo]

34. Personally my mask wearing has helped me

maintain my Blood-oxygen level at the level it should be. I even wear a mask to bed now. Will most likely do so for my remaining years.

[marble falls]

36. As soon as I realized that wearing a mask wasn't as annoying as I thought it might be ...

... we had a bunch made from three layers of quilting fabric with a pocket for a coffee filter or paper mask. Some were made from some of my own hand dyed.

They came with adjustable and comfortable ear loops and extra fabric covering half my nose's bridge and down around my chin.

I'll be wearing mine for a while longer.

[Polybius]

37. I think indoor mask mandates should be in place forever

It helps prevent all sorts of bad things.

[Marrah_Goodman]

38. I have not gotten sick once either

[roamer65]

39. I definitely will continue to wear them.

18 months free of noroviruses and influenza is a big 👍👍.

[pnwmom]

40. You're lucky if they've stopped your allergies. Maybe if I wore N-95's all the time

both outside and inside (with the dust and the dogs), then a mask would help.

But I still have my same old allergies, even though I've always worn a mask outside the house.

[beaglelover]

49. Good for you. You are free to wear a mask whenever you want to.

[AwakeAtLast]

50. No pneumonia, no sinus infections, no bronchitis!

Since December 2019!

Totally agree! I want to keep the masks! Especially when I'm around 600 elementary children a week.