But one brief observation: The chart gives me one more reason to say “Oh, bite me!” to the vaccinated mask-police who recoil in terror and tell me to “Get back!” because I am maskless and intend to remain so. So far, I’ve responded thusly only twice, but I plan on upping the frequency.
Ethics Alarms 
The writer of the chart above only shows what may happen to the person themselves. But a major reason for wearing a mask is to stop a person from passing the disease on to another person.
When someone is fully vaccinated they can still catch Wuhan although the chances are a lot lower, the symptoms a lot less (they may have no symptoms themselves) , and the likelihood of passing it on to another person is also lower.
I just wonder what the odds of a fully vaccinated person passing on the Wuhan Virus on to another person would be.
But Fauci told me masks were not necessary even before a vaccine existed!
Which turns out is true the way masks are used in the real worls. I won’t be taking the mask rules seriously until they insist on properly fitted N95 or better and train people on the right way to use them.
“But a major reason for wearing a mask is to stop a person from passing the disease on to another person.” Which is only serious if that person isn’t vaccinated. I am not obligated to make myself uncomfortable and to help make social interactions in public unpleasant and difficult because someone else is irresponsible and taking unnecessary risks. Indeed, my obligation is to make his or her antisocial grandstanding as unattractive as possible.
Almost no one on line who stated that they are taking this risk are demanding that people wear masks or practice social distancing- nevermind calling to renew lockdowns.
Not surprisingly, the people demanding new vaccine mandates are the same people who support mask mandates and social distancing mandates and lockdowns.
“But a major reason for wearing a mask is to stop a person from passing the disease on to another person.”
It’s not “a major reason”. It’s the only reason. And it only applies when:
1) You are infected. Are you? I’m not. So no mask for me.
2) I directly spit, sneeze, or do a lot of breathing directly onto/into your bodily openings like eyes and mouth. I’ve never been in the habit of doing any of that, and now seems like a bad time to start.
3) The virus in question has exceptional staying power when deposited on ordinary surfaces, which this virus does not. (In the early months, the guidance was to err on the side of caution and assume it did because we didn’t know yet. Now we do.)
None of these things apply. Until they do or new information comes to light that contradicts these things, I will follow the science and not wear a mask.
–Dwayne
I haven’t worn a mask anywhere except when I don’t have a choice. The current sign at the grocery store says, “Masks are strongly encouraged.” Once the mandate was lifted, I stopped wearing the mask in stores and never wore one outside. I don’t object to anyone wearing a mask that wants to; it’s just not for me. I only had one person cover their face walking past me and that was in the park no less.!!
The only place I wear a mask now is for the doctor and dentist visit. My last doctor (last month) and dental visits (yesterday) still require a mask. I don’t see any way around that – I mean, they won’t treat me if I don’t wear a mask. I refuse to use that hand sanitizer though; it dries my hands out severly; however, they’ve always had the soap and water option as an alternative (so far).
You have to wear a mask at the dentist or doctor don’t you?
I noticed yesterday when I was wearing the mask at the dentist that most of the airflow was going around the edges of the mask. Those disposable masks have a metal strip at the top to shape the mask around your nose but the majority of airflow was around the outsides of the mask. I never paid much attention to it before but while sitting in the waiting room I became more aware of this. The mask was against my face and formed to the bridge of my nose and under my chin fairly snug but both inhaling and exhaling I could feel the majority of airflow around the edges of the mask.
I’ve heard several people complain of their glasses fogging up while wearing the masks.
As a nearly-lifelong wearer of glasses, I can tell you that having them fog up while wearing a mask is a direct result of either (A) not using the metal strip properly, and/or (B) not positioning the mask correctly on the face vertically.
If you thing a surgical mask is difficult, try playing PAINTBALL as glasses-wearer!
–Dwayne
Nope. Neither.
But one brief observation: The chart gives me one more reason to say “Oh, bite me!” to the vaccinated mask-police who recoil in terror and tell me to “Get back!” because I am maskless and intend to remain so. So far, I’ve responded thusly only twice, but I plan on upping the frequency.
I have never had that happen, even once.
Of course, Louisville’s east end is a far, far cry from DC. I can easily imagine it happening there. I can also easily imagine my extremely rude and likely profane response. There’s only so much an old country boy can take and remain polite.
With regard to the chances of perishing from COVID-19 after full vaccination, I am actually surprised it is slightly more likely than a lightning strike.
Just for reference, you are much more likely to
1. See your 100th birthday (1 in 3,777) than miss your next one due to COVID-19
2. Be possessed by Satan (1 in 7,000)
3. Wind up in the emergency room due to wrecking your golf cart (1 in 22,355)
4. Become a professional basketball player (1 in 11,771)
5. Become injured by a toilet (my favorite) (1 in 10,000)
I’m sure this list could go on nearly forever.
I’m compelled by intellectual honesty to reference this comic: https://xkcd.com/795/. We don’t know how the habits of those who die of COVID while fully vaccinated compare to the habits of those who don’t. Since you know your own habits, you’ll need to take into account how those habits may affect your own likelihood of contracting it in a serious form.
My picture of the situation is that 1) masks reduce the likelihood that you’ll catch or spread COVID; 2) vaccines reduce the likelihood that you’ll catch or spread COVID, or they’ll reduce the severity of symptoms; and 3) those modifiers stack (multiplicatively), so that both wearing a mask and being vaccinated even further reduces the likelihood.
In probability terms, we can write this as follows.
P(infection | mask) / P(infection) = 1/X
P(infection | vaccine) / P(infection) = 1/Y
P(infection | mask ∩ vaccine) / P(infection) = 1/(X*Y)
X and Y are both greater than 1.
That’s assuming that you’re behaving the same with a mask as you would without a mask. If you change your behavior when you put on the mask, then that might change the probability for you personally. We could add “social distancing” in there as a third factor, and the same formula applies.
What I can’t tolerate is that humans talk about these things in such absolute terms. According to humans, things either work or they don’t. There’s no talk of costs or risks, which vary between people. It’s as if humans can’t function if they’re actually thinking about estimated risks. (Then again, I’m always thinking about estimated risks, and I’m barely functional, so maybe there’s something to that.) In my opinion, humans need to start taking some responsibility for the decisions they make for themselves and their communities, and that means they need to stop taking intellectual shortcuts like quoting the pronouncements of authorities back and forth at each other.
In complete fairness though, I haven’t heard of any cephalopods contracting COVID-19. I’ve heard of deer, but not cephalopods, so your personal risk ought to be quite lower than the rest.
Being extradimensional is simultaneously an advantage and a disadvantage, meaning that EC is both safe and in grave danger. We won’t know which it is until we can ascertain which dimension, though. Therefore, OC’s risk factors collapse upon determining which dimension is occupied at a given time.
jvb
Thank you for posting that chart. I definitely will reference some of those numbers.
I have been told by authorities I respect that masks – other than N95 – are ineffective in stopping the spread of the virus. I work with some people that have taken to wearing masks again and while I respect their choice, I chuckle on the inside knowing that, while it makes them feel good, it doesn’t make much of a difference.
The “Dying from a cataclysmic storm” caught my eye. I drove into last August’s derecho as it tore through central Iowa – if you have a chance to watch any video of that, you should – and for the first time behind the wheel, I actually thought about death. It was pretty terrifying. I have never had any sort of similar fear with regards to the Wuhan virus.
Maybe if I had been wearing a mask while driving in the storm, I would have been far less afraid.
Like the chart fine print outlines, the two COVID-19 lines are oranges, and the rest are apples.
We don’t yet know the lifetime odds of being hospitalized or dying while vaccinated, simply because we haven’t had a lifetime of data measuring this metric yet. Even assuming the author used perfect math to arrive at these numbers, they’re incomparable because they also are collected and catalogued differently by the agencies that produced the apple or the orange, and also by environmental frequency of exposure. For example, the chart implies incorrectly that motorcycles are safer than automobiles.
It doesn’t matter. The point is valid, and the comparison roughly makes it. Yeah, maybe everyone who has been vaccinated will suddenly drop dead of a heart attack three weeks from now. But you act on the data you have, not in fear of data that doesn’t exist.
Being extradimensional is simultaneously an advantage and a disadvantage, meaning that EC is both safe and in grave danger. We won’t know which it is until we can ascertain which dimension, though. Therefore, OC’s risk factors collapse upon determining which dimension is occupied at a given time.
jvb
Wait. I am toast in 3 werks? Well, damn.
jvb
i’m ending up in spam
No longer, just rescued your post (which is excellent).
Have you heard Stephen Petty talk about the fallacy of N95’s? a real expert… who was made to take off his custom fitted respirator on a plane to put on a paper mask LOL.
The aerosols of the virus are so small not even an n95 keeps them out!! what i don’t get is why smart people continue to DENY THE SCIENCE and push them? oh while sitting next to each other in press conferences LOL!!!
Industrial hygenists who DO THIS for a living have been silenced by the MSM and government during this entire pandemic!! They even wrote the White HOUSE!!!
I’ll try to share an amazing video… but my comments somehow end up in spam 😦
look at 15:46 on the video 🙂 save time.
ending up in spam again 😦