It seems that the population in Dumaguete (also Manila etc) was misinformed by the authorities after the Covid pandemic. There are still quite a few people who still wear face masks. Well, that's their right. I assume they still want to protect themselves from contagion. Unfortunately, they don't know that wearing a mask with the new situation does the opposite. The immune system becomes weaker and is less 'trained' for the various viruses. Now this pandemic has become definitely endemic and will probably only occur sporadically. And if so, it will probably hit these current mask wearers the fastest. This fact and knowledge has actually prevailed in many countries around the world. But ok, as they say in Asia: up to you Gesendet von meinem M2101K6G mit Tapatalk
Brainwashing and fear mongering of the mass population. After 3 years some people forgot (if they ever knew how) to think for themselves. Now they are afraid to be without their mask. I've even seen a farmer doing their planting while having a mask on.
There are two sides to this and probably some luck as to which one an individual falls into: 1. Masks (if worn correctly) will reduce input of pathogens via the mouth and nose and so reduce challenges to parts of the immune system - but no-one is likely to wear a mask 100% of the time and very unlikely to do so inside the home. Thus, mixing within the home environment would allow many pathogens to gain entry to the body and so continue to challenge the immune system. 2. The (possibly) reduced challenge to the immune system by low-risk pathogens might be balanced by the lower risk of inhaling more serious pathogens (which, often, are higher risk for the elderly - which many members here are). I agree though that not wearing a mask puts us back to the pre-Covid situation and with almost the same risk - which we all undertook in those days without hesitation. I am not sure how effective various masks are against the inhalation of toxic gases and particulates, but the air in cities here is very polluted and it could be another bonus in wearing a mask. Finally, if a person is ugly a mask can help.
I would hazard a guess that mostly because of wearing masks many people around the world avoided catching not only Covid19 but also other diseases like the flu. It will be interesting to see the casualty numbers for the flu for 2020-2022, they'll probably be a lot lower than for previous years. If that's correct then that would mean a blow to your argument; the flu has been endemic for centuries so if wearing masks would be useless and even counterproductive then we would expect more deaths from the flu, not less.
Mask users are interesting people. I am currently in a small town in Canada. I often see my local pharmacist driving to work, in his car by himself, wearing a mask. And yet he is NOT wearing a mask when I go into his pharmacy. I have not been able to figure it out. I don't ask because its not my business and he is a great guy in all other respects. I put it down to mask users being "interesting" people.
There are a number of different types of persistent mask wearers, in my view: 1. Those who genuinely believe that it is still needed for their protection. 2. Those who believe they are protecting others. 3. Those who still do not have the message. 4. Youngsters who feel more confident with their faces hidden, most often teenage girls. Regarding the continued effectiveness of wearing a mask, the fact is that protecting yourself from every God given germ with masks and copious use of alcohol as sanitizer will, in the long run, reduce resistance to bacteria through lack of exposure. I'm no biologist or health expert, but this much I do know. Incidentally, the WHO is said to be on the verge of declaring Covid-19 as no longer a global emergency.
5. My sister in-law. She has almost no teeth. So wearing a mask comes in very handy for her. Gesendet von meinem M2101K6G mit Tapatalk
If you can get around all the politicizing going on here.. I'm 80, I wore a mask for a couple years from day 1, Since about February, I am skipping the mask, even in the malls, even banks don't require it. My read is that the number of cases still around is small enough that I'm not worried. I keep my mask handy on the dashboard for huge crowds ....
