I would much rather overdo my PPE than underdo it. Overdoing it just costs me a little time, underdoing it costs lives and injury.
If you want to see what it takes to have a hospital where no one gets infected, this is instructive. https://youtu.be/9HsGqQCLzLU
I can imagine so many other more likely reasons for those deaths than face shield usage.
To answer your seemingly underlying question: no, if Apple gave you a face shield it doesn't mean you get to go outside.
Yes, HCW exposure is much greater than the average person, but your argument is essentially: Since you aren't driving in a Formula 1 race where the risk of crashing is higher, there's no need to wear a seatbelt.
When we're seeing hundreds of deaths per year from COVID, I'll agree with you, but currently, HCW or no, COVID is one of the biggest threats to your life, and you'd be an idiot to go outside without the best protection you can get your hands on.
However, if the argument is that you shouldn't wear a $1 mask, which provides substantial protection against COVID, because it's not necessary, I would refer you again to the 1000 people that died yesterday that didn't wear an N95 mask. The amount of mental gymnastics you have to do to hold this belief is frankly astonishing.
Your overwhelming condescension also make this conversation much harder than it needs to be. I would consider taking a walk and trying to relax.
Table 6.
Wearing an N95 mask reduces your chance of contracting SARS by 91%.
I apologize if my frustration comes through here, but the data is very clear and people are dying in the thousands because they're not protecting themselves.
Best of luck.
There's no luck involved, I purchased a face shield almost two months ago, although I usually just wear mask+goggles, gloves if necessary when I need to go out. The face shield is for if one of our family members gets sick and we need to care for each other. Then it will be mask+goggles+gloves+gown+face shield.
It’s sad you made that purchase. I wonder if that deprived a doctor or nurse of one. If they died, you’ve essentially condemned them to that. Is your own selfish neurosis worth that?
I also believe you're more naive than I originally thought. I think you need luck now more than ever.
Yes, it's possible to make mistakes donning and duffing. However, that same meta-analysis also showed a large benefit for community use of masks, so actual use, not perfect use. To the extent that there is a problem with improper use, we should be teaching people how to use them instead of telling people not to wear them.
I never said wearing a mask made you immune. Seatbelts don't eliminate your risk either, but at this point only very backwards people drive a car without one.
BTW, as of today, COVID is the leading cause of death in America.
Do you have a link please, because there's no way that's true.
I would also assert that they probably trained each participant on how to use the masks effectively, whereas I suspect OP (and most of the N95 mask hoarders) would contaminate them to the point of being useless.
edit Ah, you responded in a different place saying basically what I just said wrt contamination. Good on you.
Stopped reading after this. It's not.
> wearing N95 masks (0.09, 0.03 to 0.30, NNT=3, 2.37 to 4.06);
NNT=3 means "number needed to treat". This means that to see the effect at all in one person you need three people to correctly wear a mask.
If 99 people correctly wear an N95 mask only 33 of them have a reduced chance of catching covid-19.
Here are photos of people who have correctly worn an N95 / FPP3 mask. I don't think most of the general public can tolerate this.
https://twitter.com/LondonNurse2015/status/12472750559874252...
https://twitter.com/jbon93/status/1247626644208189444/photo/...
https://twitter.com/RochesterKaren/status/124644595651562700...
https://twitter.com/gabbyjackson95x/status/12479391789623255...
We also know that "doffing" (taking off) the PPE is difficult, and that many healthcare professionals are infected when they take it off. I don't think most members of the public can comply with the complicated donning and doffing protocols.
More importantly, the imprints and bruises are from full-mask respirators and goggles (and one FPP3 mask), not N95 masks. Have you ever worn one (and been fitted for one)? I have, when I worked as an EMT years ago. I also have worn one N99 or N95 mask for years when cleaning out my guinea pig cages. It's not that bad.
In terms of doffing the masks, it's pretty straight-forward: To remove the mask: remove it from behind (do not touch the front of mask); discard immediately in a closed bin; clean hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water (via WHO).
I'm not sure what's driving your passionate anti-mask campaign (N95 and otherwise), but I urge you to look into what doctors and public health experts have started recommending after considering the evidence and what we know about how this infection is spreading:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-si... (US CDC) https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-si... https://www.ucsfhealth.org/education/should-i-wear-a-mask-to... (UCSF) http://www.chinacdc.cn/en/COVID19/202002/P020200310326809462... (Chinese Centers for Disease Control - "Wear a mask when going out.")
Absolutely stay home if you can. It's the most effective way to avoid spreading or contracting Covid-19. But wear a mask if/when you must go out (to grocery store, drugstore, essential job, etc).
About 100 people in America die per day from motor vehicle accidents. Next I suppose you're going to tell me that the extra $50 it costs to install a seatbelt in my car is a waste of materials, time, and money too, right?