A couple of weeks ago my family got devastating news. My sister, her husband, and our 88 year old aunt all got diagnosed with COVID-19.
We do not know how any of them got it, we are thinking perhaps it was from my aunt’s dentist that was asymptomatic, but it almost no longer matters. My sister is mostly okay, my BIL a little worse, but my aunt within a few days was in the hospital and later died. She was okay beforehand. She was never someone in great health, but did not have any respiratory problems of any kind. Her heart gave out because her lungs could not give it and other organs enough oxygen.
I was already very careful before her death, I always wore my mask and use disinfectant gel often when I am out and about, which is rare. Now though, I wear 2 masks. One N95 plus a fabric one on top. The trick is to have a little room inside the mask between the nose and the mouth so the mask does not fall off when you have to talk and can take a breath with your nose while it’s covered. My dad in Italy does the same. Everywhere he goes he wears two masks.
When I hear people say that “masks” don’t work, please know that my 90 year old dad, who wears 2 masks everywhere he goes, was unknowingly around not 1, not 2, but all 3 of my family members that had COVID and he is is fine!!!
It’s just incredible for me how many people claim that “masks don’t work”, citing how the virus is so ‘tiny’ that it goes through the mask… yet they can’t breathe? Oxygen particles are 250 times SMALLER than covid! Imagine all the nurses and Doctors that have to do surgeries and the like and must wear their masks for hours upon hours. They are not drama queens, they are not sheep, they do what must be done because that’s how adults behave.
Wearing a mask is not an infringement on your “freedoms”. Is a seatbelt and infringement on your freedom? If there was broken glass all over the floor, would you refuse to wear shoes on principle?
If you’re not wearing your mask, to me, it’s rude. It’s telling people “I don’t care about you”. Wearing a mask is the easiest act of kindness you can do today. People around you may not be old or sick, but they might NEED to go around them for whatever reason. I am the person in my family that does the shopping for my family… I go home and then I have to take care of my disabled son. Do you care for people like me and who I might infect? You are pro-life aren’t you?
There is plenty of evidence on how masks slow the spread. There are several studies that support the efficacy of masks. Some evidence comes from laboratory studies of respiratory droplets and the ability of various masks to block them. An experiment using high-speed video found that hundreds of droplets ranging from 20 to 500 micrometers were generated when saying a simple phrase, but that nearly all these droplets were blocked when the mouth was covered by a damp washcloth. Another study of people who had influenza or the common cold found that wearing a surgical mask significantly reduced the amount of these respiratory viruses emitted in droplets and aerosols.
My dear aunt lost her life to COVID. I am afraid for everyone over 65 not being able to do anything or go anywhere, not even the grocery store, for fear of getting it. Not everyone has someone that can shop for them. Not everyone can afford to have things delivered. I beg you, care about others.
Love & Light,
