One thing I always try to do is follow science and trust experts in their given fields. I fully acknowledge that I am not an expert in almost anything, but I do try and educate myself to the greatest extent possible.

So many issues that truly do only have one right answer have become so politicized, that it is really hard to determine what the truth is, and what is an agenda guised as truth. I recently saw a post on social media that's basic gist was this - masks may work if worn correctly and consistently, however with the large contingent of people who just don't wear them or who wear them improperly coupled with inconsistent policies, they have little to no effect on the spread of COVID.

His claim was that the spread of COVID was due only to climate. He pointed to a series of graphs that showed that states which had widely varying mask policies but similar climates had similar infection rates.

I'm not an expert, but I did find this argument compelling. I'm vaccinated. I wear a mask. I'm certainly not a conspiracy theorist. But I'd love to hear thoughts.... agreements, counterpoints, etc.

3/18/2021 7:40:11 PM

Quote :

"One thing I always try to do is follow science and trust experts"

Quote :

"I recently saw a post on social media"

You lost me there. Why is the unnamed social media post author a scientist/an expert?

Quote :

"masks do work"

ftfy FeebleMinded

Temperatures are not the only variable involved in this equation, and the graphical groupings you posted are regionally based, and not respective of the premise of your argument.

If you truly followed the science, you would agree that this virus is primarily spread through respiration and that masks, while not a panacea, are one of the most effective tools we have at our disposal.

[Edited on March 18, 2021 at 10:16 PM. Reason : I do appreciate your approach/tone. Thanks for the thread!]

3/18/2021 9:56:52 PM

People being shit adherents to a public health policy does not disprove its utility. Do what's right. Protect others. Gently encourage idiots.

3/19/2021 12:10:04 AM

It's not an insane idea but it's only part of a big picture.

You have a disease spread via aerosolized droplets. Temperature and humidity are going to play a role because they directly affect the residence time of droplets in the air. Ventilation matters because that also affect residence time. Climate further matters because it affects how people interact.

Here's an article that looks at some of these correlations, though not quantitatively. The key point is that for many alleged correlations, there are exceptions which call the proposed effect into question. https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/03/how-the-west-lost-covid-19.html

As to masks, they stop some droplets from getting into and out of your lungs. So that gives you a lower chance of spreading or contracting Covid. It's good for short contact like the checkout line, but the key factors are still time, number of people, and proximity. Masks don't let you be around lots of people, in close proximity, for extended periods. I can count the number of people who have truly kept their proximity to others limited on one hand and that pisses me off. How many times have I head the excuse, "but we wore masks!" from people who shared the same car for three hours? It's not that masks don't work. It's that most people don't understand what they're supposed to do. And it's not so much that there are people who don't wear masks, it's that there are people who won't stay home. You can wear 12 masks, but if you're in close, prolonged contact with others, the masks don't matter; time, numbers, and distance set the risk.

Drake Covid Equation:

Risk = #people x time together x proximity x mask coefficient x weather? x personal health x other factors?

3/19/2021 1:37:46 PM

I see that florida now has the lowest covid in the country per cap.

10/31/2021 9:05:46 AM

Please move there and forget your password for this website.

11/1/2021 8:10:26 PM

^truth stings huh

11/2/2021 12:34:48 PM

You're going to ignore that they've had the 7th most cumulative cases per capita and the 8th most per capita in cumulative deaths?

11/8/2021 4:09:51 PM

He gone.

11/9/2021 7:10:25 AM