• grandkaiser@lemmy.today
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    4 days ago

    Exactly. I find it strange that someone who’s immune system is compromised to the point where a ‘common cold’ can kill them has been just hanging out in public and it’s only a problem now. Masks weren’t invented in 2020. Op is likely farming Internet points.

    I’ve had a compromised immune system before. Going out in public and trusting a mask to protect me would be like wearing safety goggles when you jump into a wood chipper.

      • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
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        4 days ago

        It does, and you should wear it. But if you are immunocompromised (like me) you also need to protect your eyes, and wash your clothes, skin, and hair following a trip out in public. The days when people were wearing masks were wonderful.

        • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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          4 days ago

          All true! But it’s not all-or-nothing either - reducing the viral load of the initial infection actually reduces the severity of the symptoms by reducing the load on the immune system. An infection picked up from clothes will be much less severe than one directly inhaled into the lungs.

    • Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works
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      4 days ago

      Sometimes going out in public is necessary, such as to the doctor, or to get food if there’s not someone to help with that. And sometimes it requires passing through other public spaces, such as public transportation. A person can have no illusions about the degree to which masks help, but still depend on them because what else is there?

      As the spouse and caregiver of a compromised person, I wear a KN95 anytime I go into a store or other indoor public space, to try to avoid catching and bringing home anything that might land him in the hospital again.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      Yeah. Clearly, they should just stay inside their plastic bubbles and never see the sun so that the rest of us don’t have to worry about coughing in other people’s faces.