Thank you for your post, coffeebean.
That 65% protection for the wearer of a mask is sure a lot better than 0.
And your source cited should be more palatable to those who probably dismissed my post on the topic, with its link to NPR. Now, with your post, we have across-the-board articles with good information.
I am north right now where my county is one of 7 other counties that have just gone mandatory. Ohio had been doing pretty well, until recently — then went backwards.
One of my favorite little locally owned restaurants just closed because although they observed every safety precaution, including, of course, masks, one of the employees tested positive — because outside of work, she was with a friend who was asymptomatic at the time. No masks.
Now, the owner of this small business, who was doing everything possible to keep her employees and customers safe, has decided to close down completely for an extended time — no carry-outs either.
As of a couple of days ago, Florida had 56 hospitals with maxed out ICUs and 35 more hospitals with only 10% of ICU beds still available. Florida has 303 hospitals and is going the wrong direction.
What I cannot comprehend is how anti-maskers seem to be incapable of connecting-the-dots.........
. . .I guess some are easily manipulated, especially when emotions are tapped.
. . .Some hear only what they want to hear and lack the curiosity to look at the big picture.
. . . Then there are those who must get some kind of bizarro thrill out of fancying themselves master puppeteers, as they take every safety precaution themselves while encouraging others to not wear masks.
. . . And, of course, there is sociopathy. (Years ago, I read a book titled “The Sociopath Next Door.” The statistic cited said that 1 out of every 25 people is a sociopath — 4% of the population, wired to be sociopaths. I am beginning to wonder if that statistic is woefully low.)
coffeebean, I have been seriously thinking of giving up on TOTV because the tone has changed so much. But this morning when I saw your post, I had to jump in and try to help you. Here we are — lighting our little candles.
Boomer