Covid-19 discussion

You are a genius.

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I stole the idea from the internet.

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Like all good geniuses doā€¦ :smiley:

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Itā€™s not completely lifted, weā€™re just going back to a tiered system depending on how many cases are in your region and the ICU capacity. LA is not likely to see much change because our case levels are still so high. Right before Christmas they put a blanket ban on all outings/socializing to try and stop the post-holiday surge (it didnā€™t). But some places, like the Bay Area, that are doing a little better can potentially open hair salons at limited capacity, outdoor dining, etc.

Also, we may be allowed to meet up with other households in outdoor spaces again. Technically meeting my sister outside where we sat 6 feet away from each other so she could see her nieceā€™s face in real life instead of facetime wasnā€™t allowed but now it may be again.

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I am annoyed because I am at the airport and everyone (that I can see) besides one person is wearing a mask. He doesnā€™t even seem to have a mask with him

My state hasnā€™t had community transmission in almost 10 months so the risk is low, but its just frustrating watching everyone following the rules except this guy.

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I feel like stories like this are actually really important. We ARENā€™T approving or moving ahead with everything. Not everything weā€™ve tried has been effective enough to warrant further roll out. I think stuff like this is a nice counter to the feeling that everyone has a vaccine in the works/it was all too fast/etc.

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Does anyone have links to good reporting on how to reuse KN95 / N95 masks for non health care folks? I have been keeping one hanging by the door and using it when necessary (trips to the pharmacy, outdoor walks). I have no idea how long I can reuse it for. Iā€™m not wearing it for more than an hour at a time, max, and not in close quarters with anyone, soā€¦maybe fine? But maybe I should have a better system for rotating masks? I have no idea.

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This is pure genius and I love it.

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I think it helps if you double up with a cloth mask on top so that you can keep it cleaner. Obviously never use that cloth mask on its own until itā€™s washed.

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I am also wondering this. We have some N95s coming to us.
Someone said something about letting it dry out for 3 days and then re-using it so rotating them?
But I also could use some good guidelines. :confused:

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how often do you wash your cloth masks? everytime you wear them or after a certain amount of hours of use? something else?

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I tossed the KN95 mask I wore to the very crowded post office yesterday even though I was only in there for a minute. But that is because on the hourlong walk there and back, the entire inside of it became so coated with snot, since my nose runs like a faucet in the cold, that letting it dry out and wearing it again seemed kind of unsanitary. You canā€™t wash them, right? Or can you? Hand wash, maybe?

I did read somewhere that you can briefly dry them in the dryer, but, well, the snot would still be there so that didnā€™t seem like a solution.

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Apparently my parents are getting the vaccine today??? Theyā€™ve been trying under the ā€œweā€™re old and have both had cancerā€ category and getting nowhere, but then it came up that they also help provide care for my 100 year old grandma, and apparently that qualifies them faster? Iā€™m deeply unclear on why they can get it this way, and not the other category thatā€™s also had the green light for doses but they just couldnā€™t schedule :woman_shrugging: Either way. Thatā€™ll be good, and my grandma for her shot and that will be very good. Sheā€™ll be fully vaccinated by her 101st birthday. Maybe I can go see her, that would be exciting.

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:tada::partying_face::confetti_ball::tada::partying_face::confetti_ball::tada:

Iā€™m glad your parents are able to be vaccinated even if the system seems weird/broken. My mom was just telling me that originally when she got her first shot the nurse told her the second dose would be six weeks out instead of four because they didnā€™t have any appointments available sooner, but when my momā€™s husband got his first jab a few days later his second dose was scheduled four weeks out. Then they heard a rumor that the state of Florida would be cancelling all second dose appointments and redoing them somehow but they still havenā€™t heard anything officially from their health department one way or the other on that so maybe they still have their second doses scheduled?

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I know here folks are getting vaccinated if they are the caretaker of someone in a higher priority tier.

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Yep, Iā€™ve heard about the cloth mask doubling too. (and seen medical staff & politicians doing it, so it seems like solid practice.) We have plenty of cloth masks here but a limited supply of KN95s. More to arrive soon, I hopeā€¦

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Oof my sympathies for nose running in cold. Thatā€™s a pain during normal winters, never mind pandemic.

I think I will probably toss the one Iā€™ve been using off and on and try to be more rigorous about rotating them. Sighā€¦

Now if only I could convince my partner to switch to using a KN95 instead of cloth mask.

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Iā€™ve heard that you should use ā€œthe underwear ruleā€, basically, and wash them daily if youā€™re wearing them all day (eg at work) or maybe less frequently, like you would a bra, if youā€™re only wearing it a bit during the day.

That was from our local news, but again, I wish I had actually reliable cited sources for this.

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Yes, I wonā€™t even cover my face with a scarf during nonpandemic winters because it just ends up soaked in snot. Now, of course, face covering isnā€™t optionalā€¦ sigh.

Ha, itā€™s not even a discussion in this house. If we needs to do something unsafe (like let a repair person in, I hand him a KN95 and tell him to put it on and why.
It does astonish me that there are people out there like him who do not even know what a KN95 or N95 is and how to use it! To be fair, he avoids most news these days.

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Could you wear a cloth mask under an N95? That way the snot would be on something washable and the N95 would be protected.

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