Like, will omicron already have peaked by then and I will look silly for postponing? Anyone have insights on how to predict?
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Crystal ball?
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Sorry, donāt mean to be flip. I donāt think itās possible to say!!
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Lunchtime poll: how big of a stash of N95/KN95 masks should a couple have if working from home, not going out much, but doing in person grocery/household needs shopping and occasionally picking up takeout?
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I feel like dentists have been really great at precautions during this thing. Husband has had a few procedures done and managed to not get sick in the horrid cesspool that is Florida.
Could you call up your normal dentist and ask about their COVID strategy?
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Lol, I just ordered 40 n95s for the pair of us and still have probably another dozen kn95s.
These were purchased right after finding out my mom got COVID so there may have been some anxiety driving my purchase.
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I donāt wear KN95s for casual trips out because I donāt usually get close to anyone- I recently upgraded from cloth to surgical. I have I think 18 small KN95 masks for me and the children, several for the Boy, and 2 duckbill N95s that my sister boosted from the hospital that I am hoarding in case I have to care for a covid patient (ie, one of the children) or go to the ER for pregnancy reasons (which I narrowly escaped last night) or an injured child or whatnot. Because then I donāt know that the K would be sufficient!
So in your case I would think a few would suffice. If you want to wear them on every errand, then obviously you would need a bigger stash. You can reuse a few times at least if you take good care of them.
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Well, thatās just it, anxiety is telling me to stock up massively but we have 10 of each at least and we donāt go out much.
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5-7 each, one for every day of the week
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We are wearing KN95 any time we have to go in an indoor public place, since city grocery stores are small and crowded and itās hard to keep distance. Also for when we are on the CTA, home of the maskless people who smoke up right there on the train.
We are reserving N95s for having to do anything medical, having to be in the same apartment should one or the other of us test positive, and air travel, not that weāre doing that any time soon but we did before omicron hit. And if our landlord tested positive weād want that for the building common areas as they directly adjoin her unit in the basement and thereās no ventilation except the outside door (no windows that open).
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I would also wear a KN95 on public transit! In that case, I would keep a supply of a couple weeks on hand at least and some spares if thatās a low number. So, if you only need 1 a week, I would reorder when I had, like, 4 left, maybe more if you have trouble sourcing them reliably. Curious what other people think!
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For your purposes, I think you have enough. You donāt go out every day, when you do go out itās for a brief trip, and you can rotate them and reuse. 10 of each should last you a while that way.
That said, if it would make you feel better, I just bought 50 KN95 masks from Walmart for $30 and theyāre surprisingly good. (I worried I was going to get what I paid for.) https://www.walmart.com/ip/Necano-5ply-disposable-face-mask-50cts-white/481279021
I donāt usually like to shop at Walmart, but was having trouble sourcing elsewhere, especially for that price. I decided to upgrade from my reusable cloth masks to KN95 for a bit, and I wear them so much to/from/at work they get too gross to reuse. So I needed a bigger stash.
EDIT: Hmmm, I swear that listing said KN95 when I purchased the other day. And they definitely feel like my other KN95s, and have the KN95 stamp. I can check the little certificate in the box later tonight to see if they really are.
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Today was the first day back at school here. We just got this email from the county school board:
"So far today weāve had reports of 50 students and 18 employees testing positive. Itās likely this is an undercount due to the lack of tests available in Florida.
To put these numbers in context, we had just five student cases and no employee cases the entire week before Winter Break."
The email was basically laying the groundwork for schools being shut down at some point due to lack of staffing. When? Who knows. Theyāre already struggling to have enough bus drivers. Kiddoās teacher was out today, she was hoping to be back tomorrow but sent another email this evening saying sheāll be out till next week. My moneyās on her catching Covid over break, hopefully sheās vaxxed so it wonāt be hitting her as hard. Oh no I just had a thought - I hope she doesnāt die. Sheās young, fresh out of school herself, so thatās in her favor. The county schools have only had fatalities asking the school transportation staff as far as Iām aware, and those were ā¦ Last summer? I donāt remember, which is low grade horrifying and speaks to the times weāve been living through for multiple years now.
Just another Tuesday around here. 
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It was noticeably quiet at drop off this morning - fewer cars, fewer kids. We do drop off first thing so thereās still twenty-five minutes for everyone else to show up, but it kind of freaked me out a bit. Aside from everyone who has to stay home sick, how many parents pulled their kids out preventatively? Or maybe I just hit a lull in traffic and everything is fine. For certain values of fine. Maybe I can direct my slow meltdown into anxiety cleaning. 
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hug
Iāve been trying to remind myself that the risks for death and hospitalizations are so much lower, especially for younger people and kids.
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Thanks. Iām trying to remind myself that the current feelings are the same herd mentality feelings that lead to panic buying/stampedes/etc., irrespective of our actual situation which is actually pretty ideal within our household.
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Yeah. Itās hard to shake off 2 years of fear. 
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I didnāt have trouble sourcing them but I hear it is hard now? IDK. I feel OK with what we have, I guess. Need to factor in that weāll have repair people and possibly prospective tenants in here since weāre moving.
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Angry that CPS was so disorganized about testing and forced this to a head. I know there are a lot of factors adding up to this situation but CTU shouldnāt have to strike to get basic health requirements met.
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