<
https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/31-01-2024/lets-bring-back-the-remarkable-gift-of-wearing-a-mask>
"When I worked in daycares, it was a given that you’d probably catch whatever
bugs went around. Small children are adorable little disease vectors, and it
seems that, for them, ingesting some bugs and bacteria helps their body learn
to recognise and fight them across their lifespan. It’s not clear, however,
that constantly getting bugs in adulthood works the same, especially since some
bugs make you weaker. The idea that you have to get sick to stay well, when
examined more closely, seems remarkably convenient for a society that doesn’t
want to build infrastructure to prevent suffering and death.
Whenever I bring up Covid, I’m going to lose some readers. But stick with me
for a second, because there are pieces of good news here and there. We do
actually have systemic public health tools on hand to fight the pandemic. One
of the major ones – for this pandemic and probably the next one – is air
filtration; a machine that captures particles, including viruses, and filters
out clean air. (If you drink clean water, you should breathe clean air too.)
Scientists are also working on a mucosal vaccine, which if effective would stop
infection and transmission of Covid. Some people are getting cured of long
Covid through monoclonal antibodies or SSRIs. Antivirals exist and work.
However, the best tool to fight the pandemic
right now has an undeserved bad
rap. During the lockdowns, the Ardern government missed its chance to get
everyone to embrace masks for what they are: a fucking godsend and literal
lifesaver. We made a mistake in framing masking as a dreary obligation to
others, when in reality it’s a nigh-miraculous gift to yourself. To have the
air (including outdoors, I’m sorry to say) hung with immunity-destroying poison
and to remain uninfected, to be able to go about your daily life with a few
adjustments and stay healthy. You don’t have to like yourself to remember that
doing the things you love – going for a run, visiting your niece, retaining the
brainpower to make art — is something deeply worth protecting."
Via Violet Blue’s
Pandemic Roundup: February 1, 2024
https://www.patreon.com/posts/pandemic-roundup-97625418
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
