Covid-19 diary: Part 39

By Matthew E. Milliken
MEMwrites.wordpress.com
May 18, 2021

I wrote yesterday that I expect to feel more comfortable going unmasked in public as time goes by. I’ve currently taken long walks or hikes without wearing a mask for the past three days, but I plan to continue masking indoors for at least a while.

I expect that masks will retain a permanently enlarged place in U.S. and western society going forward. That’s not just because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that Americans continue to wear face coverings in health-care and public-transportation settings. It’s because masks can play an important role in guarding against a variety of diseases.

Take the flu. From Sept. 27 through May 8, the U.S. confirmed fewer than 2,000 influenza cases. By contrast, the 2011–12 flu season, which was considered to be unusually mild, saw more than 22,000 confirmed cases from early October through mid-May. The pandemic-inspired regimen of enhanced hand-washing and cleaning of public spaces, plus social distancing, surely suppressed the flu in 2020–21, but masks also played a part. (Presumably there will be a vigorous debate among epidemiologists over the degree to which each of these factors, technically known as non-pharmaceutical interventions, cut down on the spread of flu.)

Come late fall, if I’ve grown accustomed to frequenting indoor public spaces without a mask, there’s a chance that I’ll start covering my face again. That’s especially likely to be true if we see numbers rise sharply for flu or other acute infections, such as Covid-19.

(That’s right, dear readers: I harbor a fear that, vaccinations notwithstanding, we could see Covid-19 numbers spike in the fall and winter. That’s partly because a significant chunk of Americans are likely not to get vaccinated and partly because vaccine protection may decline after six months. It’s very likely that we’ll hear a lot more about this, and perhaps the need to get booster shots, as August and September arrive.)

I also found that masking in wintertime helped fight off some of the bitterest cold. This creates problems of its own (see glasses, fogged), but the benefit may be worth the hassle, at least when the temperature drops below a certain point.

And if I happen to be someplace where one or more people are coughing or sneezing? Yeah, that’s a great reason to don a mask.

Also, if I myself feel sick but need to go out — say, to shop for food or medicine — that would also be an excellent reason to cover my face.

For months, I’ve typically carried two spare masks in my back pocket, and often one or two more tucked into a jacket if it’s cool enough to warrant having one. I’ve also brought along a small bottle of hand sanitizer. These could potentially be part of my everyday equipment for the rest of my life.