Will a piece of cloth around your face really protect you ?

There's masks and then there's masks; FFP3 professional surgical masks will protect you from Sars Cov 2 transmission, a piece of cloth around your face hardly will.

I had a good conversation with our widow cleaner his morning, his idea of controlling the Covid 19 pandemic was for every one to be obliged by law to wear a cloth or surgical mask when going to a supermarket, pub etc. but to relieve ourselves of other measures such as social distancing. He was not impressed with youngsters going to a nightclub, getting smashed or high and then dancing around and kissing one another. I got the impression that he wanted that banned. 

I thought to myself dream on but I was too polite to suggest that he was deluding himself. There have hardly been any peer reviewed randomised controlled trials of masks, or other measures, used to reduce the transmission of Sars Cov 2 or any other virus for that matter. There is there is no proof whether masks work or not and to what extent.

One thing is clear, in the UK, there is a third wave of the epidemic despite mask wearing,  the 2 metre distance rule and the rule of 6 indoors. Infections are now out of control even after more than  50%   of the adult population has been vaccinated by highly effective vaccines.

To rely on ordinay  masks  alone to protect yourself and others from transmission of the Sars Cov 2 virus is probably a big mistake. 

Some research has been done regarding the efficacy of FFP3 masks compared to ordinary surgical masks. The FFP3 mask has been observed to be many more time effective at filtering out the Sars Cov 2 virus. A well fitted mask used by a trained user filters out most virus particles to leave wearers and those around them safe from infection. An ordinary surgical masks is found wanting when working directly with Covid 19 patients.

The results of these observations made in a Cambridgeshire are shown below. This was not a randomised controlled trial and the results were not peer reviewed, but the findings are promising enough for a recommendation to be made that all staff dealing with Covid 19 patients should wear FFP or Full face Protection Masks. I am surprised that this was not the case from the outset of the epidemic.

https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/upgrading-ppe-for-staff-working-on-covid-19-wards-cut-hospital-acquired-infections-dramatically

https://www.cuh.nhs.uk/news/drop-in-staff-covid-19-infections-after-ppe-upgrade/

https://www.authorea.com/users/421653/articles/527590-ffp3-respirators-protect-healthcare-workers-against-infection-with-sars-cov-2?commit=e567e67501cd6ee0dd1a6e8e4acdf2c4fd70e0ec

It is worth reading these articles to put mask wearing into perspective.

It is my view that the medical authorities have placed too much emphasis on the use of cloth masks and ordinary surgical masks to protect the public. They do help, perhaps, to reduce transmission of the virus but it is not clear by how much; no epidemiologist is prepared to say to the public that there is no proof that they work at all, or even if they do, by how much do they reduce the risk of infection. Masks must be used along with social distance, the rule of six  and improved ventilation for them to work. In fact, if a two meter distance was adhered to, along with reduced crowds in confined spaces there would probably be no need for masks. Recently, I have sat on trains and in restaurants where  people have sat right next to me. I was wearing a mask out of courtesy , but did not feel 100% safe from transmission of the virus. Of course, we have to take risks in our daily lives, but I would prefer it if social distancing was strictly enforced to reduce the viral load of infective agents which can easily pass through a standard everyday mask.

The medical authorities must not lull the public into a false sense of security to believe that ordinary masks alone can stop the spread of the  Covid 19 virus and the epidemic: they simply cannot.

I shall wear a mask as a matter of courtesy, whilst being aware that it is probably best to avoid crowded places where social distancing measures are ignored. The vaccinations have been proven to work by randomised controlled trials which have been peer reviewed, and thank heavens for that. Vaccinations have also been proven to be safe. The jab is key to solving the the problems of the pandemic but it too must be used with other measures to contain the virus. It looks as though the vaccine protects you from a severe form of the Covid 19 disease so that the need hospitalisation is reduced. Vaccination does not fully protect you, however from, catching the disease again. Covid 19 is not a pleasant disease to catch even in its mild form, and further research needs to be done to examine the chronic effects of long Covid.

The epidemic is still raging strong and relying on just a mask to protect you and others is foolhardy. The best approach, from my point of view, is to have the vaccine and still bear in mind social distancing. If you must wear a mask then buy an FFP3 professional mask and learn how to use it safely with out putting others at risk but you might find that totally impractical when you want to eat a sandwich and drink a pint at the local.

It was "England expects" "wot" lost it

I had visions of writing a panegyric about the England football team this morning but they lost again, to Italy, in a penalty shoot-out in the Euro 2020 championships.

The team and their coach and manager should not be blamed. They got to the final and drew at both full and extra time. Surely, there is case for sharing the title when the final is a draw, just like a cricket series or a British and Irish Lions series - honours can be even. But, of course modern commercial and nationalistic instincts dictate that there must only be one winner.

There were some disturbing aspects to the latest football competition.

Football is not the most important game in the world. In my opinion Rugby is; I have been to a number of Rugby World Cup championships.  The supporters put the sport above most other considerations, the aggression only happens on the pitch but in a controlled way. The supporters do not cry into their beer if their team loses and do not become euphoric and silly if their team wins. The supporters, from every competing country, meet without rancour and racism. Rugby Football is a complete contrast to  Association Football in this respect. There is some of the "Corinthian spirit" left.

There is this dreadful attitude amongst some Football supporters and the media that England expects a win and that England is entitled to win. The team is lauded if it wins and is traduced if it loses.  The media piles pressure on the team. Gareth Southgate, the coach, was featured throughout the contest missing a penalty in 1996 and was unjustifiably blamed for an England defeat. The young players who missed penalties in the latest game will now be featured relentlessly in play backs and be blamed unjustifiably for another defeat.

 The "England expects" attitude is exacerbated by corrosive nationalism whipped up by the media. This has encouraged the more lunatic fringe of so called England "supporters" to indulge in violence amongst themselves, harassment of the children of  Danish supporters, booing the national anthems of opponent teams, booing when Italy took their penalties, shining laser beams in the eyes of the opposing team and probably the worst aspect of it all - racism and the abuse that it generates.

How can a team be expected to perform at its full potential when they see these shameful events happening before their eyes, whilst unprotected from the media attention and opprobrium from some quarters.

The young men who missed their penalties have been exposed to extreme pressure. They knew that they could not afford to miss because of the abuse that they would be subjected to, and the attitude that they are only true Englishmen when they score goals but are foreigners when they miss. These men pushed themselves to their limits  to do their best for their parents, communities and, dare I say it, their country; so probably the pressure prevented them from performing as they would have done on the training field. The press and media are now pressurising them further by repeatedly showing what happened. Anyone who is interested in football saw what happened and there is no need to show it again.

We have seen how the blatant nationalism spoils the chances of other British or English hopefuls. The young lady who performed so well in the Wimbledon championships was exposed to extreme pressure from the media and the adoring public. This caused her to show all the symptoms of a panic attack with breathing difficulties, whilst playing a match, after the pressure became too much for her. This ruined her match and performance on the day and it could ruin her promising sports career. 

You do not become a top Football  or Tennis player because you are British or English. You do it by developing your talents and working hard. Nationality does not confer rights upon you and, nationality should confer no obligations upon you to perform in a certain way. British or English nationality does not entitle you or any one else to win or gain privileges. The only thing that British or English nationality should guarantee is basic human rights and respect for everyone despite the colour of their skin or their background.

There is a Football World Cup competition around the corner. English football will be relying upon the same players to do well. The competition will be stronger with Brazil and Argentina added to the equation. If the public want the English team to do better then the abuse and triumphalism will have to stop and, the pressure on the team and their manager will have to be projected into a different direction. The "England expects" attitude will have to be dropped. All the players should be given respect. The media will have a huge part to play to relieve the pressure on the team by not incessantly replaying missed penalties and mistakes. 

If you want to give England a fair chance of winning then please cool it, after all its only a game and the sport itself should be bigger than any individual player, supporter or nation. Let's not miss the point again.