> People who wore [masks or] stayed home, didn’t interact with others in person, and were hyper conscious about germs are going to struggle to fight off this winters standard bugs.

No we're not, because we're still masking up (in public), still social distancing and still being vax'd . People doing none of the above are more likely to get infected; whether its a mild case or otherwise.

Your assertion that exposure makes our bodies more resilient is not untrue. That said, antibody resistance to CV19 will be different than resistance to RSV; or to flu virii, or herpes or any of the litany of other viruses (AOT bacterial) floating around out there.

I guess my assertion is improved resistance to germ A does not imply greater resistance to germ B. And, we're just talking respiratory virii here. And, FWIW, despite repeat exposure to germ A producing improved resistance down the road, you are not the same person down the road; you get older, weaker, .... you change (along w/your immunology).

What you're suggesting is akin to saying hey, I got malaria in SA, but skip the preventions, if I get hit again it won't be so bad. Except it is, and depending on the env, availability of medicine,.... could be much worse.

r/hermancaineaward is no diff from other subs; there's always a fair share of a-holes who like to gloat. Most though see it as lamentable were it not for individual intransigence. Not unlike r/leopardsatemyface

Few are taking joy in the suffering of others in ways that you suggest, but being you, that's the first place you look to demean it.

> coercion, exploitation, and manipulation of individuals into forfeiting their own right to medical autonomy else have the quasi-consensus society exile them.

On one level, you are not wrong; on another you appear to want to forgo the price being in said society requires, while reaping said benefits. Like a fascist on their soapbox exercising 1A only because the rest of us tolerate it .

> The White House is promoting apartheid-like conditional access to society, we call that - Crimes Against Humanity.

I loathe Biden, and Dems in general, but that sentence? Wow! Sure you don't mean Netanyahu and Israel?

> Don't insist that everyone else conform to your faux consensus manifested by the largest propaganda blitz we have ever witnessed/experienced.

I appreciate long and thoughtful replies, even though I may not agree with them. But you are basically saying "free the germs, don't bother with vaccinations" because of detrimental effects of dealing with it, because its fruitless to try, and doing so makes you a pawn of big gov propaganda. And, mostly, because you don't like anyone telling you what you should or need to do. Maybe you should try NH, or AZ, or ID for more sympathetic audiences.

You've beefed up all your talking points to reinforce why you're right and I'm wrong; why anyone recommending social protections are wrong.

Not the "the prolonged negative affects of irrational and detrimental pandemic 'response'" so much as the prolonged negative effects that people like you, disinclined to vax or mask just because 'beliefs', are exacting on the community writ large.

There's nothing irrational about protection though it does have its downsides. I'm no fan of big pharma, or the government FTM, still, sometimes you bite the bullet and do what's right. The CV19 vax is not immunity (yet) but mitigation, RSV has no vax, Mpox is here as are a host of other germs easily spread in our globalized planet.

But no, you pat yourself on the back for being a 'free thinker' while 2 minutes perusing your post history, and all the negative points all your replies generate, illustrate how off the mark you are trolling for nobody's benefit but your own.

> the collateral effects of draconian "health" policy like lockdowns, forcibly masking, forcibly medicating, etc, are overall more detrimental than the benefits they provide. Read that again if you have to. The collateral damage from draconian pandemic response is more damaging to our society than a coronavirus.

Well, says you; thankfully we'll never know, considering a vaccine was produced and (most) people followed guidelines. Still, over 1mil USA'ians died and millions more impacted.

What CH and AU are doing may be overboard, I can't say cuz I don't live there. But frankly I think you don't know shit and only cite words that match your belief system.

Good luck, pard. Hope you don't make r/hermancaineaward or become a zombie dying on the hill of "sunk costs"

1st - I get your assertion WRT masks and kids in classrooms, exposure (to teachers, staff, ...) notwithstanding

2nd - I agree that unless you're wearing a [K]N95 mask exposure to nuclei from evaporated envelopes will get to your mouth/nose. N95's are what keeps virii from being inhaled.

But even a simple surge mask will stop the envelopes from spewing if you yourself happen to have virii/germs. So, they do serve a purpose of keeping others safe(r) around you should you be infectious.

If you are trying to assert that masks serve no purpose, or are even counter-productive to fighting virus, I think you're full-on wrong.

Masks are a component,along with >= 6' distance and good ventilation, to keeping the social safety net intact.

If you're looking for a return to 'normal' - well good luck with that. Years ahead are going to make 2020-2022 look downright appealing. Normal jumped the shark and headed south.

Additionally, even you are ready to sacrifice old and immuno-compromised people on the alter of "adapting to it", unless you can provide a verifiable link to the contrary, long-covid (and repeated exposure to SRV) and the associated effects are reasons to avoid getting these sicknesses.

I appreciate your inputs, but you're assertion says that masks not only are not effective but they're also detrimental. You're going to have to back that up with some stats - links please

thanks for sharing (that info - no pun intended:)

wearing a mask in public, indoors, is a courtesy; specially if your coughing or potentially shedding. It's like farting in a closed space. Just don't, please.

> but eventually you or your kid(s) will get RSV.

Word.

And your pointing out the burden of this confluence of events (this winter) was my reason for posting. Ascertaining if people are willing to mask up (indoors) to reduce the expected stress on the health-care system.

> Why does this have to be so politically driven?

I really wasn't trying to make it political versus common sense. The only thing that drags politics into it is folk clinging to the "i'm not wearing a chin-diaper for any reason" - to which I could care less, providing they keep their shedding to themselves.

As of today, people are not seeing a need to mask up for RSV, which is fine I suppose. My point was noting that this year that bug is on the rise, the situation could change quickly, and wondering if common sense will prevail.

Which I'm taking, from this post, to be a no.

> Unfortunately, you didn’t allow the same rights to others.

WTF you talking about? I'm not imposing anything on anyone. You have the right to be un-vax'd, unmasked, whatever; even if you lack the common sense to do so (IMO).

Just stay in your lane and its all good; I DGAF

My read is that it can infect both kids and adults repeatedly during the winter months. That having it once does build up some resistance. That its harshest for already compromised people but no such thing as long-RSV like there is with covid.

It may be 'common' as another stated, but that makes precaution no less necessary; specially as there is no vax, unlike flu/cv19. Combined with its spike in children due to other factors and being easily passed (repeatedly even) between child and adults this winter could prove stressful for a lot of people.

Outside? Keeping your space? No problem, friend; smile on :)

I mask up indoors only, only talking indoors, and in crowds; like supermarkets and pharmacies, standing in line at the chinese restaurant, the corner store ...

As for restaurants and sit-down dining? I'd likely take a pass if the waiting room is packed and maskless; eating at a table safely spaced and well ventilated? Once in awhile works OK.

Stay healthy, pard!

I was wondering about envelopes, antibodies, and genomes (oh my) to understand differences/similarities so decided to dive deeper and do a netsearch on the issue and came across what you refer to, i think:

https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/26/health/rsv-immunity-gap

Heya, thanks for the reply and information. As someone old who's been informed on flu and pneumonia I'm surprised to first learn of it now; and not even last winter, despite my recent arrival from VT.

I grok ya on kids, on the flip side of protection causing different issues and their immune systems AOT adults. Since RSV can be passed easily between adults and kids, behavior of both are affected.

With the reality being 'what it is', would you agree that masking up (indoors) during peak winter is necessary? So far, the consensus is no. I was thinking that could change sooner than later. Are you saying NBD?

> common sense is in short supply these days.

Germs, and non-adaptive people, are Nature's population controls; is what i said in another reply. Also noting the strain it presents on everyone trying to address other, non-covid, medical needs.

A month to see a PCP, 3mo or more for a vet, a dentist, longer for a specialist's procedure. The exodus from medical is hard felt. Hope that you don't need an ambulance.

Won't be long before some Equity-owned med center has AI bots giving us our examinations :-)

"Prepare to bend over (and cough)!"

I try to keep from getting dramatic about it just accepting that its here, not going anywhere and that most healthy people seem to be surviving it well enough. In some queer way, that was the conservative (scientific) POV from the outset, but not to their credit that it was vaxing that made minimizing even your sad stats possible

If if means more isolating w/a close circle and avoiding gatherings, keeping distances, masking up, whatever; no hardship for me. Issue is the strain a cavalier POV takes on the health system; making dr/dds/eye appointments and procedures and the like. To say nothing of real, non-covid, emergencies. Or the tax/costs of treating people with severe covid.

And, as you say, the prospect of long-term effects of multiple infections is likely going to be consequential. And its not on people's minds unless their already noticing brainfog:)

Germs, and non-adaptive people, are Nature's population controls.

ah, gotcha !

Hey, Davit, my apologies for the last reply. Just caught me in a foulish mood. I know a lot of people who are conservative and are good, decent folk; we can politely disagree and still get along enough to play cribbage or shoot at the range.

Didn't mean to make it personal. I hope you stay healthy

I was speaking about Maine exclusively and though you may be right (not needing masks indoors to stem RSV) I suspect that's about to change. I'm seeing a lot of unhealthy looking people around my parts and a big uptick in sneezing/coughing.

> jargon packed ramblings

yea, whatever ...

I'm not angry about politics, I'm pissed off with inaccurate labeling and agit-prop.

And yea, my comment about the MAGA mask was over the top and I'm not in any way suggesting that non-maskers are hard right conservatives; just a small subset.

But trying and assert that there is no correlation between maskless people (indoors) and that subset of r/HermanCainAward contestants will leave you 0 legs to stand on.

My 'petty resentments' to you are, to me, what's been dragging the country down; for decades. But hey, you're entitled to your opinion as to what qualifies as "Americans", even for a 2yr old account with barely any karma.

"Roaches for Raid" comes to mind :)

I would stencil MAGA on my N95 mask in my own blood before paying a single cent for a maga mask :) Nor would I trust it to keep the boogers away.

honestly can't say. But wearing them indoors might be the smart move insofar as RSV and winter months are concerned.

My post was not a CV19 thing - most of us are vax'd and would only get marginally sick if infected; omitting the impact of long-covid, which is a real thing to consider. WRT covid we each take our own precautions, while hoping we collectively are not straining the care-system beyond its means.

I hear ya - thanks for sharing!