21 replies to this topic

[♥~kitkat7♥]

--

Edited by ♥~kitkat7♥, 18 February 2022 - 09:00 AM.

[Kikya]

I usually don't like to make 2 posts in a row on the same forum, but I felt alarmed when I heard this and felt I needed to seek opinions <3
Thanks in advance btw
 
 
So, last night, my Mom and I both got an email from my school's Superintendent. He said that starting March 1st, wearing a mask is optional, and they are giving everybody a week or so to make the correct adjustments. I highly doubt my school wanted to do this, but apparently, if they didn't it would be "against the law" according to my parents. My parents said they were fine with us wearing or not wearing a mask at school - and without even thinking for a second, I know I will continue to keep wearing my mask. I honestly don't know what amount of kids at my school will keep wearing a mask and who won't. But I just am not sure how I can keep being safe. The school tries to social-distance, but kids don't follow those rules, it's practically impossible to make the kids follow those rules. Kids are starting to talk about it, and are very excited and happy about this new rule - and I see it will be tough to keep safe at school.
 
If you guys have any tips to get through this, highly appreciated <3
 
Nibbles ;3

Sweetie, I know the last couple of years have been strange but statically speaking, you are perfectly safe. It's time to let go of covid fear. Many places and many countries have been fine when removing removing masks and covid restrictions.

There will be many diseases you will encounter in your life and some of them, deadly. You can't live your life in fear of what might happen. Disease, war, and famine are part of being human. You can't avoid it.

Btw, when I worked at a hospital, they drilled infection protocol in us. Wash up, gown up, glove up mask up with N95s, do your business with one patient, remove everything, throw it away, and wash up again. Repeat for every infectious patient.

Are you and the school doing that everytime? Those little paper masks don't protect you from much. Especially airborne illness. Even with all those protocols, infections spread. Nothing is 100% It's time to live your life.

 

Edit: I do worry very much what the psychological impact will be for children living through this, with all the media screaming about it for 2 years and telling everyone they are about to die.

 

When I was a kid, they were telling everyone that we were all going to die from HIV/AIDS and 1 in 5 people were going to have it in 10 years. While completely ignoring the fact that the people mostly likely to get it were drug users and people having unsafe sex. Not your average person.

 

I saw all kinds of propaganda about it and even now in my mind as an adult, it's "the dreaded" disease, even though people rarely die from it now that we have treatments that halt the progression.

Edited by Kikya, 18 February 2022 - 05:17 AM.

[♥~kitkat7♥]

 

thank you <33

Edited by ♥~kitkat7♥, 18 February 2022 - 09:01 AM.

[Kikya]

thank you <33

HUGS!! Feel free to reach out if you need to talk.

[♥~kitkat7♥]

HUGS!! Feel free to reach out if you need to talk.

I will

[Lucia~D]

I usually don't like to make 2 posts in a row on the same forum, but I felt alarmed when I heard this and felt I needed to seek opinions <3

Thanks in advance btw

 

 

So, last night, my Mom and I both got an email from my school's Superintendent. He said that starting March 1st, wearing a mask is optional, and they are giving everybody a week or so to make the correct adjustments. I highly doubt my school wanted to do this, but apparently, if they didn't it would be "against the law" according to my parents. My parents said they were fine with us wearing or not wearing a mask at school - and without even thinking for a second, I know I will continue to keep wearing my mask. I honestly don't know what amount of kids at my school will keep wearing a mask and who won't. But I just am not sure how I can keep being safe. The school tries to social-distance, but kids don't follow those rules, it's practically impossible to make the kids follow those rules. Kids are starting to talk about it, and are very excited and happy about this new rule - and I see it will be tough to keep safe at school.

 

If you guys have any tips to get through this, highly appreciated <3

 

Nibbles ;3

 

If its anything like our local schools (I work at a school as well) a whole bunch of students chose to carry on wearing masks even when our govt. changed the rules and said they weren't needed in classrooms(!).I think a lot of kids are a lot more sensible than people give them credit for. If a mask makes you feel more comfortable then honestly be comfortable as well in knowing you won't be the only one, I would say our school is about 50/50 and nobody picks on anyone who wears one or not.

Regardless of antimaskers saying they don't work etc. they really do help to mitigate spread of even common cold etc. and a lot of people in a lot of Asian countries just wear them as standard anyway for everyday life with no complaint. Helps against pollution if you live in a city as well as airborne droplets carrying disease. We have had a lot lower spread of the normal cold and flu in school while masked. Take from that what you will! They're not muzzles and they're not harmful and from the kids I've talked to they really don't care about wearing them or not, but they're tired of the adults shouting over them saying its "child abuse" or some rubbish like that.

The new changes in recommendations for schools just means its your choice, not a rule that you have to follow. If you want to wear a mask, wear one Even if you are statistically unlikely to die from C-19 it might help you avoid getting or passing on something else. It's not about a "Project Fear" or whatever. 

Edited by Lucia~D, 18 February 2022 - 04:34 AM.

[Kikya]

If its anything like our local schools (I work at a school as well) a whole bunch of students chose to carry on wearing masks even when our govt. changed the rules and said they weren't needed in classrooms(!).I think a lot of kids are a lot more sensible than people give them credit for. If a mask makes you feel more comfortable then honestly be comfortable as well in knowing you won't be the only one, I would say our school is about 50/50 and nobody picks on anyone who wears one or not.

Regardless of antimaskers saying they don't work etc. they really do help to mitigate spread of even common cold etc. and a lot of people in a lot of Asian countries just wear them as standard anyway for everyday life with no complaint. Helps against pollution if you live in a city as well as airborne droplets carrying disease. We have had a lot lower spread of the normal cold and flu in school while masked. Take from that what you will! They're not muzzles and they're not harmful and from the kids I've talked to they really don't care about wearing them or not, but they're tired of the adults shouting over them saying its "child abuse" or some rubbish like that.

The new changes in recommendations for schools just means its your choice, not a rule that you have to follow. If you want to wear a mask, wear one Even if you are statistically unlikely to die from C-19 it might help you avoid getting or passing on something else. It's not about a "Project Fear" or whatever. 

Actually, wearing those masks can be harmful. Here are a few reasons.

 

To your teeth, dry mouth and bacteria is damaging to your teeth and gums. More mouth breathing. Ask your dentist if they have seen more dental issues with kids wearing masks all day. I guarantee they will say yes. I've already talked to several dentists about this.

 

Breathing in more CO2 into your lungs is damaging to your brain and muscles from lack of oxygen.

 

The bacteria that grows on the mask that you breathe in all day, causes more infection and sickness of the lungs.

 

At a hospital, you don't wear the same mask all day, they get changed and you throw them out frequently. Also, it's terrible for the environment, all those masks are not being recycled and just pile up in landfills.

Edited by Kikya, 18 February 2022 - 10:30 AM.

[midget7]

I agree with Lucia~D. Even though you can't control what others are doing, you can protect yourself by continuing to take precautions, e.g. wearing a mask, hand washing regularly, etc. I totally get that things going back to normal and people around you not taking covid seriously can be frustrating and worrying. YoungMinds has some resources on how to cope with mental health during the pandemic, and has some useful stuff on health anxiety that might be helpful to you x

 

Actually, wearing those masks can be harmful. Here are a few reasons.

 

To your teeth, dry mouth and bacteria is damaging to your teeth and gums. More mouth breathing. Ask your dentist if they have seen more dental issues with kids wearing masks all day. I guarantee they will say yes. I've already talked to several dentists about this.

 

Breathing into more CO2 into your lungs is damaging to your brain and muscles from lack of oxygen.

 

The bacteria that grows on the mask that you breathe in all day, causes more infection and sickness of the lungs.

 

At a hospital, you don't wear the same mask all day, they get changed and you throw them out frequently. Also, it's terrible for the environment, all those masks are not being recycled and just pile up in landfills.

 

Before anyone reads the above and gets scared of wearing masks, I want to debunk some misconceptions. (Also, I'm not interested in starting an argument, just want to give some info so people can make their own informed opinions.)

 

Face masks do not cause CO₂ poisoning. O₂ and CO₂ molecules are tiny and can easily pass through a mask. (Whereas droplets / respiratory particles containing bacteria or viruses are larger and can't pass through a mask, which is why masks are effective at reducing the spread of covid.) Wearing a mask might be a little uncomfortable, but it does not cause breathing problems or affect your oxygen / CO₂ intake. (source)

 

There's no evidence to suggest that wearing a mask will cause lung infections. The only thing that hits the inside of your mask is what you breathe out, so unless you already have a bacterial or fungal lung infection, you aren't going to contaminate your own mask with anything harmful (source - bacterial lung infections, source - fungal lung infections). That being said, it's still advised that you clean your mask regularly. (source)

 

Mask wearing does not necessarily cause dental problems. There has been talk about something called "mask mouth" where having a dry mouth (caused by wearing a mask for long periods of time) leads to bad breath and dental problems. According to this article, “There are no dental health hazards of wearing a mask as long as you stay hydrated and keep up your dental home care regime.” and “attempts to link mask use and tooth decay appear motivated more by political prejudice than protecting public health”.

 

I agree that single-use masks are bad for the environment, which is why it's good to have two or more reusable cloth masks which you can switch between while one is in the wash.

Edited by midget7, 18 February 2022 - 06:58 AM.

[Kikya]

I agree with Lucia~D. Even though you can't control what others are doing, you can protect yourself by continuing to take precautions, e.g. wearing a mask, hand washing regularly, etc. I totally get that things going back to normal and people around you not taking covid seriously can be frustrating and worrying. YoungMinds has some resources on how to cope with mental health during the pandemic, and has some useful stuff on health anxiety that might be helpful to you x

 

 

Before anyone reads the above and gets scared of wearing masks, I want to debunk some misconceptions. (Also, I'm not interested in starting an argument, just want to give some info so people can make their own informed opinions.)

 

Face masks do not cause CO₂ poisoning. O₂ and CO₂ molecules are tiny and can easily pass through a mask. (Whereas droplets / respiratory particles containing bacteria or viruses are larger and can't pass through a mask, which is why masks are effective at reducing the spread of covid.) Wearing a mask might be a little uncomfortable, but it does not cause breathing problems or affect your oxygen / CO₂ intake. (source)

 

There's no evidence to suggest that wearing a mask will cause lung infections. The only thing that hits the inside of your mask is what you breathe out, so unless you already have a bacterial or fungal lung infection, you aren't going to contaminate your own mask with anything harmful (source - bacterial lung infections, source - fungal lung infections). That being said, it's still advised that you clean your mask regularly. (source)

 

Mask wearing does not necessarily cause dental problems. There has been talk about something called "mask mouth" where having a dry mouth (caused by wearing a mask for long periods of time) leads to bad breath and dental problems. According to this article, “There are no dental health hazards of wearing a mask as long as you stay hydrated and keep up your dental home care regime.” and “attempts to link mask use and tooth decay appear motivated more by political prejudice than protecting public health”.

 

I agree that single-use masks are bad for the environment, which is why it's good to have two or more reusable cloth masks which you can switch between while one is in the wash.

Well, I'm sorry to disagree with you but I've spoken to many doctors, including my son's many pulmonologists to tell you in fact masks can cause an increase in lung infections, when worn daily, that they should be worn infrequently and changed often (every few hours). Cloth masks, literally do nothing to stop the spread of COVID-19 and washing them once or twice a week or even daily doesn't kill any bacteria on them, unless it's with bleach and extremely hot water (again like hospital protocol) and it doesn't stop bacteria from collecting on the masks themselves during the day

 

I've also spoken to several dentists over the last couple of years who have told me there has been an increase in cavities and gum disease in the last two years as well, especially in small children. When you are wearing masks, you mouth breath, which causes dry mouth, which causes your mouth to not secret the enzymes needed to kill bacteria in your mouth. Your mouth becomes a breeding ground for bacteria, which you blow out on to your mask and breath in. It's not rocket science, you can literally feel the wet inside your mask, when this happens. The warm air from your lungs and the bacteria from your mouth is the perfect breeding ground.

 

And as far as CO2 levels, depending on the level of mask, it increases it by a lot or little but it's not a healthy level of CO2 to be breathing in all day. You can tell you are holding in the CO2 because the mask air is warm. That's the air being exhaled from your lungs. No one said CO2 poisoning, btw. I said it causes unhealthy amounts of CO2 levels, which is not good for your muscles or your brain and can cause damage over long periods of time.

 

Many of these studies are in a lab setting or for health care workers, who surprise surprise, change masks frequently, use disposable masks, and proper medical procedures. (gown, glove, scrub, etc).

 

Also, in case anyone is wondering. I'm not an anti masker, anti whatever you want to label me as. I had N95s and K95s in my house BEFORE Covid. I'm anti nonsense. I spent several years working at hospitals and outpatient clinics and I can tell you, unless you are following hospital protocols, you aren't stopping much of anything. Sure if you are sick, you may prevent someone else from getting it, if you never touch your mask, or adjust it or anything all day, shedding the mask and washing your hands and drying them completely before putting on a new mask. You can believe these half measures are helping but if a hospital did that, they would have a lot more than a .03% reinfection rate.

 

Omicron spread like wild fire in the schools, where everyone was masking all day, every day. The masks didn't stop that.

 

(fun times, going over the infection rate reports in the hospital lol, even one or two cases, the hospital would be very upset about)

 

In the end, the human species has gone on for a very long time without masks and will continue to do so. Do not fret, kiddos, everything will be ok.

Edited by Kikya, 18 February 2022 - 10:43 PM.

[♥~kitkat7♥]

Thanks for all responses <33

[midget7]

 

 

With regards to sources, I linked new articles since they're accessible and straightforward to read. The authors of the articles consulted medical professionals, but I can see why you might have credibility concerns.

 

I was interested in your points, so I did some reading of scientific articles. I couldn't find much on the dental or lung infection risks, other than reports on "perceived dry mouth and halitosis" when surveying the public. There was some scientific literature about the humidity and increased CO₂ behind the mask leading to subjective breathing difficulties. But, overall, it seems that the CO₂ levels aren't high enough to be of clinical risk.

 

Claims of Physiologic Decompensation Are Not Substantiated

 

We found no empirical evidence to support the claim that medical masks or cloth face coverings interfere with gas exchange to a clinically significant extent in healthy persons at rest. In nurses wearing medical masks through a 12-hour shift, no changes were seen in blood carbon dioxide or oxygen levels; minor changes in carbon dioxide levels were detected after wearing a respirator for 12 hours (88). Another study, on surgeons wearing surgical masks, showed a decrease in blood oxygen levels from 98% to 96% during prolonged surgery—a difference that was statistically significant but not clinically relevant (89).

 

source: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M20-6625

 

Sure, cloth face coverings will never be as effective as surgical masks in a healthcare environment but the evidence suggests that they still act as a preventative measure against covid. Unless you are exempt, I believe that the benefits of wearing a mask outweigh the risks.

 

edit: to nibbles, I'm sorry to derail the topic. This is the last I'm gonna say on the subject of masks! I hope school goes ok for you and you're able to stay safe <3

Edited by midget7, 18 February 2022 - 09:17 AM.

[♥~kitkat7♥]

With regards to sources, I linked new articles since they're accessible and straightforward to read. The authors of the articles consulted medical professionals, but I can see why you might have credibility concerns.

 

I was interested in your points, so I did some reading of scientific articles. I couldn't find much on the dental or lung infection risks, other than reports on "perceived dry mouth and halitosis" when surveying the public. There was some scientific literature about the humidity and increased CO₂ behind the mask leading to subjective breathing difficulties. But, overall, it seems that the CO₂ levels aren't high enough to be of clinical risk.

 

Claims of Physiologic Decompensation Are Not Substantiated

 

We found no empirical evidence to support the claim that medical masks or cloth face coverings interfere with gas exchange to a clinically significant extent in healthy persons at rest. In nurses wearing medical masks through a 12-hour shift, no changes were seen in blood carbon dioxide or oxygen levels; minor changes in carbon dioxide levels were detected after wearing a respirator for 12 hours (88). Another study, on surgeons wearing surgical masks, showed a decrease in blood oxygen levels from 98% to 96% during prolonged surgery—a difference that was statistically significant but not clinically relevant (89).

 

source: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M20-6625

 

Sure, cloth face coverings will never be as effective as surgical masks in a healthcare environment but the evidence suggests that they still act as a preventative measure against covid. Unless you are exempt, I believe that the benefits of wearing a mask outweigh the risks.

 

edit: to nibbles, I'm sorry to derail the topic. This is the last I'm gonna say on the subject of masks! I hope school goes ok for you and you're able to stay safe <3

It is all ok, thank you so much <3

[Kikya]

With regards to sources, I linked new articles since they're accessible and straightforward to read. The authors of the articles consulted medical professionals, but I can see why you might have credibility concerns.

 

I was interested in your points, so I did some reading of scientific articles. I couldn't find much on the dental or lung infection risks, other than reports on "perceived dry mouth and halitosis" when surveying the public. There was some scientific literature about the humidity and increased CO₂ behind the mask leading to subjective breathing difficulties. But, overall, it seems that the CO₂ levels aren't high enough to be of clinical risk.

 

Claims of Physiologic Decompensation Are Not Substantiated

 

We found no empirical evidence to support the claim that medical masks or cloth face coverings interfere with gas exchange to a clinically significant extent in healthy persons at rest. In nurses wearing medical masks through a 12-hour shift, no changes were seen in blood carbon dioxide or oxygen levels; minor changes in carbon dioxide levels were detected after wearing a respirator for 12 hours (88). Another study, on surgeons wearing surgical masks, showed a decrease in blood oxygen levels from 98% to 96% during prolonged surgery—a difference that was statistically significant but not clinically relevant (89).

 

source: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M20-6625

 

Sure, cloth face coverings will never be as effective as surgical masks in a healthcare environment but the evidence suggests that they still act as a preventative measure against covid. Unless you are exempt, I believe that the benefits of wearing a mask outweigh the risks.

 

edit: to nibbles, I'm sorry to derail the topic. This is the last I'm gonna say on the subject of masks! I hope school goes ok for you and you're able to stay safe <3

Healthy people at rest, so as long as you don't move, like running in gym or walking from class to class or pretty do anything that a kid would do, you're fine.

 

To give you some idea, normal O2 saturation is 99-100% (100% is resting, 99% is moving), sick is 96-98%, and 92-95% is go to the hospital and get on oxygen, below 91 is dying. It's a very small percentage difference in healthy and not.

 

When my family had covid, we were all around 96-97% O2 sat, post covid, not completely normal I'm at around 98% according to my oximeter (yes, I have a lot of medical equipment around my house). Before covid, my resting O2 was 100%

 

and again, studies in a hospital setting, with nurses are changing their masks frequently. (and if they AREN'T changing their masks frequently, then get out of that hospital asap!) It's not the same as kids at school, who are less than sanitary throughout the day, wearing the same mask, and probably not washing it daily, let alone every 2-3 hours.

[Tater]

--

Hey~ We recently made masks optional at my school, and I'm now one of the few people wearing one. A few of my friends are as well as some other people, but the majority aren't. It's completely fine to wear one, especially if it helps you feel safe and comfortable just go for it~ It sucks when people around you aren't doing things that help you feel comfortable but unfortunately that is just how the school might be >.>" I'm sorry you have to deal with it all tho 3: 

Honestly there's not much else you can do besides just wear your mask if you want and do your best to social distance if that makes you comfortable, so just keep trying and try not to worry about it too much <33 If it helps you can try to find friends who are also wearing their masks and hang around them if that's comfortable for you moreso than not, I wish you the best of luck!

[Lillias]

Breathe through your nose, regardless of whether you are wearing a mask. I think people panic and starting breathing through their mouths, and then they end up with dry mouth and sore throats. The nose is a filtration device.

 

Bring a second mask for the afternoon. They aren't meant for all day wearing.

 

If it's a cloth mask, wash it. Ironing it will kill any germs that linger after washing and drying (although washing and drying are quite effective on their own). I can't wrap my head around people who wear the same mask for multiple days without washing. Do they not change their underwear?

 

I feel for you all who have to go to school in this mess. The problem with optional masks is that cloth and surgical masks protect other people. So the decision of other students to not wear a mask puts you at greater risk.