things that has struck me about the pandemic is that the earlier hit cities seemed to suffer FAR more deadly outbreaks. The population fatality rates in NYC and Lombardy were stunning. Part of that could be that the health systems those places were overwhelmed, we didn't know how to treat covid, and possibly the virus has mutated to become less deadly. But could part of its also be that NO ONE was wearing a mask and so when people were infected they got a much higher exposure and the virus overwhelmed their body's defenses. I've seen several studies that suggest the benefits of a masks is not just in prevention of infection but in lowering the viral load of the exposure and allowing for a less serious case because the body has a better chance to mount a defense.

I honestly don't know, but I go back to fishhoo's post. "We know this virus passes through aerosol transmission and respiratory channels and wearing a mask helps filter both your aerosol intake and outputs, to various degrees...How on earth can wearing a mask not be to some degree a helpful factor?"

And at the end of the day, we're just asking people to wear a mask. I don't understand why some feel the need to make this into a culture war. It's not THAT big a deal.