INTRODUCTION
I had to go to our veterinary clinic which takes the Covid threat very seriously yesterday to pick up some medicine and special food for one of my Westies who came down with gastroenteritis.
I have nothing but praise for the expertise of and the compassion shown by two veterinarians at the clinic. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to any pet owners I know.
Despite prominent signs on the vet clinic door saying masks were required a man came in with his cat and he wasn’t wearing a mask.
There were even more signs inside and notices on a big easel explaining why owners weren't allowed to accompany their pets into the examination rooms.
At first the man just stood there talking to the staff behind the counter as I moved as far from him as I possibly could.
I know this puts staff into a difficult position and my hunch is that they don’t find it easy to remind people that they are required to be masked.
There was another man sitting in the waiting room wearing a mask and I had my mask and a face shield on. The two staff behind plexiglass were also wearing masks.
Apparently all this led him to say he was going out to his car to get his mask.
The area in and around Portland, Oregon where I live has seen a highly publicized spike in Covid cases and deaths.
Excerpt:
As winter approaches, the United States is grappling with a jaw-dropping surge in the number of novel coronavirus infections. More than 288,000 Americans have been killed by a virus that public health officials now say can be spread through airborne transmission.
The virus spreads most commonly through close contact, scientists say. But under certain conditions, people farther than six feet apart can become infected by exposure to tiny droplets and particles exhaled by an infected person, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in October. Those droplets and particles can linger in the air for minutes to hours.
To visually illustrate the risk of airborne transmission in real time, The Washington Post used a military-grade infrared camera capable of detecting exhaled breath. Numerous experts — epidemiologists, virologists and engineers — supported the notion of using exhalation as a conservative proxy to show potential transmission risk in various settings.
“The images are very, very telling,” said Rajat Mittal, a professor of mechanical engineering in Johns Hopkins University’s medical and engineering schools and an expert on virus transmission. “Getting two people and actually visualizing what’s happening between them, that’s very invaluable.”
I recommend you watch the video too.
I wish the man at that vet clinic would watch it.
After watching the video and seeing how the virus can even get past a mask, albeit with fewer particles, I was particularly glad I had my face shield on.
Another personal note.
I have been very risk averse about Covid and haven’t gone out to shop since the pandemic began. I order everything online from groceries to gewgaws.
I live in a senior facility where mask wearing is mandated inside and outside. I live in a detached duplex on the 23 acre campus and I don’t go in the buildings unless I absolutely have to do so.
I take the dogs for walks around our lovely grounds but keep about 10 feet away from anyone I talk to even though we both are wearing masks. The video shows that the six foot distance isn’t always enough.
The biggest risk I take is visiting with a friend in a nearby park but we both wear double masks, with a KN-95 under worn under a cloth or surgical masks. If one mask is good I figure two is better, especially if one is a KN-95. These are the Chinese manufactured equivalent to the American N-95 masks. They are expensive one time use only masks at $3-5 apiece (you can buy them in bulk from Amazon), but I only wear one on these special occasions. They offer protection not only for others, but for yourself as well. It makes sense that any additional protective steps like wearing a face shield is likely to help and certainly can’t hurt. Add this to hand washing or wearing gloves and I think you are reducing risk yourself as much as possible aside from total quarantine..
It is unconscionable that so many Americans don't care about giving Covid to others. I certainly want to protect others from contracting it from me. I also believe that in the case of Covid it is better to be personally as safe as reasonably possible than sorry.
Besides, if I get it who would take care of these guys?