[swed420]

If people are this concerned about heart health, they'd be wise to continue a zero-covid lifestyle into 2026 and beyond, since each re-infection (which vaccines don't prevent) increases the risk of severe health outcomes, including heart-related issues among lots of others.

Yet I only see about .5-1% of the population in my area these days wearing any kind of mask/N95 respirator in public.

[esikich]

A - masks don't protect you, they protect others, B - what % of the population leaves the house when they feel sick enough that they should wear a mask?

[swed420]

> A - masks don't protect you, they protect others

This is flat wrong, but also a demonstration of how far the Back To Normal propaganda propagated, because it's a common misconception. They protect both; especially at an N95 level of filtration.

> B - what % of the population leaves the house when they feel sick enough that they should wear a mask?

For starters, ~40% of COVID infections are asymptomatic (and still carry the same aforementioned long-term risks).

[watwut]

B - a lot of them, actually. You see sick people going to work or shops all the time. And most them them see themselves as some kind of "pushing through it" tough hero.

[basisword]

Doesn't this apply to colds and flus too?

[swed420]

If you look into the effects, they're two separate categories of damage. Also, considering COVID keeps mutating, it's much harder to control.

Anybody curious might consider scanning the sticky posts on /r/zerocovidcommunity for more information and links to external sources.