Covid

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by SNIPERBBB

Surgeons wear surgical masks to keep from spitting their gum or sneezing into someones open body cavity. Absolutely no study has shown that surgical masks do anything for respiratory viruses.

Read the National Institute of Health article again. Certainly better than a study one finds on Facebook, Twitter, Instagraph, or My Space.

This study cites dozens of studies that say the same thing, masks work.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8084286/

The effectiveness of masks in population-wide scenarios has been proven to be significant … community-based research has demonstrated the efficacy of cloth masks in slowing down the spread of COVID-19 ... For the general public, the use of cloth masks in public settings, such as grocery stores and places of worship, especially in regions with known or suspected widespread transmission, or in situations where physical distancing is not possible, has been encouraged by the WHO and many policy makers ... consistent and proper usage of facial coverings can help minimize symptomatic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during close contact ... COVID-19 transmission rates are generally lower in countries and regions where citizens are accustomed or required to adopt universal masking, such as many parts of Asia. Simulations and mathematical models have also predicted that the adoption of universal masking would substantially curtail the spread of COVID-19 ... observational studies have presented real-world evidence that suggests mask-wearing helps mitigate community transmission of COVID-19 ... face mask mandates reduced the number of newly reported SARS-CoV-2 infections between 15 and 75% within the first 20 days of their introduction ... study focused on 15 states and Washington D.C., in which all able individuals were mandated to wear a face mask in public settings. Similarly, it was found that face mask mandates were associated with a lower COVID-19 daily growth rate, and that this effect increased over time after the mandates were put in place ... study found that within the first few weeks after the mask mandate came into effect, the average weekly number of newly diagnosed SARS-CoV-2 infections decreased by 25–31% ... mask mandates accounting for an estimated 36–46% reduction in weekly case numbers ... all available epidemiologic evidence suggests that community-wide mask-wearing results in reduced rates of COVID-19 infections.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Raymond

There are plenty of social media rabbit holes for those discussions.

The National Institute of Health is not a social media rabbit hole.

I agree with Raymond on one point. If the National Institute of Health can't change one's opinion of masks, then BillyMac posting on the Basketball Forum certainly can't change anyone's opinion of masks. I've got six years of undergraduate and graduate education in science, but it's mostly in geology (Sheldon Cooper's least favorite science). And while I never played a medical doctor on television, I do have an obstetrics and gynecology MD (and Master of International Public Health) daughter; and a COVID (testing and vaccination site supervisor for past twenty months) nurse (RN, BS, MS) daughter; who I get my expert medical advice from, expert advice that I'm willing to share. Nevertheless, BillyMac posting on the Basketball Forum certainly can't change anyone's opinion of masks.

[Raymond]

This discussion is going down the rabbit hole.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Officials, players, coaches, and fans will all wear masks at all times, however, enforcement for players will not be the responsibility of the officials this year, but the responsibility of game management.

Originally Posted by SC Official

Players wear them like chin straps ...

Unfortunately, I also find this true in my games this year. Had a point guard play 32 minutes with a mask under her chin last week. I didn't say a word, not my job this year.

Last year I had to remind several players over the course of a shortened season to wear their masks properly, with only two, or three, "sit a ticks" for failure to comply.

While I like that I don't have to be the "Mask Police" this year, I also feel less safe. I wish that game management would do their job properly.

[SC Official]

I absolutely refuse to be the mask police in games I officiate (of course, I won’t work anywhere I have to officiate in a mask anymore). It’s bad enough that we have to enforce fashion police rules.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by SC Official

I absolutely refuse to be the mask police in games I officiate. It’s bad enough that we have to enforce fashion police rules.

Agree and agree. Last year we didn't have a choice if we wanted to work. Took some flak from a few parents in the bleachers for doing my job. Glad that they put the responsibility on game management this year, but still wish that they would do their job properly.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Connecticut interscholastic sports already require proof of a recent physical exam in order to participate.

At the middle school that I taught at, such a mandatory physical exam discovered a previously undetected major heart problem in one of my students who was trying out for cheerleading. Parents told me that it saved her life.

[SNIPERBBB]

NIH is not a credible institution. Name a state or country that has reduced covid by instituting a mask mandate. I read your rediculous study and it's not surprising in its rediculousness if you read it critically. Especially going back and looking at charts of cases that exploded again after that initial reduction claimed by the study

I can show enough charts from the WHO to fill a stadium that shows that there is no corresponding reduction of cases from from the institution. Especially when conparing their results to neighboring states that did not institute mask mandates

Best thing to do for covid is do the normal things to boost your ommuse system, find a doctor that actually treats for covid(not one that tells you to wait till you have to go to the ER and go on a ventilator).

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by SNIPERBBB

I can show enough charts from the WHO to fill a stadium ...

Big WHO fan, OK, let's hear from WHO:

On June 5, 2020, the WHO released new interim guidance concerning the use of masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic ... For the general public, the use of cloth masks in public settings, such as grocery stores and places of worship, especially in regions with known or suspected widespread transmission, or in situations where physical distancing is not possible, has been encouraged by the WHO and many policy makers.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by SNIPERBBB

Best thing to do for covid is do the normal things to boost your immune system ...

... like getting vaccinated.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by SNIPERBBB

Name a state or country that has reduced covid by instituting a mask mandate.

I can't, but the American Journal of Preventive Medicine can:

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-...on-covid-.html

Twenty-seven countries with face mask policies and 17 countries without face mask policies, covering a combined population of nearly one billion people, were included in the study ... The top 50 countries according to the United Nations Development Programme Human Development Index, which measures life expectancy, education, and standard of living, were targeted because of comparability and reduced chance of selection bias. Four countries in the Southern Hemisphere (New Zealand, Australia, Chile, and Argentina) were excluded to avoid potential seasonality characteristics. The United States and Canada were excluded because their public health policies are made at the state/province level and a unified national policy does not exist in those nations. Data from the remaining 44 countries were used to model COVID-19 mortality ... A study of the impact of national face mask laws on COVID-19 mortality in 44 countries with a combined population of nearly one billion people found that over time, the increase in COVID-19 related deaths was significantly slower in countries that imposed mask laws compared to countries that did not. The study, appearing in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier, shows that masks provide a supplementary layer of protection that could prevent unnecessary COVID-19 deaths.

[thumpferee]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

... like getting vaccinated.

...like getting the virus.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by thumpferee

...like getting the virus.

Agree, but studies show that natural immunity (having COVID) isn't as strong, not as long lasting, and may not be as effective against all variants, as acquired immunity (vaccinations).

Also, the natural immunity of having COVID depends on how severe one's COVID symptoms are. Severe symptoms usually lead to better natural immunity, asymptomatic usually leads to little natural immunity.

Vaccines are consistently strong across the board.

My grandson had COVID (slight symptoms, no hospitalization) before he was eligible for a vaccine. He has since been fully vaccinated (for his age group). His pediatrician says that his antibody levels are now off the chart.

[bob jenkins]

where are the moderators?

[thumpferee]

OK, let’s try to get back on track here. It just seems ridiculous to me that a state association can require vaccinations for officials, as independent contractors, but not for players and other participants. Officials with exemptions seem to not be recognized by requiring vaccinations with no mention of any exemptions.

Could it possibly be that the higher ups are limiting the playoff pool?

Just trying to understand how this can be enforced.