Life in the time of Wuflu, Part 14: When the medicos don’t do it right, why should anyone else?

Nazzo fast, Ralph.

As I mentioned in a previous episode, my Doc wants blood. So today it was off to a local lab for the vampires to do their evil.

I arrive, and again, everyone is in a mask. Great, good to see it. I tried to check at their touch pad, which, according to the sign, I could ask to have sanitized if I was concerned.

Strike One.

After scanning my drivers license and insurance card, the touch pad malfunctioned and I was told to talk to someone at the window. OK. Not a problem.

The nice lady at the window was a bit exasperated about the touch pads. She pulled down her mask to tell me.

Strike Two.

So we get me checked in, and I’m called back. Very nice technician. Great technique-didn’t even feel the needle go in. She didn’t pull down her mask to talk to me. I’m not sure if the high touch areas in here workplace were being cleaned between patients. I know I didn’t see it done, and these days my experience is that everyone wants you to see them being all spic and span.

Strike Three? Who knows?

O-o-oh, donuts!

I had been fasting for 12 hours by now, and I was hungry. I hit a drive-thru (The nice young lady at the drive-thru had her mask on, down around her chin. What is it with chin masks?) and went to a nearby parking lot to eat. Saw this going on. It appears to be adults adulting. No masks, but keeping their distance from each other and the folks in the donut truck.

So lessons can we draw here?

Well, probably the folks in line should be masked. Not for their protection, but to protect others. Seriously, anything less than a N95 mask isn’t going to protect you. It just helps keep your droplets to yourself. Seriously. Watch a couple of minutes of this for an explanation from Dr. John Campbell.

No, I didn’t wear a mask while I was out, so to some extent I’m being a hypocrite about this. But I have exactly 100 “procedure masks” and those have to last Mrs. Freeholder and myself for some unknown period of time. We have 96 confirmed Wuflu cases in a county with a population of 168,000. That doesn’t mean that it’s safe to go unmasked, just that the risk is, while unknown, probably very low. Today.

I am experimenting with some no-sew masks, trying to figure out how to get a better seal. This may be where I learn another skill, breaking out the sewing machine and learning how to use the thing. I think this is going to involve going to involve copper wire and maybe sewing, or fabric glue, to get the mask to halfway seal around the nose. When I get them workable, we’re going to be masked for a while when in public. While they may not help protect us much, they should help a little, and that little may be all we need.

In other observations, traffic seems to be at the same level it has been. Same stores and businesses open, doing about the same amount of business they have been. I considered stopping at the grocery store and decided against it for today.

In the larger world, it seems that the experts can’t get together on their messaging. Infection rates are up-or down-and you can hear both about any given location. Wear a mask, any mask, because it will help some-or none. We need to reopen the economy-or not.

As “just folks”, we have very little to go on when trying to make decisions. We get conflicting information if we do our own research (at least I am) and the media has taken “If it bleeds, it leads” to the level of insanity. I’m doing my own research anyway, trying to pick a number of sources that appear reliable and, in effect, averaging their viewpoints. I do my best to make realistic risk assessments based on that and what I can observe or what people I personally know have observed. I pray every night that I receive the wisdom to be correct in my efforts.

Stay safe, as best as you can determine how.