It’s absolutely sympathetic, I’m being sympathetic toward the healthcare worker. It would really suck to have to wear a mask all day every day, so I completely understanding not doing that when the stakes are low.
The healthcare worker is likely to get sick regardless, though wearing a mask might delay things a bit. Why make the healthcare worker wear a mask when the risk is incredibly low? That’s just going to lead to burnout.
I used myself as an example because I obviously cannot speak for other healthcare workers, but the whole intent was to sympathize with them.
It seems people are so entitled that they expect health care professionals to significantly inconvenience themselves for a marginal reduction in transmission risk. That’s just ridiculous, I’d rather leave it up the medical professionals who are trained on such things to decide when a mask is and isn’t necessary. CDC guidance for medical professionals does not recommend wearing masks for every shift (though it explains that’s still safe), it only recommends wearing masks while in proximity to at risk individuals. Here’s the CDC guidance for healthcare workers (source control means wearing a mask):
Source control is recommended for individuals in healthcare settings who:
Have suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection or other respiratory infection (e.g., those with runny nose, cough, sneeze); or
Had close contact (patients and visitors) or a higher-risk exposure (HCP) with someone with SARS-CoV-2 infection, for 10 days after their exposure
Consider reading the full thing. Also note that policies can vary by state, county, and even medical center. But the CDC guidance at least matches what I’ve been saying, the recommendation is to wear a mask when sick or in close contact with someone who is sick (there are provisions for other scenarios as well).
But my point is, health care providers know the recommendations and policies, and they are most likely following them. So give your care provider a break, or ask nicely for them to mask up if it really bothers you.
It’s absolutely sympathetic, I’m being sympathetic toward the healthcare worker. It would really suck to have to wear a mask all day every day, so I completely understanding not doing that when the stakes are low.
The healthcare worker is likely to get sick regardless, though wearing a mask might delay things a bit. Why make the healthcare worker wear a mask when the risk is incredibly low? That’s just going to lead to burnout.
I used myself as an example because I obviously cannot speak for other healthcare workers, but the whole intent was to sympathize with them.
It’s not about the healthcare worker, it’s about the PATIENT. Jesus.
And that’s the problem!
It seems people are so entitled that they expect health care professionals to significantly inconvenience themselves for a marginal reduction in transmission risk. That’s just ridiculous, I’d rather leave it up the medical professionals who are trained on such things to decide when a mask is and isn’t necessary. CDC guidance for medical professionals does not recommend wearing masks for every shift (though it explains that’s still safe), it only recommends wearing masks while in proximity to at risk individuals. Here’s the CDC guidance for healthcare workers (source control means wearing a mask):
Consider reading the full thing. Also note that policies can vary by state, county, and even medical center. But the CDC guidance at least matches what I’ve been saying, the recommendation is to wear a mask when sick or in close contact with someone who is sick (there are provisions for other scenarios as well).
But my point is, health care providers know the recommendations and policies, and they are most likely following them. So give your care provider a break, or ask nicely for them to mask up if it really bothers you.