California’s FLiRT-fueled COVID surge is continuing to spawn infections at a dizzying rate, with coronavirus levels in wastewater reaching some of the highest levels seen since 2022.
I’ve been taking public transit multiple times a week all summer in LA, and I haven’t had so much as a sniffle. N95s work! If you haven’t been masking now is the perfect time to start.
If I can shill for a moment, 3M Aura masks are my favorite. The bands go around the back of your head instead of hooking onto your ears, and it has a comfortable foam covering over the nose wire.
I'll endorse the 3M n95s as well. They're not as comfortable to breathe through as surgeons' masks or most kn95s, but that's because they're filtering well.
If you can't tolerate the real n95s (lung disease, for example), the kn95s have easier ability to breathe through and still offer a good amount of protection.
Don't know whether we have that strain up here in Washington, but about a month and a half back I got hit pretty hard, despite being fully vaccinated (in all fairness, I have a weakened immune system due to other conditions--I'm sure being vaccinated helped keep it mild). This was only the second time I've ever had it, with the first being caused by in-laws flying without masking.
Even mild, it really sucks. Keep your vaccinations up to date, even if you're not high risk because you never know who else might be. Mask if you're in a medical environment, like a doctor's office, hospital, or pharmacy. You know where people get their COVID meds from? The pharmacy. Yes, wear a mask there.