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this post was submitted on 22 Jan 2024
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Here's the original comment that I replied to:
That comment got upvotes. I agreed with it, and gave more context. Here's my comment in full:
I'm commiserating with healthcare professionals. They should only be expected to wear masks if they're directly working with sick or at risk people. There are a ton of healthcare jobs where that's absolutely not the case.
The only criticism I have for the nurse/doctor in that OP is that they didn't practice social distancing with the person wearing a mask. I don't think they should be expected to wear a mask for their whole shift, only in the moments where they're interacting with sick or at-risk people.
I only brought that up in context. If you look, it wasn't until multiple back and forth comments that I bothered.
A healthcare professional isn't going to prevent all transmission of disease in a hospital or clinic, even if they mask up all day every day. So I'm absolutely okay with them being comfortable most of the time so they don't burn out on their job.
That's all I was trying to convey.
I'll highlight the part of your comment that was the issue:
The comment you responded to didn't make the unsympathetic choice yours did; that wearing a mask was for your protection, as opposed to the protection of the patients. That is why yours received consternation and the other less-so.
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.