Pandemic advice from the WHO

[mtbc]

I had previously had a vaguely good impression of the World Health Organization. However, during this pandemic they have unpleasantly surprised me. In trying to understand how to protect myself from SARS-CoV-2 I have been keeping somewhat abreast of the preliminary research and it did not take long for multiple credible items of circumstantial evidence to emerge that widespread mask-wearing helps and that infection appears to follow indoor airflow. I would certainly understand some we're not sure caveats but it disappointed me to see how long it took the WHO to start to agree about masks and now they seem to be dragging their feet on airborne transmission. As somebody who dropped biology before finishing high school and whose professional focus is neither medical nor epidemiological, am I the one very plausibly mistaken about all this, should I have more faith? Otherwise, what is going on with the WHO? Are they hamstrung by what would be politically convenient for China and the US? Are they scared to make a best guess in a crisis situation? Should we be listening to some other organization instead?

Comments

[shadowkat]

Britain was faster on the masks than many of the US States were. While NY made it mandatory in April - a lot of people didn't get the memo in NY. We're still having fights on my neighborhood FB page about whether masks are mandatory, or just recommended. Mainly because the police aren't enforcing and see it as recommended (many of them are Trump supporters and think the President has to mandate it not the Governor). So the US Federal Government refuses to mandate masks, and merely recommends, and worse? The CDC gave contradictory information regarding masks early on to ensure essential workers got them first.

So the reason Britain has been able to contain it better than the US, is the US refuses to mandate masks across the board. Our idiot President won't wear one. And the VP didn't start putting on one until two weeks ago.