From Canada comes the latest useless anti-COVID initiative: Wear a mask while having sex, Canada’s top doctor suggests.
Dr Theresa Tam said in a statement there is little chance of catching COVID-19 from semen or vaginal fluid, but sexual activity with new partners does increase the risk of contracting the virus, particularly if there is close contact like kissing.
Note the reference to “new partners.” Through the mid to late 20s, COVID is less lethal than the average seasonal flu. So young people will be well advised to ignore Dr. Tam; either that, or wear face masks indefinitely. On the other hand, the median age of death from COVID in Minnesota is 83. I assume it is similar in Canada. With all due respect to our senior citizens, there probably aren’t a lot of “new partners” in this demographic.
More:
“Like other activities during COVID-19 that involve physical closeness, there are some things you can do to minimize the risk of getting infected and spreading the virus,” she said.
Skip kissing, avoid face-to-face closeness, wear a mask that covers your mouth and nose, and monitor yourself and your partner for symptoms ahead of any sexual activity, Tam said.
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“The lowest risk sexual activity during COVID-19 involves yourself alone,” she added.
Thanks for that last tip. My guess, though, is that if you constructed a Venn diagram of the people to whom Dr. Tam’s advice would apply, and those who are willing to follow it, there would be zero overlap.
Apart from its entertainment value, I think this story illustrates the futility, if not the outright silliness, of most of what governments have done to “battle” the coronavirus. Man is a social animal. Communicable diseases have been a fact of life forever. That interacting with other people increases the risk of catching an illness is not exactly a news flash. Yet for thousands of years, people have chosen to live in societies with others, notwithstanding the obviously increased risk of disease.
Happily, COVID is, in the scheme of things, a relatively minor ailment. It is dangerous to the old and frail, but most people who contract the virus don’t even notice it. As noted, in Minnesota the median age of death with COVID on the death certificate (which does NOT mean that COVID was the cause of death) is 83, while life expectancy is 81. Do the math. The fact that we are devastating the lives of our young people–asking them to refrain from kissing is a relatively benign instance–rather than isolating or otherwise protecting the vulnerable, is a scandal.
