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wowguineapigs t1_irmi9gv wrote

Reply to comment by Techutante in What is the current consensus on coronavirus transmission through fomites? Can I stop pressing elevator buttons with my keys? by PolytheneMan

If this is true, then how come I got covid when every time I left the house I wore a mask? Am i just unlucky? After going over everything I did beforehand I figured I must have touched something and then rubbed my eye or something.

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MiklHrmlr7 t1_irmva1l wrote

Masks are better at preventing the wearer from spreading things than from catching. Your air droplets are gonna get stuck to your mask, so they're not floating freely to infect someone. But if someone's free floating air droplets get on your mask, there's a chance it can soak through and infect you. Which is why the best bet to prevent spread is for everyone to wear a mask. Though even this isn't 100%. Just heavily reduces the chances of spread.

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PipGirl101 t1_irnonkm wrote

Was it a cloth mask? If so, that could be why. They are essentially (though not completely) worthless. Even with a real mask, it's still possible to get it from someone coughing nearby, just not nearly as likely. You're so much more likely to have gotten it that way than by touching something.

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