The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge - Are You Wearing A Counterfeit Mask?

Episode Date: January 20, 2022

A year from now, fully vaxed and with the pandemic hopefully a distant memory, will you still be wearing a mask?  If so you might want to make sure it's a real one. And it's the Thursday mailbag edition with a good selection of your comments, ideas and questions.   

And hello there, Peter Mansbridge here. You are just moments away from the latest episode of The Bridge. Are you wearing a counterfeit mask? And hello there, welcome to Thursday. Peter Mansbridge here in Stratford, Ontario. It's Thursday and that means it's kind of a mix of a show. Some things that we call sort of potpourri items and others straight from the mailbag. Some of your thoughts and questions and ideas that you've put forward in the last few days. So let's get at it. And it starts with, I guess, in a way, where we are in the big pandemic story overall. I think, you know,

it's now been, it's already the 20th of January. Can you believe that? It just seems like yesterday we were talking about January 1st. Now here we are at the 20th. It's been five or six weeks since we first heard about the Omicron virus and went through the concerns and worries that wore out to be true about how rapidly it would move, but also how seemingly milder it is than the Delta variant. But nevertheless, a lot of people have got sick.

Some have been hospitalized. Some, sadly, have died as a result of Omicron. But it appears that we are, at that moment, it depends on where you live, but we're kind of at the peak of Omicron and it is in a sense heading downhill from here. Although there's still going to be a lot of pain and suffering over the next few weeks. But if you assume that we've got another month of this

let's say, we can start to look ahead to, you know, what's it going to be like after that? Is this fourth wave the last wave, the last serious wave? Are we being teased again? Well, if it is the last one the last serious one then we do have to you know look at life after after omicron now you've seen governments uh in different parts of the country many of them starting to uh pull back on the restrictions that they've put in place because of Omicron. Some have said, given a date when it will pull back.

Others are saying, we're not quite yet, but it will be soon. So if those restrictions start to come off, you know, the dining, the gyms, the sporting events, the concerts, all of that. Then the issue will become very much a personal issue about how we want to live moving forward. And part of that is wearing a mask. Some people can't wait to not wear a mask. Others say, you know, it's going to be a while. It could be a year or longer that I am going to feel better wearing a mask in certain situations. All right.

If you're one of those people who's a mask wearer now and probably into the future, then you might want to listen up on this. And this comes from, it's based mainly on an article I saw in the New York Times the other day by Tara Parker Pope, who is, you know, one of the New York Times journalists who's done an extensive study into trying to determine what exactly is a quality mask. I mean, we've been through a lot in the last couple of years, right? I mean, I can remember on this podcast doing stories in the early going about, hey, you got to have a fancy mask and you got to, you know, you got to look cool and there's lots of cool-looking masks out there. And it became a fashion thing. And really expensive masks, 30, 40, 50 bucks for a mask. But basically, many of those were just crap. They were garbage in terms of a safety mask.

They just looked good. And now people are less interested now in the fancy colors and, you know, all that stuff. They want to know, okay, is this actually work? Well,

the New York times, Tara Parker Pope, you know, spent a lot of time on her piece and you can find it. It's, you know, how to find a quality mask in the New York Times. If you go online, you can get the full.

I'm not going to read the whole article, but I'm going to take a few choice parts of it out because it's pretty well being, you know, determined that the best quality masks, the ones that actually deliver or close to deliver what you're looking for, are the N95s, the KN95s, and the KF94s. And why are they good? Why are they high quality? If you get a real one and not a fake one, there are a lot of fakes out there but if you get a high quality n95 or kn95 or kf94 they're made with layers of high-tech

filtering material that trap at least and this is what the figures are 95 94 what it means trap at least 94 to 95 percent of the most risky particles under a microscope the filters look like dense forests of tangled fibers that capture even the hardest to trap particles that can bounce around and escape the fibers of cloth masks high-grade masks also have an electrostatically charged filter that helps attract and trap particles. Did you follow that? That's what they actually are. Early in the pandemic, high-quality medical and respirator-style masks

were in short supply. Now the problem is there are so many different masks for sale, it's tough to know which ones have been tested and certified by government agencies and which are counterfeit. Testing studies have found that many counterfeit masks don't even offer the same level of protection as a cloth mask. So the New York Times interviewed mask manufacturers, importers, public health officials,

and independent researchers for advice on choosing a quality mask. And so they offer in this article in the Times, it was from a couple of days ago, you know, a kind of guide. Now, once again, I'm not going to go through the whole thing. But the bottom line is masks come in different shapes and sizes. You'll find cup-style masks, duckbill masks, and flat-fold masks. The best mask, this is important,

the best mask is the one that fits snugly against your face and is comfortable. We got a lot of different faces out there. And therefore, some masks work for some people that don't work for others. Start by ordering in small quantities. Try different styles to find the best one for your face. So, then it breaks it down into all the different types.

The N95 is considered, you know, the best mask, right? Once again, there are fakes out there. There's a number of ways to determine that. If a mask claiming to be an N95 has ear loops, you know,

sits over your ears, it's most likely a fake, say the New York Times. Most N95 masks use head straps, two elastic bands that wrap behind the head. The KN95 is similar to the N95 but it has ear loops and is made to meet Chinese standards for medical masks. Some people prefer them for comfort and because they come in smaller sizes. While you can find legitimate KN95 masks,

the supply chain is riddled with counterfeits and there's little regulation or oversight on the product. One study found that 60% of the supply of KN95s in the United States are counterfeit. I gave you one way to check on the N95s at least, determine whether they're fake or not. You've got to be confident in your supplier, and you've got to look for the markings on these masks.

If they don't have any markings at all, and they come in, and they're not in individual packages, you want to be suspicious. Now, here's another thing. The KF94s, didn't mention them. The K in KF94 is actually actually the KF stands for Korean filter. And it's a 94 because it's 94% filtering the particles.

Masks are heavily regulated in Korea, which lowers the risk of counterfeits. However, some fake masks made in China may be labeled KF94, so shoppers still need to do their homework. Now, here's something else. I didn't know this until I read this article. You know, a lot of parents have talked to me about, send letters about the masks for children.

The mask market is particularly tricky for parents trying to find masks for children, says the New York Times. No N95 mask has been approved in the States for children. So any mask that claims to be an N95 for kids is a fake in the States. However, N95s do come in small and medium sizes that might work for some older children. KN95 and KF94 masks have styles made for children, so once you find one, you need to go through the same vetting process

that you would use for an adult mask, using your common sense and your investigative powers to make sure that they're not fakes. The key is buy from a reputable supplier. If we're going to be living with mass for not just a few more weeks or a few more months, but quite possibly for a few more years, then you want to get this right. Or there's no point in buying some of the garbage that's out there. It may cost you a few bucks more,

but if you believe that masks are going to make your life easier and safer, then you want to get the right ones, right? So do your research, look for reputable suppliers, and there are some big retailers who are considered reputable suppliers. And, you know, look at the package. Who's it approved by? Some of this, as I said earlier, is common sense.

Right? But it's an issue, and it may be the issue heading forward. Most of us, the overwhelming majority of us, have had our vaccines. We've had our boosters. We're careful about where we go and what we do and who we congregate with. As we move forward and certain things start to relax,

you've got to make a personal decision about mass. And when you do, if you choose to keep wearing masks or wearing masks in certain situations, you want to make sure you get the right one. Now, before we get to the letters I've chosen for this week, one last story comes from the Telegraph in Britain. This I did not know. Two-thirds of covid vaccine side effects are imagined

says a new study in britain sarah napton the science editor of the telegraph writes two-thirds of side effects associated with the covid 19 vaccine are likely to be caused by the what's called the nocebo effect where people become ill because they expect to become ill. U.S. researchers in Boston studied the rates of adverse events reported by 22,000 vaccine trial participants who received a real jab, compared with a similar number who received a dummy injection. After one dose, more than 35% of placebo participants, those are the dummy injection participants, 35% of them experienced symptoms such as headaches, fever and swelling at the injection site compared

with 46% of the vaccine group. After a second dose, 32% given a placebo reported side effects compared with 61% who had a real jab. Analysis suggested that the nocebo effect accounted for 76% of side effects after a first dose and 52% after a second, meaning that overall around two-thirds of symptoms were imagined. Experts said that people should be warned they could experience nocebo symptoms

in order to lessen fears. You know that? I didn't know that. Interesting article. You can find that one in the Telegraph. It goes on. There's a lot more to it. And you might want to check it out.

Okay, quick pause, and we'll come back with the mailbag. And welcome back. Peter Mansbridge here in Stratford, Ontario. This is The Bridge for a Thursday. You're listening on Sirius XM, Canada, Channel 167, Canada Talks, or on whatever your favorite podcast platform is. And as we always say,

wherever you're listening from, we're glad you've joined us. Okay, let me start by saying most of the letters again this week, it's, you know, ever since the holidays, most of the letters that I've got are about off the record uh the book that uh that i wrote that

came out in october uh it's been on the bestseller list ever since it continues to be on the bestseller list on the top 10 list uh this week uh which is great because i think that's like 14 or 15 weeks now on the bestseller list which is terrific and clearly a credit to your good taste. But most of the letters I've received are from that from all those people who received off the record as a Christmas gift or a lot of them anyway

and it appears that as soon as they opened that package, they started reading. And, you know, I'm not going to take the time to read all the great letters about the book, but they are fabulous. And I really appreciate every one of them. Including those, it turns out, you know, some people who've crossed paths with me over time. When I was growing up and going to school in Ottawa in the 1950s and early 60s, when I was in the Navy in the 60s, when I was working for the airline Transair out of Manitoba in the late 60s, and then obviously through the many years that I spent at the CBC.

And it's great to hear from some of those people with their recollections of certain times and moments that we enjoyed together. But overall, it's been mostly so heartwarming to receive your letters and your thoughts and comments about what you felt about the book. And, you know, I got to tell you, I appreciate that even more than knowing that it's been on the bestseller list. I am contemplating, I'm thinking about, far from having made up my mind,

about a couple of other book projects that I'm considering for the future. But it's going to be nothing in the short term. That's two and two years, including Extraordinary Canadians that I wrote with my good friend, Mark Bulgich. Mark, by the way, has got a new book coming out in the next couple of weeks. And it's going to be interesting.

I wrote the foreword for it. And it's a particular kind of, it's going to be interesting. I wrote the foreword for it. And it's in a way kind of like Extraordinary Canadians, but it's different. But I'm not going to say anything more about it until it comes out, but I'm sure it's going to be very successful and good for Mark. But I'm sure Mark and I will do other projects as we move forward into the future, do other projects together on potential future books.

All right, enough about that. I just want to let you know that I have received your mail about the book, and I really appreciate it. But I'm not going to take up any more time than that on the bridge. So let's get to your comments about other things. Once again, parts of the letters I read, and I read all of the letters that come in. I only use a few of them, a small percentage actually on the air.

But, and even then, it's usually lifting certain parts out of the letters. So the first one comes from Josh Lemmer or Lemair or Lemay. There'll be any number of different things. He's in Winnipeg. He's from Winnipeg, but he's currently living in Burnaby, BC. So Josh writes, and this is, you know, he's absolutely right here. I think one issue which your show could address in a bit more detail is the housing crisis, which is currently ravaging this country. For Canadians not in the housing market, which would be a large portion of those under 40, the year-over-year double-digit increases in housing costs are devastating. You guys could talk a bit about how the largest intergenerational wealth transfer is going on right now as late

Gen Xers, Millennials, and Gen Zers are having to reconsider their life plans, where they can live, and if they will delay or altogether avoid having children. I think older generations may not appreciate the reality of just how unaffordable housing is becoming in Canada. We desperately need to be building homes on a scale not seen in living memory. But politicians at all levels seem beholden to homeowners who, not satisfied with merely a great return on their investment, want an astronomical one on the backs of the following generations. You're bang on, Josh. Let me think about how, you know, this little podcast can try to address this question

because I think you're, well, I don't think, I know you're right. I mean, I've got children, I've got grandchildren, and trying to imagine how they could ever possibly own houses that my grandkids, is a challenge. It's more than a challenge. So thank you. Brian Uba from Burlington, Ontario. I've enjoyed listening to your podcast for about a year now.

I can honestly say it's one of my favorite podcasts, insightful, entertaining, and cuts through the rhetoric. I'm quite enjoying your latest book at the moment, too. Thank you, Brian. My question is with regard to the pandemic and its effect on school closures and openings. The cost-benefit of school closures and virtual school is asking our kids to pay a huge cost in terms of a substandard delivery of their education,

not to mention the possible mental health crisis in these kids and young adults, possibly in the months and years to come. In the political rhetoric, we have often heard that in the different waves of the pandemic that require closures, that schools should be the last thing to close and the first thing to open. I couldn't agree more. This week here in Ontario, elementary schools reopened to in-person classes, as did high schools. I think daycares and preschools never closed in the recent Omicron wave. Some of them did. So why are the colleges and universities asking their students to conduct their studies with virtual classes until the end of february most if not all of the

university and college students are fully faxed fully vaxxed i think you're trying to say i don't think they're fully vaxxed faxed fully. Fully vaxxed. Anyway, they're vaccinated. Unlike preschools and elementary schools. I just don't get it. We'll add this to the list of things that just make me shake my head in the last two years. Any light you can shed on this would be welcome. It is a stunner.

What's going on at the universities? How come they're not doing classes in real time, but doing virtual classes, and schools, grade schools are? Is there an answer there? I don't have it. Michael Tatelbaum in Toronto. He's reacting to, I guess, last week's Good Talk. I have a similar view to Bruce's about the concept of a health contribution or vax tax. While I'd like to see even more concerted efforts at finding and persuading the vaccine hesitant among us before going to the next step, as all of you

do, I believe it's vital to get as many people as possible vaccinated so we can at least turn this pandemic into an endemic. That said, and building upon Bruce's comments in terms of mandates or passports or something even more nudge-worthy, my thinking is the circumstances are not like someone who drinks excessively or does something stupid and injures themselves and is clearly entitled to medical care. The unvaccinated are not only hurting themselves, they're hurting others. The people they potentially infect and the inordinate increase in hospitalizations that disadvantage people who can't get the operations or other medical inventions they need. Living in a civilized society is a compact and comes with benefits and obligations to your fellow citizens.

If you do something that adversely affects them because you refuse to do what a responsible citizen should do and can't show you're entitled to an exemption for some valid reason, then you should have to compensate other members of society. Anyway, that's my two cents on that topic. And make it clear that Michael made the point

that some people are entitled to an exemption for some valid reason, and he's not talking about them. David Garofsky writes from London, Ontario. I had a good chuckle listening to you the other day when you mentioned how much you love porridge. We're blessed to have our 11-year-old grandson every second weekend. It warms my heart that when I ask him what he would like for breakfast,

he says porridge. We make it with raisins, craisins, cinnamon, some maple syrup, and a generous helping of brown sugar. And then he pulls out some yogurt to put on top when it's warm. I'm just a couple of years younger than you are. Thanks for that. And I realize most people have no idea what porridge is. They just refer to it as oatmeal, and then it's probably just that package stuff. I can honestly say that I enjoy that meal more than anything else, because it's something special

between him and me. The best part is now that he makes it for us. So thanks for making me think about it, and I'll think of your podcast next Saturday morning when I have my bowl of warm porridge. Thank you, David. You know, all this talk about porridge makes me just want to get up and have a bowl of porridge. Tisha Downey. Tisha writes from Edmonton. I wanted to take this moment to thank you for your regular conversations

with regional epidemiologists on your podcast. I'm a nursing attendant working in long-term care for the past eight years. Man, those must have been incredible eight years so far. These conversations and the information shared has helped me better understand and approach these items. Helped me know how best to live and inform the choices I can make to better serve my residents and colleagues, family, friends, and community.

Love the bridge, especially Friday's good talk. Yes, Tisha in Edmonton. Thank you, Tisha, and thank you for what you're doing and all of your colleagues who are working under, you know, difficult and emotional circumstances in long-term care homes across the country. That story has been a part of this pandemic and in many cases not a very good part of the story.

But those of you who have soldiered on through all this deserve our thanks and our respect. Andrew Wilson. This is a good one like this. I'm an avid listener and your podcast keeps me company as I work in the field and cellar of a small winery in Essex County, Ontario I absolutely love it and think you bring on wonderful guests who regularly have a different perspective than my own young opinion I might be one of your younger listeners I'm 24 years old but you have stoked a passion for Canadian politics in me

I know this email is too long for the show well apparently it's not too long for the show because I'm reading it on your show today a couple of days ago, Monday you seemed shocked at the amount of money spent on dating apps during the pandemic and I thought I may be able to share my experience being a young man through this. When the pandemic began, I was happily dating someone away from school.

Naturally, I returned home to my family and we began a distant relationship. That unfortunately ended, which left me feeling incredibly isolated with my family. I then had to return to school, leaving my family behind. I actually met my current girlfriend on a dating app 10 months ago. We began with doing video chats after it seemed we had good chemistry over text, then decided to meet in person. We've often felt challenged at times trying to weigh the safety of our families and our moral obligations to society to slow and prevent the spread of the virus.

Dating apps are the only reasonable alternative for those out there looking to take the traditional next steps in our lives that generations have done before us. I appreciate your apparent surprise at the statistic, but thought I might be able to share my perspective. If you ever find yourself in Harrow, Ontario,

be sure to stop by Oxley Estate Winery. We'd love to have you drink Ontario wine. Actually, I do drink Ontario wine and BC wine, as well as wines from different parts of the world. And there are some great Canadian wines. There are some not so great Canadian wines too, but there are some really good Canadian wines.

Thank you for that, Andrew. That explanation of where we are on dating apps. And I get it. I hear what you're saying. And so I will reduce my level of shock that dating apps have gone up in popularity since the pandemic. Okay, I think this is going to be...

This is going to be the last one for this day. Comes from Catherine Clark of Mississauga. Your story about the Lancaster this evening reminded me of a documentary on TVO, that's the Ontario Public Broadcaster, called The Dam Busters. It looks at the mission to blow up three of Germany's largest dams,

the training leading up to the mission date, and the inventiveness of the team to overcome the obstacles. It was for this mission that the barrel bombs were developed and perfected. It's a good story, and your friend Dan Snow does a great job presenting it. If you've not seen it, you really should

check it out on TVO's website. Well, I highly recommend it to anything Dan Snow does. It's great. And you're right. He's a friend, a colleague. We've done work together. He's in Britain.

History Hits is his podcast. But the Dam Buster story is well known to me. You know, the first, it was a particular raid in the Second World War that gave reason for the Allies, especially the British, to believe that they were countering the German push across Europe. And they did it by flooding a series of dams in Western Europe. It didn't last long, the flooding.

It was fixed relatively quickly. But it was a heroic mission. The Dam Busters, the Lancasters that flew on that mission, and Guy Gibson, the commander of the Dam Busters squadron. And there were a couple of Canadians on that squadron too. Guy Gibson won the Victoria Cross for his role on that. The first book came out on the Dam Busters in the early 1950s, written by Paul Brickhill, I think it was.

There have been many books since, and movies, and documentaries. It is a great story, not only of heroism, but of innovation. The barrel bombs that Catherine talked about. They had to get bombs that would bounce across the water, hit the dam, submerge, and blow out the dam at whatever whatever the depth was you know 20 feet 30 feet below water level so it was a great great story great movie great book and and Dan's documentary and recent books about it, including Canadian books about the Dam Buster Raid, all worth reading if you're so inclined. So Catherine, thank you for that note. All right, that's a selection, and it's just a selection of the many letters

with your thoughts and ideas and comments about the current situation that we're all facing together. So that's it for Thursday. Tomorrow, of course, good talk. Chantelle Hebert is here. Bruce Anderson is here. I'll be talking to them later today to get a sense of what topics

We want to cover tomorrow But whatever they are You know it'll be You know it'll be interesting And we look forward to doing it As we always do So that as I say Wraps it up for today

This has been The Bridge For Thursday I'm Peter Mansbridge In Strat. This has been The Bridge for Thursday. I'm Peter Mansbridge in Stratford, Ontario. Thanks so much for listening, and we'll talk to you again in 24 hours.