I understand that masks are uncomfortable. I really do. After a while, your face feels kinda of warm and stuffy and sometimes the bands tug at your ears. But I like to think of myself as possessing critical thinking skills, granting me the ability to theorize that wearing a mask is a lot more comfortable than watching my family die of coronavirus.

That might seem like a stretch, so let’s break it down.

In Kansas the weekend of Oct. 23, 2,446 coronavirus cases were added, totalling up to 78,676, KWCH said. Something needs to change. 

Masks designed for healthcare professionals. N95 respirators filter out 90-95% of airborne particles that are 0.3 micrometers or larger. Studies conducted by an international research team concluded that cloth masks are an estimated 67% effective in protecting the wearer. 

Even a cotton T-shirt can be effective in blocking inhaled and exhaled particles as discovered by Lindsey Marr, an environmental researcher at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. 

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle’s data projected that 95% mask usage in the United States could save up to 100,000 lives up to Jan. 1, 2021. 

100,000 lives. That’s the population of Maize, KS multiplied by twenty. 

As of Oct. 19, we’re at a projected 65% of people who say they wear masks every time they go in public. 

That’s not enough. And if you don’t believe me, let’s take a look at Mongolia.

Mongolia put a mask mandate into effect in January and has seen no reported COVID-19 related deaths since May, researchers found.

Zero reported deaths.  

Those numbers aren’t to be messed with. 

So I’m gonna say it again: I’ll take being slightly uncomfortable with a piece of fabric across my face over people’s lives any day. And I think you should, too. 

Wearing a mask is a small thing you can do that directly impacts others’ health. Whether you care about getting coronavirus or not, others do. It’s socially irresponsible for you to prioritize your own comfort over people’s lives. 

You can say that it’s not that big of a deal, but think about it: you get coronavirus from someone who attended a social gathering with you, you spread coronavirus to someone you passed in the hallway at school, and they spread it to their friend, who spreads it to their immunocompromised mother, who dies after her immune system is attacked by the virus.

Now’s not the time to doubt scientists. People’s lives are at stake. 

The sooner we take this pandemic seriously and stop going to parties, stop putting our masks under our noses, and limit the people we interact with, the sooner this will be over and we can go back to breathing in each other’s faces in Walmart.