Going Maskless with Allergies

Image by Katie White from Pixabay

On Tuesday this week, a New York Times article titled, “A Misleading C.D.C. Number,” and subtitled, "a huge exaggeration," shed light on a misleading statistic used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in discussing the risks of Covid-19 transmission outdoors.

The Director of CDC has stated that “less than 10 percent of documented transmission, in many studies, have occurred outdoors.” But such a number appears to be a great overestimation of the risk of outdoor transmission.

Instead, after examining the studies upon which the CDC statement appears to be based, The Times found risk of outdoor transmission to likely be closer to less than 1 percent. The Times concludes that the CDC’s conservative messaging in using the 10 percent benchmark was likely due to a bias toward health protection. However, “[t]he scientific evidence points to a conclusion that is much simpler than the C.D.C.’s message: Masks make a huge difference indoors and rarely matter outdoors.”

The long and the short of this seemingly well-researched conclusion is that mask-wearing outdoors may be very soon going out-the-door.

If there has been any positive of mask wearing to me during this pandemic, it has been that masks provide a barrier to pollen and pesky allergens that are present everywhere at this time of year. As a person with several off-the-charts plant related allergies, I already owned a number of multi-layered face masks even before the pandemic. It was finally during the pandemic that my wearing those masks meant I blended in, rather than stood out from the crowd. I wore my mask as defense not only against pollen and an itching, sneezing, runny nose, but now it also protected me (and others) from a virus.

When the outdoor mask mandate goes away, I won’t be sorry, but I will be more allergic. I find myself empathizing with new allergy sufferers who may be in the same predicament, and offer some tips and tricks to deal with seasonal allergies without a mask.

1.   Taking a 24 hour allergy (antihistamine) medication just before going to bed helps ensure a good night’s sleep. Timing medication in this way also helps avoid the worst effects of allergies in the morning when concentrations of pollen in the air can be at their highest. 

2.   Changing into a new set of clothes upon coming indoors can help keep allergens on the outdoor clothes you shed, rather than trailing pollen throughout the house.

3.   Change pillowcases daily to avoid pollen transfer from hair to face, and change bedsheets as often as you feel necessary to get rid of settled pollen.

4.   Remove rugs and carpeting that can trap pollen in the house, and favor bare floors.

5.   Close windows during pollen season to avoid pollen becoming trapped indoors, and opt for air conditioning.

6.   Use a dehumidifier to keep room humidity to 30 to 50 percent. Allergic reactions to dust mites and mold, which thrive in high humidity, can exacerbate seasonal allergies.

7.   Use a room HEPA air cleaner to filter out the pollen from the air inside the house.

8.   Use eye lubricating drops, available over the counter, to flush pollen from red, itchy eyes.

9.   A rinse of cold water on the face can help wash away pollen and soothe puffy, red eyes.

10.   Use a neti pot to clear nasal passages of irritating pollen.

11.   Vacuum at least twice a week, paying special attention to bedrooms.

12.   Try Flonase, which is now available over the counter.

Finally, when at-home remedies are not enough, and allergies are frequently interfering with sleep, it’s time to see a doctor.  Actually, if you find that you need to do everything that's included on this list to be comfortable, your allergies may be at a level of discomfort which would advise seeing a doctor, too.  A doctor can prescribe the right medication, which may include getting allergy shots, or immunotherapy, to build tolerance to the allergens over time.

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