Q: I hate wearing a mask and don’t really see how that can help much. Do you wear one?

A: Masks are not the most fun thing to wear. And yes, I wear them every time I get out of my car to go into a store for groceries. Granted, I do not need to wear one when I am alone in my car and shopping is only a brief weekly event. Nevertheless, my years of working as a nurse epidemiologist in public health and hospital environments convinces me that masks can help minimize the spread of organisms. In my brain’s opinion, it would be a great pity to become careless and become infected—especially if wearing a face mask could have prevented breathing in the causative organisms. Some mask discomfort is miniscule compared with the potential discomfort of COVID-19 if you developed a serious illness.