The best analogy I’ve heard is to think of COVID protections like rain gear—layerable based on level of risk, not 100% but can reduce your level of wetness (exposure) to a more acceptable level. And your use doesn’t have to be perfect; masking today helps even if you didn’t yesterday.
swiss cheese model
Even if you catch it, you may have reduced the viral load which will make recovery faster.
An analogy for covid denial.... My parents' home for 15 years was near perennial shark-attack capital of the world, New Smyrna Beach. I swam in those waters dozens of times, and was never bitten: Thus, I can conclude that: 1. I have natural immunity to sharks or 2. Sharks are a hoax
I tried using a wet-suit example in a Twitter discussion years ago. Though many covid deniers didn't believe that wet-suits are not waterproof, so I was met with a lot of CAPS-LOCKS replies. Though outdoor wear is much easier to communicate/understand.
Also, you can’t poke someone’s eye out with a face mask. 😷 ☂️
Much better if you get a little Covid on your lower legs than on your head and face
To unpack this a little— Layerable: an umbrella, rain jacket, or boots might not keep you 100% dry on their own but put together they will do a pretty good job. Similarly, vaccine + mask + air purification etc. aren’t silver bullets, but in combo they can mitigate a lot of risk.
I love this analogy, and I would love it even more if we could find one that both communicates this idea and mutual responsibility.
In that vein, layering on various methods to mitigate the risk, there's solid evidence that some over-the-counter nasal sprays can prevent or lessen the severity of infection. Sprays with iota-carrageenan seem most effective, ePothex is one brand off the top of my head. Links to info on request