A pandemic that's substantially worse than COVID-19 is a serious possibility. If one happens, having a good mask could save your life. A high quality reusable mask is only $30 to $60, and I think it's well worth it to buy one for yourself. Worth it enough that I think you should order one now if you don't have one already.

But if you're not convinced, let's do some rough estimation.

COVID-19 killed about 0.2% of people (20M of 8B). The 1918 flu killed more like 2.5% (50M of 2B). Estimating from two data points is fraught, but this gives you perhaps a 0.02% annual chance of dying in a pandemic. Engineering could make this much worse, especially given progress in AI, but let's set that aside for now to make a more conservative case.

A reusable mask ("elastomeric respirator") would be really valuable [...]

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First published:
October 8th, 2025

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/wXwjMbtiSqALMEw2g/you-should-get-a-reusable-mask

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

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Images from the article:

3M respirator mask with pink P100 filters on each side.

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“You Should Get a Reusable Mask” by jefftk

LessWrong (30+ Karma)