

covid vaccines mostly help reduce the gravity of an infection and mortality, but they don’t do much in terms of protecting you from long covid (which you can get even with an asymptomatic infection, and each infection makes it more likely)
FFP2/N95 and comparable masks (and ventilation technically but cleaner air is something society has given up on) are what helps prevent spread on either side
fwiw mask quality can vary (especially if you only get the absolute cheapest ones), and some are more breathable/comfortable than others


I haven’t stopped masking to avoid giving/receiving COVID to the best of my ability, but i noticed that during summer i can actually breath normally while outdoors with a mask on, and in winter it helps keep my face warm, so I’ve never had a reason to stop since starting and have no incentive to do so even if COVID goes extinct somehow
so not quite people related (tho cars, which are driven by people, are probably involved), but stench is definitely around one way or the other