that they messed up with the mask messaging. First they said not to wear them and that was stupid. Instead they should have encouraged homemade masks from the get go to preserve the stock of N95 and surgical masks.

Then they said wear them but for other people. Relying on people to be altruistic is a quick path to failure. Have you seen the way most people behave in many situations? Not exactly selflessly.

The screwed up the messaging so much I don’t think they can come back from it.

I've been blasting that message since they started using it in late February/early March.

I was initially arguing with people who recognized the risk - but trusted the medical experts.

More recently, I have been arguing with people who I had convinced of the risks (and who - temporarily - had jumped on the "this is serious" bandwagon). They have reverted (unversally) to their earlier posture - and part of the reason for that is that the government and doctors are lying - with the mask messaging as example #1.

and certainly no better than a surgical or pedestrian face covering. Watching television coverage and observing people out in the world I RARELY see people wearing N95s correctly.

There is nothing magical about an N95.

Meanwhile, nurses are still being asked to use their disposable respirators for multiple patients, multiple shifts and multiple days.

I’m not in favor of this.

https://www.statnews.com/2020/04/16/n95-masks-training-needed-protect-against-covid-19/

It's either not covering their nose or is hanging off their face.
What exactly is so hard about wearing N95 correctly? A properly made mask at least would stay on unlike the homemade ones.

How could it be "worse?" Could you detail exactly what one does when wearing an N95 improperly, and exactly how it is "worse" than not wearing one? I have one. It fits very snugly all around my face. Doesn't seem to be rocket science.

A tight seal MUST be maintained. Otherwise the air being inspired comes from around the completely unfiltered edges of the mask. At least with the surgical or cloth covering most of your inspired air is still passing through some filtration.

It’s very difficult to exert any sustained effort and maintain your seal even for a trained user.