Posted on 03/17/2020 7:45:21 PM PDT by rintintin
When news of a mysterious viral pneumonia linked to a seafood market in Wuhan, China, reached the outside world in early January, one of my first reactions was to order a modest supply of masks. Just a few weeks later, there wasn’t a mask to be bought in stores, or online for a reasonable price — just widespread price gouging. Many health experts, no doubt motivated by the sensible and urgent aim of preserving the remaining masks for health care workers, started telling people that they didn’t need masks or that they wouldn’t know how to wear them.
As the pandemic rages on, there will be many difficult messages for the public. Unfortunately, the top-down conversation around masks has become a case study in how not to communicate with the public, especially now that the traditional gatekeepers like media and health authorities have much less control. The message became counterproductive and may have encouraged even more hoarding because it seemed as though authorities were shaping the message around managing the scarcity rather than confronting the reality of the situation.
First, many health experts, including the surgeon general of the United States, told the public simultaneously that masks weren’t necessary for protecting the general public and that health care workers needed the dwindling supply. This contradiction confuses an ordinary listener. How do these masks magically protect the wearers only and only if they work in a particular field?
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Because there was a shortage of masks and all were needed for medical officials.
Masks are totally necessary—talk about “social distancing,” that’s a primary way to do it. What no one will say is that people in China bought up America’s mask supply as soon as the virus hit Wuhan. Plus the majority of our masks were already made in China and China stopped export to the U.S.
the “type” of mask makes a HUGE difference.
the typical mask you find in a store wont do squat against a virus. Only specially fitted masked of a certain level will.
Those were the masks they didn’t want people to horde that healthcare workers would need. Horde all the useless dust masks you want!
lol
There’s some video documentaries indicating that the lack of American made masks was determined to be a national security problem back in 2009 with the H1N1 situation, and then nothing was ever done about it.
My doctor and his staff don’t wear them
Their limited supply is only for the hacking and wheezing patients so they don’t spread things around. Which is precisely what the surgeon general said
It was this way even before this virus hit
The conspiracist in me speculates that one of the reasons masks weren’t recommended to the general public, is that they would hinder facial recognition software (and terrorist nuts would take advantage of that).
“ the typical mask you find in a store wont do squat against a virus. Only specially fitted masked of a certain level will.”
Read down. Based on studies, the article says practically any mask is better than none
Taiwan and Hong Kong have now been through this drill at least 3 times. Their people will wear masks so now there is no use telling them not to. Most keep spares at home as part of basic emergency preparations. Hong Kong in particular is very densely populated. It makes sense to wear one and has become a kind of etiquette in these situations.
So in spite of being next to China, the pandemic is petering-out in both places. Taiwan’s students are already back in school.
All hail Obola Obambi, our former Deer Leader.
A non-N95 mask will still keep YOU from spreading the virus. If everyone is wearing masks, that cuts down on transmission quite a bit. If only a few people are wearing masks, then yeah they aren’t that effective.
Not only is any mask better than none, the N95 masks you can get at Home Depot or the local paint store are highly effective.
“ There’s some video documentaries indicating that the lack of American made masks was determined to be a national security problem back in 2009 with the H1N1 situation, and then nothing was ever done about it.”
Yes, for our politicians, “national security” means waging regime-change wars halfway around the globe, not protecting Americans right here are home
“How do these masks magically protect the wearers only and only if they work in a particular field?”
I asked my Sister’s Oncologist this about 10 days back when he said my Sister should not delay starting her Chemo and masks wouldn’t protect her from CV when her immune system was shot. I asked him why he wore them if that’s the case? “Wellllll”... blah blah blah. My Sister likes the guy, I kept my mouth shut after that.
The author thinks highly of himself and not much of others. What a condescending snot.
No, we are not *confused* that the masks work *magically* for one group of people and not others.
We are not the idiots you presume. We can clearly see that *Masks don't help* does not mesh with *We have to give them to the health care workers cause they need them*.
It takes only a modicum of logic and intelligence to figure out, that if the masks don't work they are not going to do the healthcare workers any good either.
And if the health care workers needs them, that means they do work, and we need them too.
I have watched these people wearing mask, they are always adjusting the mask...ie touching their face.
That seems like common sense.
Hacking and wheezing patients can't even get into a doctor's office around here. They are to call a telephone number for instructions on what to do / where to go.
My N95 masks from Walmart most certainly protect the user, just as my medical goggles do.
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