Do We Need N95 Masks For Everyone?
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@drgnslayr said in Well Bowlsby pretty well set it straight:
The way to really get life back, besides a working vaccine, is to have affordable, accurate, immediate testing for the active virus. This would let crowds come together again and people would feel safe that the people they are scrunched up with in a stadium are virus-free. Test at the gate. Give everyone a squirt of hand sanitizer so their hands are clean, too.
Test at the mall, test everywhere. This will also give us immediate containment. I can’t believe the world doesn’t come together and make this priority #1!
Imo priority #1 is n95 masks for all. The lack of focus on this by the government makes me angry.
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@approxinfinity You’re not saying that we should have 300,000,000 N95 masks, right? The use of those is recommended to rotate 5 every five days. So over 1.5 billion?
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@approxinfinity said in Well Bowlsby pretty well set it straight:
@drgnslayr said in Well Bowlsby pretty well set it straight:
The way to really get life back, besides a working vaccine, is to have affordable, accurate, immediate testing for the active virus. This would let crowds come together again and people would feel safe that the people they are scrunched up with in a stadium are virus-free. Test at the gate. Give everyone a squirt of hand sanitizer so their hands are clean, too.
Test at the mall, test everywhere. This will also give us immediate containment. I can’t believe the world doesn’t come together and make this priority #1!
Imo priority #1 is n95 masks for all. The lack of focus on this by the government makes me angry.
Only people who need the N95 are those who are at most risk of contracting the virus such as those with underlying issues and those who interact with Covid-19 patients.
Someone without an underlying issue doesn’t need an N95 to go about their regular day. A regular mask or face covering is sufficient in that situation.
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@HighEliteMajor said in Well Bowlsby pretty well set it straight:
@approxinfinity You’re not saying that we should have 300,000,000 N95 masks, right? The use of those is recommended to rotate 5 every five days. So over 1.5 billion?
I am saying exactly that. I don’t think 1.5billion is feasible but if everyone had one (just one per person), they could attend all critical public functions with a real mask, while still observing eased distancing.
The COVID-19 particle is between 140 and 60 nm in diameter. N95 masks are rated at .3 microns (or 300 nm) though this varies between 100 and 300 nm by manufacturers. So sure, the n95 is not guaranteed to block transmission. However, they are much much better than surgical masks and surgical masks are 3x as effective as homemade masks. Homemade masks are only better than wearing nothing. I need to make a spreadsheet of this data with links to sources and my remaining questions. But yes, everyone should have an n95 mask.
The gov contract was for 39 million masks to be made by Owens and Minor, 3M and Honeywell. So 13 million each. For I believe $133 mill. What was the limiting factor here? Money or capacity? Surely with trillions of dollars in a bailout we could have spent more than $133 mill on the one piece of critical PPE to preventing transmission?
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@Texas-Hawk-10 This is incorrect, I believe. I am calling this thought process out as propaganda based upon shortage.
I would argue that if we all had n95 masks and used them responsibly (which is still not an easy ask because some people are idiots and there are still global concerns), the disease would go away in virtually 3 weeks.
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I moved this to its own thread @HighEliteMajor @Texas-Hawk-10 .
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My understanding is that N95 masks are about the only kind of mask to help prevent an individual from contracting the virus. All other masks are to prevent the individual from possible spreading it unknowingly.
Seems to me the current plan is to get to herd immunity as slowly as quickly as possible without overwhelming the hospitals. Because nothing else has really changed from when stay at home orders went into place. Staying at home has flattened the curve or made it linear rather than exponential. But cases are still increasing just about everywhere thinking about or actually opening up.
My big frustration is a lack of a clear plan or maybe if there is a plan, a lack of transparency about what that plan is. Why did we work so hard and take such drastic measures if not to buy time for a clear plan?
Masks for everyone or at least all most at risk = plan. I haven’t heard that from anyone other than approx.
Testing for everyone or at least enough to reach a certain percentage? I know we are increasing testing but to what end? Most places people who have symptoms still are struggling to get tested.
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I have several N95 masks and 3 N100 cartridge respirators from years past that I bought for dust (SC summers and huge bare spots in the lawn), concrete mixing, and insecticide spraying (the N100s are for gasses as well as dust.) All have been used a few times but are fine for us. I rotate the N95s each time I go out, which is only about twice a week.
When I bought them, I was mad because I couldn’t find simple dusk masks and I hate bandanas. But I am glad to have them if I am going anywhere now because the idiots seem to think “reopening” means “no sense.”
Last week:
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Dateline, May 6, 2020: https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/cnbc-cuomo-says-its-shocking-most-new-coronavirus-hospitalizations-are-people-who-had-been-staying-home/
The “idiot” proclamation has become very fashionable among those that think that they know it all, even if it could be based on ignorance.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/11/us/florida-spring-break-coronavirus.html
Folks then, thought they knew too. But as we see, the world has not ended.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/07/us/new-york-city-coronavirus-outbreak.html
Right, the NY outbreak seeded, for example, 78% of the cases in the Midwest. Different strain.
All I suggest is we be cautious about what we “think” we know. The experts have made major errors and miscalculations.
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Err on the side of caution is not a stupid strategy. Tons we don’t know. Why not be safe? Statistically, it’s type 1 vs type 2 error. Nobody is perfect, so no reason not to hedge on the ethically responsible side. Lives vs money. Which do you value more?
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@HighEliteMajor My problem is the people in charge seem to be continually erring on the side of less caution rather than more. You are definitely right that there is still a lot we don’t know.
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@HighEliteMajor said in Do We Need N95 Masks For Everyone?:
The experts have made major errors and miscalculations.
Nonexperts have made more. The biggest difference is that (most) scientists provide the information on which they base their recommendations and conclusions. Nonexperts have nothing but wishful thinking on this topic.
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@approxinfinity said in Do We Need N95 Masks For Everyone?:
@HighEliteMajor said in Well Bowlsby pretty well set it straight:
@approxinfinity You’re not saying that we should have 300,000,000 N95 masks, right? The use of those is recommended to rotate 5 every five days. So over 1.5 billion?
I am saying exactly that. I don’t think 1.5billion is feasible but if everyone had one (just one per person), they could attend all critical public functions with a real mask, while still observing eased distancing.
The COVID-19 particle is between 140 and 60 nm in diameter. N95 masks are rated at .3 microns (or 300 nm) though this varies between 100 and 300 nm by manufacturers. So sure, the n95 is not guaranteed to block transmission. However, they are much much better than surgical masks and surgical masks are 3x as effective as homemade masks. Homemade masks are only better than wearing nothing. I need to make a spreadsheet of this data with links to sources and my remaining questions. But yes, everyone should have an n95 mask.
The gov contract was for 39 million masks to be made by Owens and Minor, 3M and Honeywell. So 13 million each. For I believe $133 mill. What was the limiting factor here? Money or capacity? Surely with trillions of dollars in a bailout we could have spent more than $133 mill on the one piece of critical PPE to preventing transmission?
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Why the hell don’t we have N95 masks for everyone? 4 months later… Does the miniscule size of the government contract with those 3 companies look stupid now?
@nuleafjhawk if I get too negative please keep me in check. Right now I’m angry but not feeling negative but I don’t want to cross a line so I’m counting on you.
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@approxinfinity That’s a legitimate question. I got your back, bruh.
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@approxinfinity can we cross the line together lol
