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Do not overstock on masks or other supplies. Masks especially should be available to the sick. It's ironic that (I'm sure) someone out there will stock up on 10
by Buttons840 7y ago
Do not overstock on masks or other supplies. Masks especially should be available to the sick. It's ironic that (I'm sure) someone out there will stock up on 10,000 masks and it will cause them to be in even greater danger because the sick people around them will have fewer masks.
The CDC recommends that sick people wear masks to keep droplets in, and that people who directly interact with sick people wear masks while interacting with the sick person (to stop projectile droplets I presume). The CDC does not recommend masks be worn generally.
Masks help remind you not to touch your face, but you can just put tape on your fingers or something for the same effect (this is just my personal idea).
(This is more of a PSA than a direct reply to your comment.)
- cbHXBY1D 7y ago2-3 weeks ago people on here were advocating stocking up on masks and selling at a high profit.
- someguydave 7y agowhat is profitable for the individual may not be profitable for the group.
- riquito 7y agoIn Italy it's illegal, you cannot hoard or speculate on basic necessities (as the masks are being considered during the epidemic). https://www.repubblica.it/economia/2020/02/26/news/coronavirus_la_guardia_di_finanza_da_amazon_ed_ebay_per_le_speculazioni_su_mascherine_e_gel_detergenti-249647637 https://www.repubblica.it/economia/2020/02/26/news/coronavir...
- gwright 7y agoPerfect way to guarantee shortages. Let the price float and there is an incentive for businesses to figure out how to increase the supply quickly, thus causing the price to drop. The economic theory on this is rock-solid and yet it seems impossible to educate the general public or government officials regarding the consequences of price controls.
- jiofih 7y agoIn cases of extremely skewed demand/supply the price never actually goes down, and all the buyers get hosed. See: concert tickets.
- gwright 7y agoNot the situation we are talking about but even in that situation a government control on the price of the concert tickets could easily create a shortage. An entertainer would just choose to have concerts in a different jurisdiction that didn't limit the prices leading to 0 seats in the location with price controls.
- jiofih 7y agoThe entertainer makes zero money on the added price of tickets from trading dynamics we are talking about, it’s all middlemen.
- gwright 7y agoDoesn't change the analysis re: supply and demand. Just changes to a discussion of the middlemen as a supplier.
- jiofih 7y agoIt invalidates what you mentioned re. the entertainer avoiding a certain location due to price control. And btw, price control in this case means “no resale above ticket price” or something similar, not the government controlling the pricing itself. The supply is fixed so there can’t be a shortage (except when it’s caused by price gouging performed by middlemen).
- jfim 7y agoIt's not as clear cut as you say. For example, the large increase in price creates perverse incentives to reduce the available supply and make it available at a higher price (eg. buying all the masks at $n and reselling them at a price greater than n). A higher price also encourages counterfeiting; making fake masks that sell for $1 isn't that profitable, but if they sell for $50, there's definitely more of an incentive to do so.
- asdfman123 7y agoYou could also try directly killing people for money if that's your thing.
- disabled 7y agoSorry, but the tape on your fingers is a bad idea. The adhesive from tape attracts germs, and far more than just having bare skin. Wear gloves instead, to avoid touching your face.
- Buttons840 7y agoIt was just an idea. You're right that it may have adverse effects. Yet I wonder: Viruses live longer on a "clean-looking" doorknob than they do in a towel, for example. This was very counter-intuitive to me. So when it comes to a virus, would they live longer on skin or on a bandage or piece of tape?
- disabled 7y agoThank you for acknowledging this. I really appreciate it. The issue is that the adhesive from tape is a form of glue. It attracts and keeps hold of germs. Plus, it is extremely hard to get fully off in terms of disinfection purposes. I had a central line (dialysis catheter) in my chest for 4 months for a procedure called plasma exchange. You cannot take a shower with an exposed central line. A single drop of water on your line, or even the moisture/condensation from the shower can literally cause sepsis, as water has a lot of bacteria in it. This happens no matter how well the line is cleaned. Anyways, I tried taking a shower by covering the line with a Ziploc bag and putting tape around it. I also cut the fingers off of gloves and /sealed the fingers of the glove onto the line with tape/. I literally put glue on the central line, which runs straight to my heart. I never ended up with sepsis, due to the line only being in me shortly (4 months), but I did get chewed out by the sterility nurse. Trust me, it is not a good idea.
- jacquesm 7y agoYou got very lucky. Lottery level winning lucky.
- lapinot 7y agoBasic lottery is 1 in 14 million winning. I guess "citation needed", having that exact winner on hn is pretty low probability. This is an irrational comment in an irrational subthread. I'm not sure adhesive tape doesn't have high germs density but i'm pretty sure there is little correlation between your finger sticking to a material and a germ sticking to that same material. This message has no positive outcome besides making feel good while i press "reply", it's not intended for you to read it, it's intended for me to re-read it while thinking of this moment.
- eveningcoffee 7y agoAnd what use is of mask with a valve for a sick person? They are already sick and valve will let contaminated air straight out? Can healthy people at least buy these? I think that not recommending masks for everyone is very myopic considering that the virus tends to spread asymptotically.
- pmoriarty 7y agoEven if asymptomatic people transmit the virus "asymptomatic transmission likely plays a minor role in the epidemic overall, WHO says. People who cough or sneeze are more likely to spread the virus, the agency wrote"[1] [1] - https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/02/paper-non-symptomatic-patient-transmitting-coronavirus-wrong https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/02/paper-non-symptomati...
- eveningcoffee 7y agoWHO can say what they want but considering how the virus popped up in Italy tells a different story. Something has been overlooked.
- mercer 7y agoI agree. It's probably aliens. Or reptilians.
- eveningcoffee 7y agoNaturally argumentum ad hominem is always the best strategy.
- mercer 7y agoI think that's a fallacy fallacy right there, but I also think fallacies can be fun responses to stupidity. Fallacy is a strange word. Fallacy.
- Animats 7y agoHome Depot has been out of masks and respirators here for weeks now.
- jnbiche 7y agoI agree strongly that we shouldn't overstock on masks. That said, I'd urge everyone to get a few P95 [1] masks for themselves and their family members, in the event that you have to accompany them to a hospital, or even to wear in public if you live in an urban environment. 1. P95 have same filtering capacity as N95, but last for much longer.
- mercer 7y agoConsidering the fact that even alcohol-based hand-sanitizer is already sold out at 8 confirmed cases over here, masks seem extremely difficult to get a hold of...