Perhaps. But why does public health policy expect Americans to voluntarily abstain from buying masks, an outcome which is not remotely realistic? It's not lik

Perhaps. But why does public health policy expect Americans to voluntarily abstain from buying masks, an outcome which is not remotely realistic? It's not like this is an unpredictable situation: it happens in every epidemic. Regardless of masks' effectiveness, enough people believe they are effective to keep them sold out. If medical professionals need priority, we should have a system to give them guaranteed priority. Then, if there's a remaining surplus, they can be sold to consumers who can buy them relatively guilt-free. (Only relatively, because I suppose the masks could still be shipped elsewhere in the world.) Of course, the government should not force manufacturers to make such a surplus, but it might be profitable for them...