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> - and universal mask use - It's really unfortunate that the general population of the US has zero cultural familiarity with using masks to prevent the spread

by ardy42 7y ago

> - and universal mask use - It's really unfortunate that the general population of the US has zero cultural familiarity with using masks to prevent the spread of disease. This really seems like the time to do everything possible in that regard, but we don't have the supplies. In normal times, surgical masks are cheap. If we had the supply, we should be handing them out by the dozen to households in infected areas, at airports, etc.

voidmain 7y ago
This touches on another hobby horse of mine. Our society, both legally and as a matter of cultural habit, tends to prefer inaction to imperfect action. The fallacy, a sort of dual to the better known "We must do something, this is something, therefore we must do this", seems to be 1. Perfection is better than imperfection 2. All our options are imperfect 3. Therefore, we will do nothing I am almost sure that our society, even without prior preparation, could physically produce huge numbers of "more effective than nothing" masks (especially for protecting others from the wearer, which is easier) very quickly at, say, 10x the cost (because you are recruiting less than ideal resources, like factory lines designed for other things that need extra labor) and 75% effectiveness (because you aren't applying the usual extremely strict standards that apply to NIOSH masks or whatever). Even if everyone taped a paper towel or sock over their face I bet it would reduce large droplet transmission by 50%. But we are not able to do so, because 1. These masks would cost more than masks used to cost ("price gouging!"). Imperfect. 2. They wouldn't work as perfectly as physically possible. Imperfect. 3. Some people would make money selling fake masks or whatever in the confusion. Imperfect. 4. We already made a bunch of regulations mandating perfection and no one wants to take responsibility for removing them and maybe also 5. The people who should have stockpiled masks (edit: in the government or medical supply chain, I'm not saying individuals should have thought of this!) would have to admit their mistakes So, "we" lie to people that masks are useless (charitably, so doctors can have more; uncharitably, because 5) and do nothing.

by ardy42 7y ago

voidmain 7y ago

This touches on another hobby horse of mine. Our society, both legally and as a matter of cultural habit, tends to prefer inaction to imperfect action. The fallacy, a sort of dual to the better known "We must do something, this is something, therefore we must do this", seems to be 1. Perfection is better than imperfection 2. All our options are imperfect 3. Therefore, we will do nothing I am almost sure that our society, even without prior preparation, could physically produce huge numbers of "more effective than nothing" masks (especially for protecting others from the wearer, which is easier) very quickly at, say, 10x the cost (because you are recruiting less than ideal resources, like factory lines designed for other things that need extra labor) and 75% effectiveness (because you aren't applying the usual extremely strict standards that apply to NIOSH masks or whatever). Even if everyone taped a paper towel or sock over their face I bet it would reduce large droplet transmission by 50%. But we are not able to do so, because 1. These masks would cost more than masks used to cost ("price gouging!"). Imperfect. 2. They wouldn't work as perfectly as physically possible. Imperfect. 3. Some people would make money selling fake masks or whatever in the confusion. Imperfect. 4. We already made a bunch of regulations mandating perfection and no one wants to take responsibility for removing them and maybe also 5. The people who should have stockpiled masks (edit: in the government or medical supply chain, I'm not saying individuals should have thought of this!) would have to admit their mistakes So, "we" lie to people that masks are useless (charitably, so doctors can have more; uncharitably, because 5) and do nothing.