6 ms·

The US had a stockpile, but it was for bioterrorism scale and not pandemic scale.

by esyir 7y ago

gojomo 7y ago
Why would "bioterrorism scale" & "pandemic scale" be different, especially if a bioterror agent was crafted to be contagious (& thus create pandemic conditions)?
- marcosdumay 7y ago
  Just to add, but why would a bioterror agent not be crafted to be contagious? Spread is the big differential on bioterror, and most other forms of terrorism do not require a team with members that have 2 PHDs each.
- smacktoward 7y ago
  A bioterrorist cell would not have the resources to craft a perfectly engineered biological weapon. They'd be more likely to have access to limited quantities of some pre-existing biological agent (like anthrax, say). So what you'd see in that scenario is attacks that cause a bunch of casualties in a few locations in one big splash, and then quickly peter out after that. It's like, what's the difference between a terrorist nuclear attack and a full-scale nuclear war? In the former scenario, you're talking a small number of low-yield devices triggered in one country; the rest of the world still stands able to provide assistance. In the latter scenario, there's nobody left to help who hasn't also been blown to ashes.
  - dillonmckay 7y ago
    I think you would re-evaluate this reasoning after watching the show ‘Jericho’. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jericho_(2006_TV_series) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jericho_(2006_TV_series)
RegnisGnaw 7y ago
Ontario (Canada) stockpiled a lot after the whole SARS thing. Unfortunately they never planned rotating the supply or budgeted for it. So out of the 55 million masks we stocked, 80% have expired. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-canada-supplies-ex/exclusive-millions-of-masks-stockpiled-in-canadas-ontario-expired-before-coronavirus-hit-idUSKBN20W2OG https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-canada...
- pjkundert 7y ago
  I'm certain the people unnecessarily infected with Covid-19 will be glad, as they pass away, that the cough that killed them wasn't suppressed by an out-of-date mask.
  - bdamm 7y ago
    "Expired" might mean that the mask material has disintegrated and could itself be sucked into the lungs. Or perhaps it means that fungal infections could have grown in the masks. Or maybe the government really made a decision based on short term thinking and tossed the masks to make room for piles of salt or something. Or maybe the cost of storing masks really isn't worth it because there's lots of things that can decimate society (nuclear war?) and we needed to more urgently spend money there. Who knows, right?
    - spectramax 7y ago
      Along those lines, Meltblown fabric used in N95 respirators is made from plastic by some incredibly high tech machines. Each costing $5m per machine (line): https://www.reicofil.com/en/pages/meltblown_lines https://www.reicofil.com/en/pages/meltblown_lines You’re absolutely right. When a mask is expired, it should not be used. There is a reason for the expiration date and it’s not just for profiteering or some malicious motive. Lot of expiration dates you see in medicines is FDA regulated and should be taken seriously.
      - gojomo 7y ago
mikeyouse 7y ago
Unfortunately putting incompetent people in charge of the Federal government has had predictable results -- We don't have enough masks (they're sending 1/10th the number that states are requesting) and the majority of the stockpiled gear is expired: https://twitter.com/hshaban/status/1240114213009358852 https://twitter.com/hshaban/status/1240114213009358852
- rlt 7y ago
  In case you're suggesting the current administration is entirely at fault, the mask stockpile was depleted in 2009 and never replenished https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/face-masks-in-national-stockpile-have-not-been-substantially-replenished-since-2009/2020/03/10/57e57316-60c9-11ea-8baf-519cedb6ccd9_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/face-masks-in-...

The US had a stockpile, but it was for bioterrorism scale and not pandemic scale.

by esyir 7y ago

The US had a stockpile, but it was for bioterrorism scale and not pandemic scale.

Why would "bioterrorism scale" & "pandemic scale" be different, especially if a bioterror agent was crafted to be contagious (& thus create pandemic conditions)?

marcosdumay 7y ago
Just to add, but why would a bioterror agent not be crafted to be contagious? Spread is the big differential on bioterror, and most other forms of terrorism do not require a team with members that have 2 PHDs each.
smacktoward 7y ago
A bioterrorist cell would not have the resources to craft a perfectly engineered biological weapon. They'd be more likely to have access to limited quantities of some pre-existing biological agent (like anthrax, say). So what you'd see in that scenario is attacks that cause a bunch of casualties in a few locations in one big splash, and then quickly peter out after that. It's like, what's the difference between a terrorist nuclear attack and a full-scale nuclear war? In the former scenario, you're talking a small number of low-yield devices triggered in one country; the rest of the world still stands able to provide assistance. In the latter scenario, there's nobody left to help who hasn't also been blown to ashes.
- dillonmckay 7y ago
  I think you would re-evaluate this reasoning after watching the show ‘Jericho’. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jericho_(2006_TV_series) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jericho_(2006_TV_series)

RegnisGnaw 7y ago

Ontario (Canada) stockpiled a lot after the whole SARS thing. Unfortunately they never planned rotating the supply or budgeted for it. So out of the 55 million masks we stocked, 80% have expired. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-canada-supplies-ex/exclusive-millions-of-masks-stockpiled-in-canadas-ontario-expired-before-coronavirus-hit-idUSKBN20W2OG https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-canada...

pjkundert 7y ago
I'm certain the people unnecessarily infected with Covid-19 will be glad, as they pass away, that the cough that killed them wasn't suppressed by an out-of-date mask.
- bdamm 7y ago
  "Expired" might mean that the mask material has disintegrated and could itself be sucked into the lungs. Or perhaps it means that fungal infections could have grown in the masks. Or maybe the government really made a decision based on short term thinking and tossed the masks to make room for piles of salt or something. Or maybe the cost of storing masks really isn't worth it because there's lots of things that can decimate society (nuclear war?) and we needed to more urgently spend money there. Who knows, right?
  - spectramax 7y ago
    Along those lines, Meltblown fabric used in N95 respirators is made from plastic by some incredibly high tech machines. Each costing $5m per machine (line): https://www.reicofil.com/en/pages/meltblown_lines https://www.reicofil.com/en/pages/meltblown_lines You’re absolutely right. When a mask is expired, it should not be used. There is a reason for the expiration date and it’s not just for profiteering or some malicious motive. Lot of expiration dates you see in medicines is FDA regulated and should be taken seriously.
    - gojomo 7y ago

mikeyouse 7y ago

Unfortunately putting incompetent people in charge of the Federal government has had predictable results -- We don't have enough masks (they're sending 1/10th the number that states are requesting) and the majority of the stockpiled gear is expired: https://twitter.com/hshaban/status/1240114213009358852 https://twitter.com/hshaban/status/1240114213009358852

rlt 7y ago
In case you're suggesting the current administration is entirely at fault, the mask stockpile was depleted in 2009 and never replenished https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/face-masks-in-national-stockpile-have-not-been-substantially-replenished-since-2009/2020/03/10/57e57316-60c9-11ea-8baf-519cedb6ccd9_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/face-masks-in-...