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They're continuing to say we shouldn't wear N95 masks, to save them for healthcare workers. This has always seemed to me like a short-sighted and reactive appro
by darkerside 6y ago
They're continuing to say we shouldn't wear N95 masks, to save them for healthcare workers. This has always seemed to me like a short-sighted and reactive approach, instead of proactively starving the supply of infected people by masking up everybody.
- bluGill 6y agothe problem is N95 masks are not available. Hospitals are still rationing them to doctors who are dealing with COVID patients. That is those with the greatest need/risk cannot get a N95 mask. There is some supply coming online, but it is slow. Note that KF94 and KN95 masks are somewhat available, I'd recommend my friends use them, but not my friends' friends as supply isn't enough to cover the friends of my friends. These are the Korea and Chinese equivalent to N95, perhaps not as good, but still a lot better. There is also a European standard, but I haven't seen it anywhere in the US.
- gwittel 6y agoIIRC KF94 were designed as an easier to make general population mask in event of a pandemic (after SARS etc). It wasn’t meant to match N95 (or Korea’s equivalent), but to get close. Ideally the US would have an equivalent, or have encouraged manufacture of one long ago, but we all know how that went.
- 93po 6y agoApparently KN95 isn't as good for preventing liquid transmission (I assume this is important in surgeries) but KN95 is just as good if not a little better protection against aerosoled covid.
- ashtonkem 6y agoThe fact that the DPA wasn’t invoked to spin up N95 mask production early last year has a real “crimes against humanity” feel to it.
- account42 6y agoYeah, Taiwan got that right - they had the military help with mask production even before any other country considered that this might spread beyond China.