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Lobby General Discussion topic #13368836

Subject: "and yet - 2 days later...." Previous topic | Next topic
Selah
Member since Jun 05th 2002
16484 posts
Mon Mar-02-20 05:17 PM

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31. "and yet - 2 days later...."
In response to In response to 21


          

(one day actually...and for the record i wasn't buyind them for coronavirus, i was buying them because i have a seven year old who has a cold and a maddening inability to cover his mouth when he coughs)

Surgeon General Urges the Public to Stop Buying Face Masks

“Seriously people,” the surgeon general said on Twitter, warning that a run on the masks could risk a shortage harmful to public health professionals.

By Maria Cramer and Knvul Sheikh

Published Feb. 29, 2020
Updated March 2, 2020, 12:42 p.m. ET

The surgeon general on Saturday urged the public to stop buying masks, warning that it won’t help against the spread of the coronavirus but will take away important resources from health care professionals.

“Seriously people — STOP BUYING MASKS!” the surgeon general, Jerome M. Adams, said in a tweet on Saturday morning. “They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if health care providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!”

The plea comes as panicked consumers rush to buy masks online, including so-called N95s, a surge that has led to price gouging and counterfeit products.

In another tweet, Dr. Adams said the best way to protect against the virus is to wash hands regularly, and for those who are feeling ill to stay home.

Health officials around the world have been imploring the public to stop buying masks if they are healthy or not caring for someone who is ill. Medical professionals need a large supply of the masks because they are in direct contact with infected patients and must change their masks repeatedly.

“There are severe strains on protective equipment around the world,” said Dr. Michael J. Ryan, executive director of the health emergency program at the World Health Organization, during a briefing on Friday. “Our primary concern is to ensure that our front line health workers are protected and that they have the equipment they need to do their jobs.”

Dr. Ryan said masks primarily prevent a person from giving the disease to someone else.

“There are limits to how a mask can protect you from being infected,” he said. “The most important thing everyone can do is wash your hands, keep your hands away from your face and observe very precise hygiene.”

Get an informed guide to the global outbreak with our daily Coronavirus newsletter.

The W.H.O.’s guidelines recommend that health workers use surgical masks to cover their mouths and noses but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has instructed them to wear masks known as N95s, which are thicker, fit more tightly around the mouth and nose, and block out much smaller particles than surgical masks do.

Both masks help prevent the spread of droplets from a person’s cough or sneeze, but medical specialists have said that for average members of the public, they are generally not effective.

A person is more likely to get infected by touching contaminated surfaces than from a droplet traveling through the air.

Air can also get in around the edges of the masks, particularly flat surgical masks. Health care workers who wear N95 masks as part of their jobs are required to undergo a fit test at least once a year to ensure that there are no gaps around their mouths.

Most people are unlikely to know how to wear these masks and could accidentally contaminate themselves if they touch the outside of the mask when they remove it and then touch their face.

“Not having a mask does not necessarily put you at any increased risk of contracting this disease,” Dr. Ryan said.

But the message has not stopped people from buying the masks, particularly the N95s, which are usually inexpensive and popular with construction workers and painters.

“You know what a mask costs?” said Mike Bowen, the executive vice president of Prestige Ameritech, an N95 mask manufacturer in North Richland Hills, Texas. “Listen to this: A Class 2 medical device, you can buy two of them for the price of a gumball.”

He added: “They’re cheap. They’re automated. They’re not handmade.”

But on Amazon, sellers have been advertising masks for at least $10 each. One seller advertised 160 masks for $800, a deal that was no longer available as of Saturday.

Vice President Mike Pence seemed to address the shortage during a White House press briefing with President Trump on Saturday.

Mr. Pence, whom Mr. Trump appointed to coordinate the government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, said the administration would have “40 million masks available today.”

The government has contracted with the multinational manufacturing giant 3M to produce 30 million more masks a month, Mr. Pence said.

Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday that it was critical that masks remain available for doctors and nurses who were caring for those affected by the virus and for people tending to loved ones with the illness.

“There is no role for these masks in the community,” he said. “These masks need to be prioritized for health care professionals that as part of their job are taking care of individuals.”

Dr. Redfield’s comment came after an exchange with Representative Chrissy Houlahan, a Democrat of Pennsylvania, who asked how people should be preparing, including whether they needed to stock up on food or prescription medication.

“Not at this time,” he said.

“Should people be afraid?” Ms. Houlahan asked.

“No,” he replied.

“Should you wear a mask if you’re healthy?” she asked.

“No,” Dr. Redfield said.

  

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OKParents: how are you preparing for the Coronavirus when it comes to yo... [View all] , lsymone, Tue Feb-25-20 02:59 PM
 
Subject Author Message Date ID
nadda
Feb 25th 2020
1
stands in this line.
Feb 25th 2020
3
basically lol...
Feb 25th 2020
4
not going to do what Flipnile is doing below?
Feb 26th 2020
11
not going to do what Flipnile is doing below?
Feb 26th 2020
12
Nah
Feb 26th 2020
14
      Bruh, at least grab some extra food and some cold & flu medicine
Feb 27th 2020
16
but that isn't true. you can prevent it from entering your body
Feb 28th 2020
18
Been prepping so I don't have to leave the house for a few weeks
Feb 25th 2020
2
yup imma take care of all this this week
Feb 25th 2020
7
that wassup, imma follow your lead.
Feb 26th 2020
10
      I did a smaller prep back then, mostly just food, water & painkillers
Feb 26th 2020
15
i'm ready to pull my kids from school.. wife thinks i'm nuts..
Feb 25th 2020
5
Thinking of buying vegetable plants!
Feb 25th 2020
8
      This post inspired me, gonna grab some herb seeds to start a little gard...
Mar 03rd 2020
32
Standard flu precautions: hand washing, staying away from sick people
Feb 25th 2020
6
Yeah that's where I'm at
Feb 29th 2020
28
Vitamin D and C
Feb 25th 2020
9
I love these holistic intravenous naturepathic clinics popping up.
Feb 26th 2020
13
zinc is an immune system booster
Feb 29th 2020
27
      i'm also taking zinc
Feb 29th 2020
30
My spidey senses are tingling the most ever in life right now
Feb 28th 2020
17
same. the US is completely unprepared
Feb 28th 2020
19
Yeah the real numbers would cause a panic.
Feb 28th 2020
22
      "All competent governments" which is not ours :(
Feb 28th 2020
24
you cannot buy facemasks anywhere in the South Bay of LA County
Feb 28th 2020
20
We were in the hospital last weekend
Feb 28th 2020
21
     
Ordered some shit from Amazon Now yesterday
Feb 28th 2020
23
Corona beer sales down 40%. That’s how you prep for a virus
Feb 29th 2020
25
no they fucking aren't. that isn't what the article said
Feb 29th 2020
26
No particular special arrangements. Keeping an eye on schools
Feb 29th 2020
29

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