So many lives have been lost because of the obviously flawed guidance, and more lives will be lost because the authorities are reluctant to admit that they were wrong.
There is no reason why we can’t have enough face masks for everyone. Masks are not hi-tech items that require special materials and knowledge to make. A country like the US that makes millions of microchips should be able to make them in unlimited quantities.
It’s way cheaper to put a mask on every face than to treat the people who would not have gotten sick if they wore masks.
i) Medical masks don't help much for the general population, and don't protect the one wearing them very well. (Masks need to be exchanged, worn properly, …).
ii) They create a false sense of safety.
Especially in countries where a mask isn't common, I can absolutely understand. The masks work when everybody wears one. But then, the current scarcity comes into play. Recommending everybody to wear a mask just doesn't work out, then.
Anyway, I agree that it should be possible to supply (shitty) masks to everybody and save the good ones for our health workers. In Germany, many hospitals now sew their own masks…
No, even putting a scarf in front of the face offers _some_ protection from people sneezing, coughing, spitting, etc.
And in any case, there is zero downside to putting it up, there is no way it can actually harm.
Instead of saying this, and trusting people that they understand that some protection is better than no protection, authorities are patronising people with "false sense of safety", and "masks are actually harmful".
The article make the claim that inward protection of masks, be it home made, surgical, or N95, provides some level of protection of breathing in the virus. The outward protection of masks from infectious persons, while useful, is relatively less.
I see the reference to the "false sense of safety" a bit. I always thought that seeing a lot of masks in any location would give me the opposite feeling: that extra precautions need to be taken.
The middle layer of the mask is hard to make. But, as I read the news, the main problem is to get the production machine Certificate from GOV. That said it will take a year-long for the approval.
Even a piece of paper put in front of the face may filter out some particles. The point is that there is possible upside and zero downside to wearing masks, however crappy.
Instead of saying "we messed up, there are not enough masks for everyone, try to make one yourself" the authorities all over the world* are patronising people with "masks are hard to make, also they don't protect against viruses".
* Except for SK, Japan, Singapore, and all other places that wear masks.
As I know, JP & Singapore are not 100% masked. Maybe around 80% or something but that still helps!
now I'm worrying people to say Singapore & Hong Kong rate increasing and without understanding WHY. Then give another conclusion: Useless
(The TRUE is most of the new identified cases are Foreigners)
There is no reason why we can’t have enough face masks for everyone. Masks are not hi-tech items that require special materials and knowledge to make. A country like the US that makes millions of microchips should be able to make them in unlimited quantities.
It’s way cheaper to put a mask on every face than to treat the people who would not have gotten sick if they wore masks.