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Why is Japan still a coronavirus outlier?

japantimes.co.jp

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Re: Why is Japan still a coronavirus outlier?

#121

Post by tagrun »

jiofih wrote: post #108
crazygringo wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, we're not wearing masks because we don't HAVE any . I live in Brooklyn and I'd love to wear a mask. I'd love to have been wearing a mask every day for the past two weeks. But where exactly do you suggest I find one since they're sold out literally everywhere , and we're also getting advice not to wear them so they can be saved for healthcare professionals! You ought to reexamine your assumptions. We love masks bu…

> I'd love to have been wearing a mask every day for the past two weeks Well, that’s the reason they are sold out, and heath professionals are desperately asking for donations. You don’t need a mask unless you are sick. For protection you need a mask and glasses , but keeping your hands clean and away from your face does 95% of the job.

> You don’t need a mask unless you are sick. For protection you need a mask and glasses, but keeping your hands clean and away from your face does 95% of the job.

Except you do, because carriers without symptoms are contagious and the main drivers of this pandemic.

And no, coronavirus doesn't have wings, they are carried by water droplets, and any sort of barrier that can stop water droplets is better than no barrier at all.

Re: Why is Japan still a coronavirus outlier?

#122

Post by _9ijd »

henrygorner wrote: post #107
_9ijd wrote: post #57

I’m here in japan and have been trying to find an answer to this for the past week. It has to be the masks.

In Czech Republic everyone now has to cover their nose and mouth while being outside, on a public transport or in an office. Obviously there is not enough respirators/surgical masks, so people are just sewing ordinary face masks. It will be interesting to watch what kind of effect it will have on new infections

I am so angry at the experts saying masks were not helpful at the beginning of all this.

Sewing Ordinary face masks should help! The lie was that only n95 rated masks help because the virus is so small it goes through ordinary masks, but its not about that. It’s about stopping infected from spreading large amounts of it through droplets.

It’s in Japanese but I found this website on recommendations on how to create a mask: (I had to use Google translate) https://www.cottontimemagazine.com/page/10

Re: Why is Japan still a coronavirus outlier?

#123

Post by product50 »

adev_ wrote: post #78

Not so surprising. You have also the same outliers with Hong Kong and Taiwan. - In Japan, people naturally respect social distancing. Touching someone is considered rude, everyone bows instead of shaking hands and nobody kiss. - Almost everybody wear mask when they are sick to avoid contaminating others. They do that since way before Cornavirus and on voluntary based. - Washing hands is common, being clean (bath cult…

Do you know these are the real reasons or are you just rehashing what you have read? This feels more like confirmation bias. Can't imagine the rest of first world countries are completely shut down and here Japan is just doing fine with 1000s of ppl picnicking etc. There has to be something else going on..

Re: Why is Japan still a coronavirus outlier?

#124

Post by m4rtink »

ttsda wrote: post #18
deelowe wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I cannot for the life of me understand why we aren't turning every available textile mill into mask manufacturers right now. It should be trivial to do and clothes aren't a critical item. I'm sure most countries have planned something like this as it's a common need during major wars. We're basically saying that since it's not 100% effective, so it's not worth it. Meanwhile, neither is social distancing, but that's s…

I live in Portugal and some producers are being told to make disinfectant out of drinking alcohol. I assume the same is being done with mask production, or will be done. The same is happening with alcohol in other European countries, I don't know about the US.

Can confirm - here in Czech Republic the government even released illegaly produced alcohol they have confiscated in the past few months for companies to make sanitizers.

And not only alcohol related companies are making sanitizer now, even chemical oriented high schools and university faculties. Even a fuel distribution company reportedly reprurposed one of their huge tanks for large scale sanitizer production.

Re: Why is Japan still a coronavirus outlier?

#125

Post by jiofih »

lopis wrote: post #82
_9ijd wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To elaborate, yes Japanese are pretty clean by nature and do have social distancing naturally, but everyone is still taking the subway, the government has not cracked down much. Ubiquitous wearing of masks is the only really unique thing i can think of. (Actually even now not everyone is wearing them, but its still a good percentage and as soon as Japanese feel sick they wear masks) So I’ve come to the conclusion tha…

Riding the subway doesn't make you sick. Not washing your hands and then touching your face with hands that have the virus from touching parts of the train makes you sick. You can't touch your face much if you have a mask on it. The virus doesn't just float around in the air. It only exists in water particles that fall quickly onto surfaces.

Most people will actually touch their face a lot when wearing a mask, to adjust it, scratch an itch or temporarily remove it to speak...

Re: Why is Japan still a coronavirus outlier?

#126

Post by tooltalk »

adev_ wrote: post #78

Not so surprising. You have also the same outliers with Hong Kong and Taiwan. - In Japan, people naturally respect social distancing. Touching someone is considered rude, everyone bows instead of shaking hands and nobody kiss. - Almost everybody wear mask when they are sick to avoid contaminating others. They do that since way before Cornavirus and on voluntary based. - Washing hands is common, being clean (bath cult…

a few random points to consider:

- Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam all in much warmer climate.

- hot spots in Italy and Japan are likewise in the northern region: Lombardy in Italy and Hokkaido in Japan.

- wearing masks during a global pandemic isn't apparently as fashionable in Japan.

- many Japanese elderly, or over 30K per year, die unnoticed in solitude. so it might take a while to catch up.

But on the other hand:

- In South Korea, most infections trace to a middle-aged lady "Super Ajumma" who is also a member secretive cult. Without the cult, the total infected with the virus in SK would be comparable to that of other Asian neighbors. So outside China, the spread of the virus doesn't seem so bad in Asia overall.

Re: Why is Japan still a coronavirus outlier?

#127

Post by _9ijd »

lopis wrote: post #82
_9ijd wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To elaborate, yes Japanese are pretty clean by nature and do have social distancing naturally, but everyone is still taking the subway, the government has not cracked down much. Ubiquitous wearing of masks is the only really unique thing i can think of. (Actually even now not everyone is wearing them, but its still a good percentage and as soon as Japanese feel sick they wear masks) So I’ve come to the conclusion tha…

Riding the subway doesn't make you sick. Not washing your hands and then touching your face with hands that have the virus from touching parts of the train makes you sick. You can't touch your face much if you have a mask on it. The virus doesn't just float around in the air. It only exists in water particles that fall quickly onto surfaces.

My point is that it keeps infected from spreading droplets through the air and on those surfaces.

Re: Why is Japan still a coronavirus outlier?

#128

Post by SpicyLemonZest »

kamikaz1k wrote: post #89
xenospn wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Counter point: My Japanese friends have been and still are going out to bars every night like nothing happened.

I have heard the same from a Japanese friend, not in a major city either. Seems even families are going about normally with their children, to McDonald's and such.

What they're not doing is sending their children to school. Maybe that intervention alone is enough to suppress it.

Re: Why is Japan still a coronavirus outlier?

#129

Post by _9ijd »

jiofih wrote: post #125
lopis wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Riding the subway doesn't make you sick. Not washing your hands and then touching your face with hands that have the virus from touching parts of the train makes you sick. You can't touch your face much if you have a mask on it. The virus doesn't just float around in the air. It only exists in water particles that fall quickly onto surfaces.

Most people will actually touch their face a lot when wearing a mask, to adjust it, scratch an itch or temporarily remove it to speak...

Yep, originally i believed everyone when they said masks aren’t useful except to keep yourself from touching your face, but after wearing masks I realized it’s also really hard to stop adjusting it.

Re: Why is Japan still a coronavirus outlier?

#130

Post by tagrun »

xenospn wrote: post #83
adev_ wrote: post #78

Not so surprising. You have also the same outliers with Hong Kong and Taiwan. - In Japan, people naturally respect social distancing. Touching someone is considered rude, everyone bows instead of shaking hands and nobody kiss. - Almost everybody wear mask when they are sick to avoid contaminating others. They do that since way before Cornavirus and on voluntary based. - Washing hands is common, being clean (bath cult…

Counter point: My Japanese friends have been and still are going out to bars every night like nothing happened.

The real difference lies in the responsible community surrounding you which doesn't behave like nothing happened.
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