Earlier quoted context omitted.
We're not talking about FFP2/3 masks here, but simple masks that mostly prevent droplets produced by the wearer from spreading as far and slightly reduce the probability of inhaling the larger ones other people produce. Basically anything that covers mouth and nose.
We have totally given up on obtaining N95 grade masks? The masks you are talking about, we already have citizens sewing them in a large-scale volunteer effort.
Interview with German Ventilator Manufacturer
111–120 of 182 posts
Re: Interview with German Ventilator Manufacturer
#112Earlier quoted context omitted.
Nothing money or waivers cannot solve, as long as masks are being made and China allows export. I doubt Germany, USA, Italy etc care about chartering dozens of planes just for that.
I'm not so sure. We have an ongoing toilet paper crisis that is in it's third week now and the government is unable or unwilling to do anything about it, despite ensuring everyone that there's plenty of toilet paper somewhere in some storage of some company. If a somewhat trivial problem like coordinating a few trucks is beyond their ability, I have no hope for coordinating planes and import/export. You might say "bu…
Re: Interview with German Ventilator Manufacturer
#113Earlier quoted context omitted.
Which funnily contradicts my experience as a German in the US (interesting how cultural perception differs). I've been told in very harsh words to go in line in the US several times, once in a line for the IKEA ferry to Manhattan where I was threatened to be left behind if I do not go to the back of the line. Once in the Metropolitan museum in NYC when I skipped the ropes of an empty queue and was told to go back and…
Your frustration with US rules, to me, only emphasizes my point. You want the rules to work. Versus the US born/bred idea that they never will. Flippant, I know, but that's my observation. It's also completly possibile that you're an outlier German that is frustrated with the current rules. For sure, I've seen that in spades. it isn't the mainstream though.
Re: Interview with German Ventilator Manufacturer
#114"I spoke with Daimler over the weekend. They would also like to help. But it’s unfortunately not so simple..." It would be interesting to hear more precisely why. We've heard more than a few well-respected industrialists essentially saying "Scaling up ventilator production ? How hard could it be?" Edit. Of course I am not suggesting that car assembly lines are suitable to build ventilator parts. That's clearly not wh…
Thanks, I'm interested too why people think car manufacturers are the best place to make ventilators. What are the difficult/bottleneck parts to build?
Re: Interview with German Ventilator Manufacturer
#115Some key statements: "Dräger: In Europe, the number of intensive-care beds per capita is very unequally distributed. In Italy, it is three times lower than here. In England, five times lower. The challenge in England will be greater than in Spain. And the situation in the U.S. is very alarming. The reporting system there is also underdeveloped."
I’ve wondered about this for a little while. Why does Germany have five times as many ICU beds than England? Until now, I’ve never heard a suggestion that England had fewer ICU beds than it needed generally, and assuming England and Germany use beds at the same general capacity, why on earth is Germany running five times more beds that it generally needs? (please don’t answer “for a case like this” unless you have so…
The standards for "it's good enough" are vastly different in these countries.
Re: Interview with German Ventilator Manufacturer
#116Some key statements: "Dräger: In Europe, the number of intensive-care beds per capita is very unequally distributed. In Italy, it is three times lower than here. In England, five times lower. The challenge in England will be greater than in Spain. And the situation in the U.S. is very alarming. The reporting system there is also underdeveloped."
The US has the most ICU beds per capita among all countries. Germany is a close second. https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2020/03/12/the-co...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_hospital_...
Based on these numbers and in light of the current situation in Spain, the situation in the UK will indeed get very difficult.
Re: Interview with German Ventilator Manufacturer
#117Earlier quoted context omitted.
The issue with cloning Twitter is primarily the network effect, not the technology. That's different in ventilators, unless you're looking at long term investments, e.g. when this is over and you've invested heavily into scaling production, you might not be in a good spot.
For that reason, additional production capacity should be subsidized by the government, but I don't see that it is going to happen in this case.
Re: Interview with German Ventilator Manufacturer
#118Home made masks are not as good as professional masks, but they have some efficiency (> 70%). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258525804_Testing_t...
I read somewhere that it could be dangerous to wear one when you're infected, because then the virii have a much bigger chance to be inhaled again and get deeper into the lung. Is this true?
Tho it should be noted that both, cloth and surgical masks, are mostly worn to protect others from accidental discharge by the wearer.
So if you the wearer wants to protect themselves, then a respirator is actually needed. But respirators should be prioritized for at risk-groups who wouldn't survive infection or work with infected people.
The non-respirator masks are mostly to reign in the spread by people who could be infected without symptoms yet or as the "we got nothing else" option.
Re: Interview with German Ventilator Manufacturer
#119Some key statements: "Dräger: In Europe, the number of intensive-care beds per capita is very unequally distributed. In Italy, it is three times lower than here. In England, five times lower. The challenge in England will be greater than in Spain. And the situation in the U.S. is very alarming. The reporting system there is also underdeveloped."
In terms of ICU beds, for once this is where the us health care system is in reasonable shape. iCU beds are very profitable and we spend way more then Europe on health care, so there is a abundance of them in many regions. New York and georgi look constrained, but California, Florida and Colorado look solid from numbers I saw yesterday.
General beds are better in Europe then in the USA.
The USA also had the highest ratio of ventilators to people - in fact the number that he gives as impossible to produce in a year was in the US reserve at the start of the year - but it’s unlikely to be enough.
As for as scaling up production for ventilators.... just watch. I think you will see a similar effort to the tests scaling up. There will be a lot of press on it, but I would not be surprised to see new machines scale within this month. Probably not enough to save all lives, but more this this individual thinks is possible or conceivable will me from China and the US.
For whatever reason, Germany has historically been very bad about scaling production in emergencies, even during life and death moments (is, wars).
Re: Interview with German Ventilator Manufacturer
#120Earlier quoted context omitted.
For that reason, additional production capacity should be subsidized by the government, but I don't see that it is going to happen in this case.
I agree, and I don't understand the reasoning not to. This almost-complete-shut-down has a gigantic price tag attached, I'd guess that anything that will make it pass easier or quicker will be an easy decision.