Why aren’t we talking more about airborne transmission?

Post by misanthropian00 » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 11:24 AM UTC

ghaff wrote: post #83

misanthropian00 wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is no reason to design a worse mask than N95. They could have just manufactured more N95 masks and rationed them to prevent hoarding and speculating. Every household could get an N95 mask ration card to buy masks and decon tools like UV-C lights and sparky ozone generators.

People were not going to fit N95 masks properly or wear them for any extended period. ADDED: In fact, I'd argue that making N95 masks mandatory (as opposed to face coverings more broadly) would be extremely bad policy even if they were readily available.

You would have to be literally retarded to not figure out how to wear an N95 mask. They fit most people, at least clean shaven ones. You just have to bend the metal nose band to fit your nose and maybe go around the edges of the mask with your fingers. Yes some tiny percentage of people probably have oddly shaped faces and they won't be able to wear them, but that doesn't mean the other 99.9% of the population cannot.

Post by chc » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 5:48 PM UTC

gabaix wrote: post #289

chc wrote: post #272

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The messaging regarding masks was "They don't keep you from getting it, and everyone should be inside right now to avoid spreading it if they have it, so avoid buying a mask to make sure there are enough for people who need them." The messaging regarding masks now is, "They don't keep you from getting it, but they do stop you from spreading it, so since there are enough masks now for everyone, you should wear one." I…

“When to use mask: - If you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with suspected #coronavirus infection. - Wear a mask if you are coughing or sneezing” WHO, Mar 1, https://twitter.com/who/status/1234095938555260929?s=21 “the wide use of masks by healthy people in the community setting is not supported by current evidence and carries uncertainties and critical risks.” WHO, Apr 6,…

That second source goes on to point out that its major concern (in terms of "uncertainties and critical risks") is healthy people using medical masks in places where there isn't enough supply and depriving healthcare workers of them, like I said. It specifically does not advise against nonmedical masks, and simply notes that the WHO was still actively studying their use at the time and would make a recommendation when evidence was available.

So the "flip-flop" here was the WHO saying "I don't know, I'm looking into it," and then later saying "I've looked into it and have some strong recommendations."

Re: Why aren’t we talking more about airborne transmission?

Re: Why aren’t we talking more about airborne transmission?