
Why Telling People They Don’t Need Masks Backfired - jellyksong
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/opinion/coronavirus-face-masks.html
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vzidex
I'm glad this article came out. When I first started hearing about the first
few cases in January I picked up a small supply of N95 masks, hoping that I
wouldn't need them. Since then, all of the points in this article have been
striking me as odd - and eventually I shrugged my shoulders and decided that
I'd use my masks regardless of whether they said they were effective.

From an engineering and first-aid standpoint I figured they can't hurt, so
it's good to see other people with the same perspective.

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bitxbit
I was pretty adamant about pointing this out earlier. It’s so basic and for
someone like the Surgeon General to spread misinformation is criminal in my
view. Sure, it didn’t help that some people were hoarding the masks but the
shortage was largely due to much of the US supply being redirected to China in
January.

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vanusa
All I can say about this whole fiasco is:

I'm glad I spent time (several weeks ago) doing my own research on the issue,
and consulting experts directly.

And took appropriate action to protect friends and family.

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haunter
[https://twitter.com/Surgeon_General/status/12337257852839321...](https://twitter.com/Surgeon_General/status/1233725785283932160)

Makes me sick

~~~
KCUOJJQJ
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFB_C2ieW5I&t=12m50s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFB_C2ieW5I&t=12m50s)
* lots of secretions full of virus are worse than a little bit of secretions.
more virus = person gets sicker * doctors might get coughed / sneezed at etc.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFB_C2ieW5I&t=15m50s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFB_C2ieW5I&t=15m50s)
(the same video) * N95 masks prevent things from getting in, surgical mask
prevents things from getting out * N95 masks are in short supply

If I understand the expert correctly N95 are good and masks for everyone would
be good, but there aren't enough for everyone.

~~~
ern
CDC has updated its guidance for healthcare workers to allow for surgical
masks in absence of respirators protect the wearer from splashes and sprays
(as referenced in the article):
[https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/infection-
control/...](https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/infection-
control/control-recommendations.html)

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KCUOJJQJ
>If the public is told that only the sick people are to wear masks, then those
who do wear them will be stigmatized and people may well avoid wearing them if
it screams “I’m sick.”

If people avoid you that's rather good. Also, the mask might also say "I'm a
healthcare worker who mustn't get sick, please keep the highest possible
distance."

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ksec
So it turns out the whole "truth" of not needing a mask is because of supply
issues that may cause problem to people who need them, i.e the Medical staff.

How about manufacturers of Mask ( 3M ) simply prioritising delivery to medical
staff first?

HK, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan, the closest to China with way more Chinese
visitors has managed to remain under control. And at least their business
activities is not a complete halt.

The world could have spent a fraction of the money to make enough mask but
instead they are now left with billions of package to save stocks and billions
to hand out for those living pay check by pay check.

~~~
spectramax
The cost of a half a dozen fighter jets can be used to stock up the entire
nation's mask needs - this includes tooling, raw materials and labor.

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zelienople
Umbrellas work fairly well in steady rain, but they're not too useful on sunny
days when you might happen to pass a lawn sprinkler once in a while.

Health care takes place in steady rain. The goal is to reduce exposure below
the viral load required for infectivity.

If you walk around with an umbrella on a sunny day, you are bound to get
careless.

By the time a member of the public has a rare high-risk interaction, a mask is
not going to seal around your nose, or it will be open at the sides, or
moisture from your breath will have compromised it, or it will be incompetent
due to being long past the very short mandatory replacement time.

~~~
jjeaff
In the current climate, encountering people in public doesn't feel like a
sunny day. I'm breathing shallow and keeping distance. I suspect people
careful enough to be wearing a mask in public are staying very aware of their
mask. Especially as they get within sneeze range.

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blub
This was a complete clusterfuck.

Because the officials are recommending against masks, there is huge social
pressure against people wearing masks, making those that have them avoid
wearing them.

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beatgammit
I think anyone who thought critically about it could see through this. It's
not the masks are ineffective, it's that they're not necessary for the average
person to be reasonably safe, and they're in short supply, so we should be
focusing on mitigations that are available to the general public.

If you wash your hands frequently, don't touch your face, and maintain a safe
distance from others, your risk goes down dramatically. If you add a mask to
that, your risk goes down modestly. Everyone can do the first set of steps,
but not everyone will have access to masks, and having _more_ people panic
about getting masks will likely cause more problems than we have already.

I feel like that was the intended message, but they weren't transparent about
it. Trust is built over time and can be destroyed in an instant. Our leaders
need to be much more careful.

~~~
pmachinery
> I think anyone who thought critically about it could see through this.

Any five year old knows some protection is obviously better than none. It's
unbelievable that some people went along with such utter, obvious dangerous
stupidity and repeated it.

Imagine advice on HIV being condoms sometimes break, DON'T USE THEM.

Would some people be ignorant enough to accept and spread such criminally
stupid advice (and often in a condescending way) because it came from an
official or authoritative source? Apparently probably.

> Everyone can do the first set of steps

Nah, not touching your face is an impossibility. People touch their faces
constantly, hundreds of times a day, and usually are not even aware they're
doing it.

Aside from added protection, wearing a mask of any kind is a constant reminder
of a not normal situation and to practice the other safety advice, distance,
awareness of unclean surfaces, washing.

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forkexec
Here in Paradise, I had some unused 3M N95 NIOSH respirators leftover from the
Camp Fire. Who knew they'd be useful for more than gardening and sawing
lumber? I also snagged a few 3M 1870 surgical masks before the gouging and
scarcity for their higher surface area because going out in public and pushing
a 400 lbs / 180 kg shopping cart around in a light-duty respirator is likely
to be a not as fun adventure in breath condensation. Be sure to also wear eye
protection like indirect or non-vented goggles too, because wearing regular
glasses will likely aerodynamically direct small particulates into the eyes.

According to Italian media, 50-75% of those infected are asymptomatic and the
vast majority are 20-somethings.

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solidsnack9000
Had a conversation just like this with an Uber driver a couple of days ago:
"Why are they telling us not to wear masks? Like they're only effective for
hospital staff...it doesn't make sense." The guy was wearing his mask.

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zozbot234
It's good to see this, but the NYT should go the extra mile and publish
reliable designs and instructions on how to make workable low-grade (surgical-
like) DIY masks, starting from widely-available textiles or other materials.

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lonelappde
Telling people they needed masks would be far worse. Now we only have to deal
with problems caused by a minority of selfish antisocials, not the majority of
prosocials.

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ergocoder
"To help manage the shortage, the authorities sent a message that made them
untrustworthy."

Indeed. Oh these scientists/doctors/authorities are willing lie. What else are
they lying about?

People who say masks work are similar to antivaxx, who don't trust
authorities. Now I understand how antivaxx people feel like.

~~~
bart_spoon
I can recall reading the same message on the NYTimes. They are complicit in
the deception.

