
Surgeon general urges public to stop buying face masks amid coronavirus outbreak - spking
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/surgeon-general-urges-the-public-to-stop-buying-face-masks/
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ponsin
> “Seriously people — STOP BUYING MASKS!” the surgeon general, Jerome M.
> Adams, said in a tweet on Saturday morning. “They are NOT effective in
> preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if health care
> providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our
> communities at risk!”

So do they help prevent catching coronavirus or don't they?

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DocG
Mostly it doesn't matter for normal people -
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22456037](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22456037)

I think the main benefit might come from mask that you stop touching your
face. But for that you don't need fancy mask..

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anonymouswacker
The problems of the bureaucracies' (health care providers, in this case) poor
planning and decision making are not my problem. If I choose to buy face masks
for my family, I am not taking it away from a sick person. I would rather
prevent getting the coronavirus myself than worry about hospital or healthcare
industry's lack of planning.

~~~
inci90
If there's a limited supply and new stock isn't being added at the same rate
of current stock depletion it becomes a zero-sum game... so you quite
literally are.

