As both Dan and Michael pointed out, the U.S. CDC needs to protect mask supplies for healthcare workers due to dearth supply. Even the U.S. emergency stockpile of respirators in national storage reserve won't be enough if cases mount and hospitals become overwhelmed, according medical associations.
To be more precise, patients in critical conditions may need treatments that require tracheal intubation. During this medical procedure, the aerosolization of the Covid-19 virus are high risk contagion factors for medical workers in negative pressure chambers. That is why doctors and nurses need tightly fitted respirators (N95) to protect them as oppose to water-resistant surgical masks that leave vulnerable openings on both sides.
Medical workers in such high risk environments need them more than regular civilians. However, that doesn't imply respirators and surgical masks offer us only a "false sense of control" when exposed to viral droplets expelled by sneezes and coughs.
Adding to JanJal's response to Trumpster's "hunch(es)," it is less about personally knowing the victims than the systemic disruptions inflicted on individual and societal levels.
Do you personally know the victims whom were buried alive under the rubble of the collapsed quarantine building in Fujian?
You probably still wouldn't know any fallen victims if 1,000 such buildings collapsed simultaneously across China. Yet it would touch home as many of us live in buildings in China.
In comparison, thousands of elders who died from Covid-19 were living their lives normally, like us. We would relate to victims of both fallen concrete or floating covid, reacting empathetically as fear and suspicion would similarly arise...
but toward building contractors, construction materials, inspectors, local government, and real estate developers. For a time, citizens may even fear walking into buildings of their own residence, offices, or shopping malls. A ripple effect denting trust in the system and the economy.
Trumpster wrote, "My personal hunch is that the actual numbers of infected are vastly greater than those reported given the fact that only those whom are very sick or dead are tested for the virus."
There may be a flip side to that coin. You should privately research on the prevalence, or lack thereof, of death certification (official reporting) in rural China. The number you find may be shocking.
False alarm. @tigertiger hasn't returned yet. But somebody inform him Peter99 has been banished, as per his recommendation. Litter box has been shaken up.
Seen on the Kunming music scene: Puddles
Posted bySheit getting real. Vera Peterminator 9900.
Kunming's first ever PechaKucha, Cross Pollination, coming soon
Posted byGood luck to all presenters tonight. Enjoy each other's presence, as one.