Funny picture

[svfarmer]

Thought I would give everybody a laugh - here is me in my mask - not that I will be going anywhere but still 😊

[Roarah]

IN the us there is going to be a gigantic healthcare shortage of PPE supplies including masks in a matter of days. Please do not buy masks. If you have unopened ones conscider donating to hospitals for this is a global supply chain issue that every country may soon face too.

[Hidden in reply to Roarah]

My husband is a first responder and they seem to have better access to these things (N95 masks in US.) He hasn’t brought me home any and I haven’t asked, but I did have some ‘laying around the house’ that I will use if needed. I’ve had them quite awhile. The type in the picture isn’t secure enough from what my husband is saying. Those type you can easily buy from Amazon. The N95 has a shortage. I have a couple ordered from two sources but they won’t get here, probably until between the end of April and end of May, but hopefully this will be long over by then🙏. In anycase, I would imagine, though idk, the reason for the quick shortage would be the extra need going to our hospitals and other first responders first? I’m assuming, but you know what they say about assuming.

In anycase, I don’t think you can deny anyone at high risk from protecting themself. If you don’t do all you can to protect yourself is when you will end up putting those health care workers at higher risk, because of more severe patients.

Yes, stay inside, but eventually you need groceries. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Roarah in reply to Hidden]

I just gave about six n94 masks I had for home past improvement projects to Yale new haven hospital they are asking for indivdual donations of unopened masks. They will need gloves and "gowns" too.

[Hidden in reply to Roarah]

Mine weren’t unopened anyway. But I hope they get what they need. Stay safe, stay healthy.

[Roarah in reply to Hidden]

Except they are not proven to protect non healthcare providers. Most people wear them improperly and if you maintain six feet distance you do not necessarily need it. The greatest danger of death is not the virus itself it is not having enough hospital staff, supplies and ventilators.

This is why Italy's numbers are so high they have exhausted their beds, their PPE supplies and thus do not have enough staff ( they are getting ill because of lack of supply) to help the numbers of ill.

Italy has the second best medically ranked healthcare in the world year after year. It has more staff and hospital beds per capita than the uk and more beds per capita than the US. We should heed these warnings. By not using a mask the general public ensures that our care levels stay where they need to be to keep mortality down. Using masks needlessly does more harm than good.

[Hidden in reply to Roarah]

I agree about the ventilators. But yes, the less high risk people (or people in general) getting sick, the less need for ventilators.

We had to go for groceries. My husband did not wear a mask, but I did. I am high risk, but plan on being around a long time. Self protection is the best way to help the hospitals.

[Roarah in reply to Hidden]

The experts are pretty much all in agreement that most of the world population will be infected by this virus before a vacine is approved. Flattening the curve does not prevent anyone from getting infected but only staggers the rate so hospitals avoid deadly overwhelm. We will most likely be infected just hopefully when icu beds are available to the most severely ill. This pandemic is beyond containment but it can be slowed down so we can cope with it but avoiding infection does not appear possible according to models.

[Hidden in reply to Roarah]

If you follow the numbers of new cases in China, they have gone waaaay down lately. We all have had the Chinese as forerunners in this, giving us a better chance to prepare ourselves. Yes, many (idk if I agree with all) will get this, and many won’t even know they’ve had it, which will give them immunities. But I don’t believe EVERYone will get it. I also think that looking at death rates vs new cases is the most important. Death rates over the importance of new cases. For instance, the new cases in Germany are always high, but the death rates are amazingly low in comparison. Maybe we need to learn from the Germans? Even in my state of California, the death rates are very low when compared to new cases, and with free testing having just started, we are bound to see the number of new cases shoot way up which will show the death rate even that much lower. It’s a shame that anyone dies, but I think we are panicking over the wrong statistics.

I am isolating (except the early morning grocery run for high risk this morning, and with my mask on) I am on day 12. I think if those of us who can (non first responders, etc) isolate, it will starve the growth of new cases and kill the beast! It has to.

[Roarah in reply to Hidden]

The models show it perhaps slowing down in places entering summer but ramping in places now entering fall. China has not opened up long enough to see if it will not return and since less than 1% of the country's whole population was infected it is very likely to see many more hot spots within the next year or two.

Many places, like Hong Kong are seeing their numbers raising again from citizens returning from the states and Europe and expect to have a new round coming. And even if by summer this round is over in the US and UK it is certainly expected to return in the fall and last through the winter again. Most will be infected for it is expected to go through until 2022 and a vacine will not be available before 18 months in the best case senerio. Most people will not be seriously ill but we can expect to catch it or many are very likely, at least where I live, to already have.

Antibody tests, like those used for measles' exposure, will tell us when we are safer. NY and many others are working on a reliable antibody tests to get a since of how much more we should expect. This will also help us know who can return to public life.

I hope it petters out like SARS did but it is not looking likely.

Edited to add, I believe in government shut downs and highly dislike our presidents' latest hope to reopen in three weeks. He is an idiot! I just think we are being told it is to stop the spread when all it has ever been shown to do is slow down the spread. Number of cases will be the same but one model has a majority of cases occuring at a similar time while flattening the peak has an equal number infected over months to a year. This is an important task to slow the spread but make no mistake we can not at this time stop it.

[svfarmer in reply to Hidden]

I have a couple just in case I do need to go to hospital or anywhere else as you never know x

[Hidden in reply to svfarmer]

I agree.

[suzannah16]

at least you have a mask.