Asia may have been right about coronavirus and face masks, and the rest of the world is coming aroun

[Han Patriot]

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/01/asia/coronavirus-mask-messaging-intl-hnk/index.html
Hong Kong (CNN)In the coming weeks, if they have not already, your government is likely to begin advising you to wear a face mask to protect against coronavirus.

For those living in Asia, such announcements will be a vindication of a tactic that has been adopted across much of the region since the beginning of the crisis and appears to have been borne out by lower rates of infection and faster containment of outbreaks.
In other parts of the world, this message may be confusing, coming after weeks of public health authorities, politicians and media figures confidently claiming masks do not help and urging people instead to focus on washing their hands and maintaining social distancing.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/01/asia/coronavirus-mask-messaging-intl-hnk/index.html

Hong Kong (CNN)In the coming weeks, if they have not already, your government is likely to begin advising you to wear a face mask to protect against coronavirus.

For those living in Asia, such announcements will be a vindication of a tactic that has been adopted across much of the region since the beginning of the crisis and appears to have been borne out by lower rates of infection and faster containment of outbreaks.
In other parts of the world, this message may be confusing, coming after weeks of public health authorities, politicians and media figures confidently claiming masks do not help and urging people instead to focus on washing their hands and maintaining social distancing.

The tone of such claims ranged from condescending to frustrated, with the US Surgeon General Jerome Adams tweeting in late February -- in all caps -- "STOP BUYING MASKS!"
"They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can't get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk," he added, in a post that has since been retweeted over 43,000 times.

That same week, Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), appeared before lawmakers. Asked if people should wear masks, he had a straightforward answer: "No."

Now he's not so sure. On Monday, Redfield said told NPR that the CDC was reviewing its guidelines and may recommend general mask use to guard against community infection. It's likely only a matter of time before other mask holdouts, most prominently the World Health Organization (WHO), follow suit.

Pivot to protection
Writing last month, Adrien Burch, an expert in microbiology at the University of California, Berkeley, noted that "despite hearing that face masks 'don't work,' you probably haven't seen any strong evidence to support that claim. That's because it doesn't exist."
In fact, there is evidence of the exact opposite: that masks help prevent viral infections like the current pandemic.

Burch pointed to a Cochrane Review -- a systemic analysis of published studies on a given topic -- which found strong evidence during the 2003 SARS epidemic in support of wearing masks. One study of community transmission in Beijing found that "consistently wearing a mask in public was associated with a 70% reduction in the risk of catching SARS."
SARS, like Covid-19, is a respiratory illnesses caused by the same family of viruses called coronavirus.

While SARS spread around the world, the worst of the epidemic was focused in Asia, particularly mainland China and Hong Kong. The legacy of this experience could be seen early on in the current pandemic, as news of a virus spreading led people across the region to don face masks to protect themselves.

From the beginning, Hong Kong and many other Asian governments have recommended people wear masks in public, whether they are showing virus symptoms or not.
Despite eye-rolling in some parts of the Western press, and talk of Asia's "obsession" with face masks, the tactic appears to have contributed in helping to stem the outbreak.

Taiwan, South Korea and mainland China, all places with widespread mask use, have seen greater success in preventing major outbreaks or reigning them in once they begin than in Europe and North America where masks are either not used or hard to come by.
Speaking to CNN, Ivan Hung, an infectious diseases specialist at the Hong Kong University School of Medicine, said that "if you look at the data in Hong Kong, wearing a mask is probably the most important thing in terms of infection control."

"And it not only brings down the cases of coronaviruses, it also brings down the influenza," he said. "In fact, this is now the influenza season, and we hardly see any influenza cases. And that is because the masks actually protected not only against coronaviruses but also against the influenza viruses as well."

At the beginning of March, Hong Kong had only around 150 cases of the virus, despite being on the frontlines of the pandemic since it began and not instituting many of the more draconian population controls seen elsewhere. The city has only seen a spike recently after people began returning to the city from Europe and the US.

"Based on the research, face masks are much more likely to help than to hurt," according to Burch. "Even if it's just a homemade cloth mask, if you wear it correctly and avoid touching it, the science suggests that it won't hurt you and will most likely reduce your exposure to the virus."

Heightened contradictions
In its guidance on the coronavirus, the CDC notes that it spreads primarily "through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneeze," which "can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs."
The agency recommends that people who are sick wear a face mask or otherwise attempt "to cover your coughs and sneezes," while those caring for them should also wear a face mask whenever they are in the same room.

Yet, in the same advice, the CDC said that non-symptomatic "do not need" to wear face masks, adding that they "may be in short supply and they should be saved for caregivers."
And this is what has been so frustrating and confusing for many people, particularly those who advocate for wearing face masks as a precaution. The CDC, along with the WHO and several other public health bodies and experts, has been simultaneously claiming that masks do not offer protection in ordinary circumstances, while stating they are necessary for health workers and caregivers.

This conflicting advice helped create confusion and no small amount of hostility towards officials who people felt were lying to them and putting them at risk. There were numerous replies to Adams' tweet about masks in February asking "why are masks good for healthcare workers but not for the public?"
Writing last month in the New York Times, Zeynep Tufekci, a professor of information science, said that "to help manage the shortage, the authorities sent a message that made them untrustworthy."

"Providing top-down guidance with such obvious contradictions backfires exactly because lack of trust is what fuels hoarding and misinformation," she said, adding that if officials were concerned about shortages, they should have stated this outright, and asked people to donate masks they had bought to hospitals, not claimed they were ineffective in the first place.

"When people feel as though they may not be getting the full truth from the authorities, snake-oil sellers and price gougers have an easier time."

Masks work
Trying to avoid mask shortages for healthcare workers appears to have been the main priority of those arguing against widespread their widespread use. But while the motivation behind this may have been good, such advice may have actually helped spread the virus, thus adding to the number of patients overwhelming hospitals.

One of the reasons the CDC's Redfield gave for potentially changing the guidance on masks is that the coronavirus can be spread when people are asymptomatic, and therefore having everyone covering their faces -- as has been the norm in Hong Kong and other parts of Asia since January -- could help rein in transmission.

That the virus is spread before people feel sick is not news, however. It's been widely supposed since the first weeks of the outbreak, and evidence has only grown stronger in recent months.

And even if there was not asymptomatic transmission, universal or near universal mask wearing has its uses. As others have noted, instructing only the sick to wear masks is essentially asking people to put a sign on themselves inviting fear and hostility, whereas if everyone wears a mask when outside, the sick are more likely to do so, thus protecting people around them.

The lack of masks and other protective equipment in hospitals across the US and other countries should be remedied as fast as possible. But these shortages were caused by policy failures and supply chain issues, not a sudden run on 75 cent paper masks by concerned members of the public.

As the evidence increasingly comes round in favor of masks, we must ask how many infections might have been avoided if in January, instead of saying masks wouldn't help, officials and the media had instead lobbied for factories to ramp up domestic production, provided guidance on how to make masks at home, and asked other countries to donate surplus materials?

 

[Beast]

If everybody wears a mask even its a crappy one. When you talk, sneeze , laugh or cough. You droplet will most likely be capture by the mask instead of spewing onto chair, surface or the person near you. This way , it prevent spread of virus in case you are a carrier or infected personnel during the incubation period.

Covid-19 are proven to be capable of staying alive on surfaces even for up to few days if the condition are right.

China constant sanitizing of public places and asking everybody to wear mask when going out helps to reduce infection rate.

 

[Mista]

COVID-19: WHY WE SHOULD ALL WEAR MASKS — THERE IS NEW SCIENTIFIC RATIONALE

 

[Han Patriot]

So CNN BBC and the parrot media was telling everyone to not wear masks and now they are telling us we should?

A month ago Boris was selling us the 'herd immunity' shit and now he is infected. Man how dumb can this get... Lol

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/01/asia/coronavirus-mask-messaging-intl-hnk/index.html

Hong Kong (CNN)In the coming weeks, if they have not already, your government is likely to begin advising you to wear a face mask to protect against coronavirus.

For those living in Asia, such announcements will be a vindication of a tactic that has been adopted across much of the region since the beginning of the crisis and appears to have been borne out by lower rates of infection and faster containment of outbreaks.
In other parts of the world, this message may be confusing, coming after weeks of public health authorities, politicians and media figures confidently claiming masks do not help and urging people instead to focus on washing their hands and maintaining social distancing.

The tone of such claims ranged from condescending to frustrated, with the US Surgeon General Jerome Adams tweeting in late February -- in all caps -- "STOP BUYING MASKS!"
"They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can't get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk," he added, in a post that has since been retweeted over 43,000 times.

That same week, Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), appeared before lawmakers. Asked if people should wear masks, he had a straightforward answer: "No."

Now he's not so sure. On Monday, Redfield said told NPR that the CDC was reviewing its guidelines and may recommend general mask use to guard against community infection. It's likely only a matter of time before other mask holdouts, most prominently the World Health Organization (WHO), follow suit.

Pivot to protection
Writing last month, Adrien Burch, an expert in microbiology at the University of California, Berkeley, noted that "despite hearing that face masks 'don't work,' you probably haven't seen any strong evidence to support that claim. That's because it doesn't exist."
In fact, there is evidence of the exact opposite: that masks help prevent viral infections like the current pandemic.

Burch pointed to a Cochrane Review -- a systemic analysis of published studies on a given topic -- which found strong evidence during the 2003 SARS epidemic in support of wearing masks. One study of community transmission in Beijing found that "consistently wearing a mask in public was associated with a 70% reduction in the risk of catching SARS."
SARS, like Covid-19, is a respiratory illnesses caused by the same family of viruses called coronavirus.

While SARS spread around the world, the worst of the epidemic was focused in Asia, particularly mainland China and Hong Kong. The legacy of this experience could be seen early on in the current pandemic, as news of a virus spreading led people across the region to don face masks to protect themselves.

From the beginning, Hong Kong and many other Asian governments have recommended people wear masks in public, whether they are showing virus symptoms or not.
Despite eye-rolling in some parts of the Western press, and talk of Asia's "obsession" with face masks, the tactic appears to have contributed in helping to stem the outbreak.

Taiwan, South Korea and mainland China, all places with widespread mask use, have seen greater success in preventing major outbreaks or reigning them in once they begin than in Europe and North America where masks are either not used or hard to come by.
Speaking to CNN, Ivan Hung, an infectious diseases specialist at the Hong Kong University School of Medicine, said that "if you look at the data in Hong Kong, wearing a mask is probably the most important thing in terms of infection control."

"And it not only brings down the cases of coronaviruses, it also brings down the influenza," he said. "In fact, this is now the influenza season, and we hardly see any influenza cases. And that is because the masks actually protected not only against coronaviruses but also against the influenza viruses as well."

At the beginning of March, Hong Kong had only around 150 cases of the virus, despite being on the frontlines of the pandemic since it began and not instituting many of the more draconian population controls seen elsewhere. The city has only seen a spike recently after people began returning to the city from Europe and the US.

"Based on the research, face masks are much more likely to help than to hurt," according to Burch. "Even if it's just a homemade cloth mask, if you wear it correctly and avoid touching it, the science suggests that it won't hurt you and will most likely reduce your exposure to the virus."

Heightened contradictions
In its guidance on the coronavirus, the CDC notes that it spreads primarily "through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneeze," which "can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs."
The agency recommends that people who are sick wear a face mask or otherwise attempt "to cover your coughs and sneezes," while those caring for them should also wear a face mask whenever they are in the same room.

Yet, in the same advice, the CDC said that non-symptomatic "do not need" to wear face masks, adding that they "may be in short supply and they should be saved for caregivers."
And this is what has been so frustrating and confusing for many people, particularly those who advocate for wearing face masks as a precaution. The CDC, along with the WHO and several other public health bodies and experts, has been simultaneously claiming that masks do not offer protection in ordinary circumstances, while stating they are necessary for health workers and caregivers.

This conflicting advice helped create confusion and no small amount of hostility towards officials who people felt were lying to them and putting them at risk. There were numerous replies to Adams' tweet about masks in February asking "why are masks good for healthcare workers but not for the public?"
Writing last month in the New York Times, Zeynep Tufekci, a professor of information science, said that "to help manage the shortage, the authorities sent a message that made them untrustworthy."

"Providing top-down guidance with such obvious contradictions backfires exactly because lack of trust is what fuels hoarding and misinformation," she said, adding that if officials were concerned about shortages, they should have stated this outright, and asked people to donate masks they had bought to hospitals, not claimed they were ineffective in the first place.

"When people feel as though they may not be getting the full truth from the authorities, snake-oil sellers and price gougers have an easier time."

Masks work
Trying to avoid mask shortages for healthcare workers appears to have been the main priority of those arguing against widespread their widespread use. But while the motivation behind this may have been good, such advice may have actually helped spread the virus, thus adding to the number of patients overwhelming hospitals.

One of the reasons the CDC's Redfield gave for potentially changing the guidance on masks is that the coronavirus can be spread when people are asymptomatic, and therefore having everyone covering their faces -- as has been the norm in Hong Kong and other parts of Asia since January -- could help rein in transmission.

That the virus is spread before people feel sick is not news, however. It's been widely supposed since the first weeks of the outbreak, and evidence has only grown stronger in recent months.

And even if there was not asymptomatic transmission, universal or near universal mask wearing has its uses. As others have noted, instructing only the sick to wear masks is essentially asking people to put a sign on themselves inviting fear and hostility, whereas if everyone wears a mask when outside, the sick are more likely to do so, thus protecting people around them.

The lack of masks and other protective equipment in hospitals across the US and other countries should be remedied as fast as possible. But these shortages were caused by policy failures and supply chain issues, not a sudden run on 75 cent paper masks by concerned members of the public.

As the evidence increasingly comes round in favor of masks, we must ask how many infections might have been avoided if in January, instead of saying masks wouldn't help, officials and the media had instead lobbied for factories to ramp up domestic production, provided guidance on how to make masks at home, and asked other countries to donate surplus materials?

But Hamartia you said the WHO was Chinese controlled, since when did the West depend on WHO for scientific advice, Who also asked you to follow Chinese method, I don't see you following it right? So now you blame WHO for your own governmental advice to not wear masks? Selective vision again huh? The Spaniards are buying bioeasy kits again btw after understanding how to use it, and the French are buying a billion madfks from China. Hmmmm y y y y buy from us fake bad Chinese?

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

But Hamartia you said the WHO was Chinese controlled,

That's exactly why they are telling countries not to wear masks and why they waited until the world's PPE equipment was sent to China before declaring a pandemic.

Japanese politician Aso Taro blasted the World Health Organization for bowing to China and ... said the WHO should change its name to the "CHO," or China Health Organization.

 

[Han Patriot]

That's exactly why they are telling countries not to wear masks and why they waited until the world's PPE equipment was sent to China before declaring a pandemic.

Ahhh so that British White guy was a Chinky spy. So the spread had nothing to do with the Boris herd immunity bullshit or the Trump bullshit or the use of defective CDC test kits or the lack of test kits or the total lack of awareness of the seriousness of the disease and social distancing or the slowness in banning all social events. It was all the chinks and the WHO. Lololol. They should pay you more than a dime a minute bro.

That's exactly why they are telling countries not to wear masks and why they waited until the world's PPE equipment was sent to China before declaring a pandemic.

Seriously bro, as one hjman to another, remember my advice to you a few weeks earlier, sanitize and wear masks and maintain distance before your fcking gov even told you? I don't want to lose a debate mate in pakdef. You people are not remotely ready for this shit.

 

[Leishangthem]

Isn't wearing a good mask to contain the spread of the virus supposed to be common sense? A mask not just protects the person wearing it but most importantly it protects others from contracting the virus from a possibly diseased person.
It's crazy that some gov would rather let their civilians die than take responsibility for not having enough mask supplies in stock.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Isn't wearing a good mask to contain the spread of the virus supposed to be common sense? A mask not just protects the person wearing it but most importantly it protects others from contracting the virus from a possibly diseased person.
It's crazy that some gov would rather let their civilians die than take responsibility for not having enough mask supplies in stock.

Certainly if people are coughing in your face wearing a mask is a no-brainer.
However if people think ordinary masks are going to stop them from breathing in any virus floating around (0.125 microns) then they are mistaken. It's like trying to catch water in a fishing net.

 

[Leishangthem]

Certainly if people are coughing in your face wearing a mask is a no-brainer.
However if people think ordinary masks are going to stop them from breathing in any virus floating around then they are mistaken.

That's why I mentioned "a good mask", basically 94/95 rated. But even layering of multiple mask or simple medical/surgical mask with disinfecting qualities goes a long way in preventing spread, the chances of containing the virus is much higher with any mask than without it.
Based on news reports ,in S.Korea, almost everyone that goes out of their house has a kf94/95 mask on,but since US or UK gov would never be able to provide that for their civilians,not like some east Asian countries does,the administration would rather downplay the significance of mask to divert blame from the government.

 

[Crusher]

In coming months, the whole world will be behind veils (masks).

 

[beijingwalker]

Be careful, you could be suspended if you wear a mask in US hospitals

Doctor at UMC says he was told to not wear protective mask in public
by Robert Holguin

Wednesday, April 1st 2020

EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14) — An anesthesiologist at University Medical Center said the hospital told him to stop wearing his protective mask in public areas because he was scaring people.

But UMC officials said the doctor was disciplined for being insubordinate by the company that he contracts with - a company called Somnia Anesthesia.

Dr. Henryk Nikicicz has been working at UMC since 2014. But two weeks ago, he said his job was on the line simply because he was wearing a protective mask outside of the operating room.

“At 6:30 a.m. on March 18, I was intubating a patient in the ICU for respiratory failure. The intubation went fine,” said Nikicicz. “I completed the intubation and I was walking down the hallway back to the OR in order to sign out my shift. I noticed I the hallway there was a group of people and I put my facemask on.”


In that group of people, Nikicicz said he spotted UMC's CEO Jacob Cintron. Later that day, Nikicicz got a text from his boss.

“I got a text message from the chief of anesthesia asking me why am I wearing a mask and that Mr. Cintron is complaining about that,” Nikicicz said. “I explained that I am wearing a mask to protect myself since I have preexisting conditions. I am susceptible to infections. That I wear the mask to protect people around me.”

Then Nikicicz said he was taken off the schedule for the month of April.

“The schedule came out for April and I was not on the schedule,” he said. “And I ask why am I not on the schedule and the answer was that I was suspended and they’re waiting to see if I would be fired, I guess.”

A spokesman for UMC said that's not true. The hospital says Nikicicz was not fired but just disciplined for insubordination.

A statement from Ryan Mielke reads in part: "The anesthesiologist was told on numerous occasions by his supervisor to not wear the N95 surgical mask while not in the operating room area or while not treating patients with infectious disease. He was wearing the N95 in common areas, general hallways, etc. UMC is not unlike other hospitals in its efforts to conserve N95 surgical masks, especially when it comes to wearing them when not in the surgical/OR area and not treating patients."

Henryk said he disagreed with that policy and had a right to wear the protective equipment.

“I really want them to understand that they are making a big mistake by not allowing people to protect themselves. It’s almost criminal. Today, with this COVID infection, you have to protect yourself and others,” he said.

After national news outlets learned of this story, Nikicicz said he was quickly returned to the April rotation at the hospital and that he will be now allowed to wear his protective mask while at work.

As for UMC – Mielke said: “At the time of these incidents, the CDC did not require masks to be used by hospital staff when not treating patients.”

https://kfoxtv.com/news/local/doctor-at-umc-says-he-was-told-to-not-wear-protective-mask-in-public

 

[49savage]

That's why I mentioned "a good mask", basically 94/95 rated. But even layering of multiple mask or simple medical/surgical mask with disinfecting qualities goes a long way in preventing spread, the chances of containing the virus is much higher with any mask than without it.
Based on news reports ,in S.Korea, almost everyone that goes out of their house has a kf94/95 mask on,but since US or UK gov would never be able to provide that for their civilians,not like some east Asian countries does,the administration would rather downplay the significance of mask to divert blame from the government.

Spot on! I wear a 3m N95 mask layered with a 1-micron medical-grade mask that is for flu and TB. Not perfect but better than a scarf recommended by trump. When the US surgeon general came out and said we didn't need a mask and that a mask wouldn't protect us I immediately went out and bought mask and gloves to protect myself and family. Anyone in the medical field knows gloves and mask and the importance of it.

 

[W.11]

Face masks etc are just common sense, there is nothing specifically ''asian'' about it.

movies presenting such scenarios like contagion etc shows people self isolating, wearing face masks, enforced lockdown/curfew, medics wearing biohazard suits etc

the pragmatism is indeed the chinese model, they were pragmatic and were not hesitant when they finally started to take action

regards

 

[49savage]

Be careful, you could be suspended if you wear a mask in US hospitals

Doctor at UMC says he was told to not wear protective mask in public
by Robert Holguin

Wednesday, April 1st 2020

EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14) — An anesthesiologist at University Medical Center said the hospital told him to stop wearing his protective mask in public areas because he was scaring people.

But UMC officials said the doctor was disciplined for being insubordinate by the company that he contracts with - a company called Somnia Anesthesia.

Dr. Henryk Nikicicz has been working at UMC since 2014. But two weeks ago, he said his job was on the line simply because he was wearing a protective mask outside of the operating room.

“At 6:30 a.m. on March 18, I was intubating a patient in the ICU for respiratory failure. The intubation went fine,” said Nikicicz. “I completed the intubation and I was walking down the hallway back to the OR in order to sign out my shift. I noticed I the hallway there was a group of people and I put my facemask on.”


In that group of people, Nikicicz said he spotted UMC's CEO Jacob Cintron. Later that day, Nikicicz got a text from his boss.

“I got a text message from the chief of anesthesia asking me why am I wearing a mask and that Mr. Cintron is complaining about that,” Nikicicz said. “I explained that I am wearing a mask to protect myself since I have preexisting conditions. I am susceptible to infections. That I wear the mask to protect people around me.”

Then Nikicicz said he was taken off the schedule for the month of April.

“The schedule came out for April and I was not on the schedule,” he said. “And I ask why am I not on the schedule and the answer was that I was suspended and they’re waiting to see if I would be fired, I guess.”

A spokesman for UMC said that's not true. The hospital says Nikicicz was not fired but just disciplined for insubordination.

A statement from Ryan Mielke reads in part: "The anesthesiologist was told on numerous occasions by his supervisor to not wear the N95 surgical mask while not in the operating room area or while not treating patients with infectious disease. He was wearing the N95 in common areas, general hallways, etc. UMC is not unlike other hospitals in its efforts to conserve N95 surgical masks, especially when it comes to wearing them when not in the surgical/OR area and not treating patients."

Henryk said he disagreed with that policy and had a right to wear the protective equipment.

“I really want them to understand that they are making a big mistake by not allowing people to protect themselves. It’s almost criminal. Today, with this COVID infection, you have to protect yourself and others,” he said.

After national news outlets learned of this story, Nikicicz said he was quickly returned to the April rotation at the hospital and that he will be now allowed to wear his protective mask while at work.

As for UMC – Mielke said: “At the time of these incidents, the CDC did not require masks to be used by hospital staff when not treating patients.”

https://kfoxtv.com/news/local/doctor-at-umc-says-he-was-told-to-not-wear-protective-mask-in-public

WTFFFFF What kind of world are we living in?? Wearing a mask is better than not wearing one. Period.

Where's the commonsense and logic in people these days. This is nuts.