CDC Now Recommends “Use of Cloth Face Coverings” (DIY Masks)

Re:CDC Now Recommends “Use of Cloth Face Coverings” (DIY Masks) by renewiltord on Saturday April 04, 2020 @02:33AM (#22776614)

I was talking to some folks about the ill-advised CDC and WHO recommendations on masks, the resulting poor handling by the US government, and the rampant cargo-culting by people on Twitter, Reddit, and HN who decided to just signal-amplify the misinformation from US government agencies without critical thought.

While we were doing that, I decided to go see what Taiwan's timeline looked like. Pasting here for your sake.

New Year's Eve: Rumours of viral pneumonia in Wuhan. All inbound flights from Wuhan subject to inspection

Jan 5: All Wuhan travelers exhibiting upper respiratory inspections are now subject to screening

Jan 20: First positive test

Jan 21: Mask export ban, production ramp-up

Jan 31: Taiwanese government forced monopsony on masks (1/3 reserved for healthcare personnel). Announces rationing first week of Feb

Feb 2: Taiwanese defence personnel dispatched to bolster staffing at mask factories

Feb 6: Mask rationing starts

Feb 15: Mask production by end of month projected to be 10 million / day. Taiwanese population: 24 million

Mar 9: Mask production 9.2 million / day

Mar 16: Production 10 million / day

Mar 22: Production 12.6 million / day

April 3. Taiwan: Population 24 million. Density: 649 people/sq.km. First case: Jan 20. Cases: 348. Deaths: 5

April 3. Florida: Population 21.5 million. 136.5 people/sq.km. First case: Mar 7. Cases: 10268. Deaths: 170

Did we have to make the choice between the economy and lives? Did we have to choose between grandma and the dollar? Could policy have changed the outcome?

You decide.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:CDC Now Recommends “Use of Cloth Face Coverings” (DIY Masks) by nojvek on Saturday April 04, 2020 @04:34PM (#22781309)

Ramping up PPE and ventilators at the first hint of an infectious disease would have saved tons of lives.

The second thing was closing borders. We wouldn’t need a massive lockdown inside the country if only negatively tested people were coming in.

Airlines would have taken a big hit, yes, but you’d still save the economy. It would be way cheaper to pay the airlines for all their potential lost fare than 20% of the population unemployed.

The president still not wearing mask in public says it all. He won’t take this seriously until he himself gets infected and gets seriously ill. The negligence is atrocious.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:CDC Now Recommends “Use of Cloth Face Coverings” (DIY Masks) by renewiltord on Saturday April 04, 2020 @05:29PM (#22781680)

The President is not a generally competent pandemic-response person. His strengths are elsewhere. But the people who have held the jobs that were intended to be experts on this failed and are failing. The rot is institutional because bureaucrats always outlast elected administrations.

Naturally, the "useful idiots" that the bureaucracy exploits are an additional problem. I haven't yet determined if they're a minor problem or if they provide the weight of opinion. If you have a thousand people who will say "Masks don't work" if the CDC says "Masks don't work" are the thousand people more dangerous or the CDC more dangerous. Probably the CDC, I think.

[ Parent | on HN ]