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Re:Secret gyms and the economics of prohibition by icelancer on Wednesday August 19, 2020 @05:05PM (#24216471)
>> N95s are still quite difficult to find here in the US.

No they are not. This misconception is absurd. I bought 200ct of KN95 in early April from AliExpress and got them in 10 days. They are still plentiful.

Re:Secret gyms and the economics of prohibition by ceejayoz on Wednesday August 19, 2020 @05:10PM (#24216549)
"I found some, therefore there's enough for 300 million people" is... skipping a few steps.

NPR article from today on even medical clinics and dentists still struggling to keep up N95 and other PPE supplies: https://www.npr.org/2020/08/19/903612006/yep-masks-and-prote...

Re:Secret gyms and the economics of prohibition by coryfklein on Wednesday August 19, 2020 @05:33PM (#24216860)
> I bought 200ct of KN95 in early April from AliExpress

How certain are you they are authentic? Remember a couple years back when everyone bought glasses online for watching the solar eclipse and then it turned out they were all fake and wouldn't protect your eyes?

Especially given the economic incentive present today for anyone willing to sell "N95" masks.

Re:Secret gyms and the economics of prohibition by mancerayder on Wednesday August 19, 2020 @05:23PM (#24216736)
N95's aren't KN95's, minor nitpick.

N95's are available on eBay as a black market ish item. Sellers come and go. I've bought dozens and given them to friends and family and use them when in an Uber.

KN95s are fragile, have crappy fit (leak air enormously, obvious if you wear glasses since they fog), and aren't very well regulated. But they are better than surgical or those ridiculous cloth masks.

Re:Secret gyms and the economics of prohibition by wrycoder on Thursday August 20, 2020 @01:10PM (#24225653)
KN95 != N95