The US Is Refusing to Take the World’s Most Available Masks

[blhack]

Because China has been selling fakes: https://www.businessinsider.com/coroanvirus-holland-recalls-...

[dfee]

> The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus.

[grezql]

its not only Netherlands but other countries such as Turkey, Spain:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-52092395

[lambdasquirrel]

The companies in question likely aren't certified? ChinaLawBlog says that 95% of the certifications they've seen are fake, so it's probably best to check with the authorities.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/coronavirus-stricken-countries...

[somerandomanon]

If only fakes:

http://theredelephants.com/video-chinese-factory-worker-caug...

[ForHackernews]

I'm not sure what this has to do with anything. If they are fakes, they could just as easily be falsely labelled N95 as KN95, right? What am I missing?

[dpbriggs]

Are people so cynical as to believe the US Gov will arbitrarily deny necessary medical supplies?

There is more variables at play than just '# of masks'. It is necessary to ensure the masks actually work, as defects will cost the lives of frontline workers.

My country, Canada, is doing the same thing: https://www.chroniclejournal.com/news/national/canada-will-m...

[partiallypro]

Given that there have been various reports of fake masks and test kits coming out of Chinese factories, I kind of don't blame them for this one.

[unethical_ban]

1) Are other countries also trusting these KN95 masks? Why are they so much easier to get?

2) Is there any other viable reason they are not on the approved list? I don't put a lot of stock in the goodwill of the US executive branch either, but it seems some journalistic questions were skipped.

[Simulacra]

This is very hyperbolic, perhaps sensationalist. China has been producing fakes that other countries are turning away.

[themark]

"mask is designed to filter out at least 95% of particles that are 0.3 microns or larger in size"

Isnt the coronavirus much smaller than .3 microns?

[dougabug]

The droplets from sneezing, coughing, or even breathing are much larger than the coronavirus, for which they are a transport mechanism.

[alliao]

KN95 spec allows a percentage of unfiltered air to be inhaled which kinda defeats the purpose no?

[ISL]

Every mask will allow some fraction of unfiltered air to be inhaled. The question is: how much is permissible?

[fock]

Yesterday, I read some paper from 2010 which found near identical filtration results for one type of N95 mask vs. 2 types of N99 mask... Basically none of these masks will filter all the particles, hence healthcare worker will eventually infect themselves unless you go full warzone (e.g. hazmat suites for everyone). All of this stuff is about managing risk (as is running around with simple masks and social distancing).

[celeritascelery]

Wouldn’t that be true of any mask?

[madengr]

Well I guess this sort of stuff happens when you outsource manufacturing for a generation.

[ngcc_hk]

Kill you once by spreading virus with its social media control. Kill you 2nd round by selling you faked products. Is this kill you the third cut by doing a PR war that not accepting this Trojan Horse is political.

How many cuts you need to kill the western world.