As of late January there was only one US producer of hospital masks. All the rest were sourced from China. Back in January the owner said he would not put on extra shifts and equipment, because he did that for SARS and when it was over, the hospitals all went back to buying from China because it was cheaper. SARS was over so quickly that the owner couldn't make back his investment in the expansion. Hopefully he has changed his mind and is expanding now.
Masks reduce the spread of the virus from those already infected and also prevent people from touching their noses and eyes with their hands. While N95 masks can stop most of the virus itself, even basic procedural masks are valuable in reducing its spread.
New data shows that ~18% of people are asymptomatic. This fact compounded with incubation time of 5.6 days means there are twice as many carriers as there are people with symptoms at any moment. Confirmed case numbers in the US are only people who have been tested, so the real number of people with symptoms is much much higher. (NYC hospitals are turning away patients with mild symptoms because they don’t have enough tests for everyone and they can’t admit people who haven’t been tested.)
During the Princess Cruise incident, 50% of positive tests showed no symptoms. Now, 18% of positive tests show no symptoms. The 50% number is confirmed by a test of every person in a 3,000 person village in Italy.
My source is an epidemiology PhD candidate with a Masters in Public Health.
Masks reduce the spread of the virus from those already infected and also prevent people from touching their noses and eyes with their hands. While N95 masks can stop most of the virus itself, even basic procedural masks are valuable in reducing its spread.
New data shows that ~18% of people are asymptomatic. This fact compounded with incubation time of 5.6 days means there are twice as many carriers as there are people with symptoms at any moment. Confirmed case numbers in the US are only people who have been tested, so the real number of people with symptoms is much much higher. (NYC hospitals are turning away patients with mild symptoms because they don’t have enough tests for everyone and they can’t admit people who haven’t been tested.)
During the Princess Cruise incident, 50% of positive tests showed no symptoms. Now, 18% of positive tests show no symptoms. The 50% number is confirmed by a test of every person in a 3,000 person village in Italy.
My source is an epidemiology PhD candidate with a Masters in Public Health.
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