[OFF TOPIC] Coronavirus Pandemic

[Vic Liu 1,635]

1 minute ago, Olympian1010 said:

I thought the Chinese government could essentially just shutdown the economy...I thought I read something about them doing during a depression a few years ago.

 

Economy is first priority of China and it's the fundamental policy of decades. Everything could be sacrificed but not economy. So shutdown is not as easy as imagined. And there is no depression a few years ago in China in my memory, maybe some negative impact of 2008 financial crisis but still a minor one and definitely no shutdown of economy.

[up and down 82]

This is what Australia is doing to overcome the shortage of masks, gowns and gloves.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/23/more-than-100-australian-companies-ready-to-boost-ppe-stock-of-coronavirus-masks-gowns-and-gloves

 

More than 130 Australian companies ready to boost PPE stock of coronavirus masks, gowns and gloves

More than 130 Australian companies have responded to an urgent call to dramatically boost the manufacturing of face masks, gowns and gloves, as doctors report that some staff are going to extraordinary lengths to conserve stocks.

 

The federal government has assured medical staff that stocks of personal protective equipment (PPE) are sufficient to deal with the immediate crisis posed by Covid-19.

 

New stock has been released from the emergency national medical stockpile, and the Guardian understands the Department of Industry has convened a special unit to consider PPE supplies. Soldiers have also been sent in to the Victorian medical supplier Med-Con to assist in production as the company attempts to double its supply of surgical masks.

Last week, the government issued a request for any company that might be able to produce PPE to come forward.

 

The request was designed to map out Australia’s full capacity to produce PPE and to identify companies whose ability to manufacture it was not immediately apparent.

 

The industry department said more than 130 companies had come forward in response so far. The ultimate aim is to “significantly increase the production of PPE products”, the department said.

 

The companies are being asked to detail how they can help to produce surgical gowns, gloves, goggles, hand sanitiser, clinical waste bags, waste bag closure devices, blood and fluid spill kits, mask fit test kits or thermometers.

 

The industry minister, Karen Andrews, said the government was moving quickly to ensure supply of PPE and expand domestic production.

“So many companies are putting up their hands to help – whether it’s ramping up manufacturing, looking to switch up what they produce, or even just connecting with each other to make sure they have what they need,” Andrews told the Guardian.

 

“This is a mighty challenge but our fighting spirit and Aussie ingenuity will ensure we get through this and come out stronger on the other side.”

 

The World Health Organisation earlier this month urged all nations to lift their production of PPE by at least 40% and to remove export restrictions that are limiting global supply.

 

“Without secure supply chains, the risk to healthcare workers around the world is real,” the WHO director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said. “Industry and governments must act quickly to boost supply, ease export restrictions and put measures in place to stop speculation and hoarding.”

 

Despite the Australian government’s initial actions, the Australian Medical Association, the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners have all warned of difficulties in obtaining PPE right across the health sector.

 

Sydney surgeon Ken Loi, chair of the RACS NSW state committee, said medical staff were taking care to conserve PPE stocks. Loi said the demands on PPE were unprecedented.

 

“We know that there are shortages, they are working on it,” Loi told the Guardian. “We are working with government on sourcing more.”

 

Loi said he had heard reports of medical staff having to reuse face masks. That practice is advised against when dealing with suspected Covid-19 cases.

 

“I certainly hear from some of my GP colleagues that they have to do that, but it depends on the screening of the patient. I think people are now much more selective about how they see patients,” he said.

 

“If we have to reuse it, it’s based on resources, and the government I believe is working on how we secure more supply.”

 

Chris Moy, the AMA’s president in South Australia, said the initial release of 20m masks from the national stockpile “wasn’t even nearly enough”. He said the shortages of PPE were being felt across all aspects of the health system.

 

“We are seeing it at the frontline, we are struggling,” he said.

 

He said he was aware that the federal government was trying to find new sources of PPE.

 

“As doctors on the frontline, and all other types of workers, including aged care workers, we really need to get that distribution out if they’ve got stores,” he said.

 

“If there isn’t, we’ve got a significant problem.”

 

Reports have emerged of price gouging on items such as face masks.

 

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners said those reports were “very concerning”. A spokesman said the college welcomed the opening up of the national medical stockpile to supply more PPE.

 

But he said: “We also know that these are unprecedented times and supplies are in high demand around the world. It’s essential that GPs get continued support and the resources they need to ensure their protection, so we have the best possible frontline defence against this virus.”

[Olympian1010 7,659]

1 hour ago, hckosice said:

 

Always the same alibistic excuse, sorry, but this is like speaking to the wall...I can not anymore...

 

Obviously there shortage of supply, Do you really think in Slovakia we have millions of respirators laying on the streets ? ofc we don´t. If a such big and ultra mega rich country like USA have shortage of supplies how on earth can a small country in the middle of nowhere in europe have them ?

All the original mask and respirators we have are for doctors, nurses, other medical staff and people in 1st line in the fight against coronavirus. Ordinary people don´t have or are not even searching them.

 

The thing is we really should stop to think that the state will always be here for us and take care of us. No the state will not care of us, the state will never help you or me.

People have to move their ass and help themseves by their own. This is a difficult time we are facing, there not vaccine against this shit, people are dying quickly, and if I don´t want to die, or kill my parents or other relatives I should stop to naively grumble.....why I have to produce my own mask if I pay taxes bla bla bla etc ? ... no there lack of supplies, we must help ourselves by our own

 

It need and require basically a coupe of minutes and very small skills to produce at home 3-4 or 5 home made masks from cotton or other similar textile (millions of tutorial videos on youtube), they are easily washable and you can wear them again and again on daily basis.

ofc I know they are not 100% effective, but the thing is when everybody wear them they really works. With my mask I protect you, while with your mask you protect me !! Simple as that, really I don´t get what people are not understanding here...There not medicine so far, the only vaccine is discipline and masks.

 

Look at the stats, countries with masks and others, do you really not see the differences ? CZE and SVK were the first countries in Europe to impose radical regulations and measures from the start, remember when people were laughing Slovakia with 10 infected closed borders airports schools everything and imposed mask wearing obligatory in the country ? yep, now if not (individual mistakes in a retirement house in Pezinok and in a couple of Roma ghettos) we would be still at around 700 infected (majority of them returning people from abroad) and 2 deaths... This is not coincidence, Taipei, Hong Kong or Singapore have low numbers as well thanks masks, even, the home made masks. It is not the distances, it is not the washing hands things people use everywhere, it is the masks that save lifes, just everybody must wear them.

 

I want to be clear that I never said there was enough ventilators, or that every person should have one. I also never said that wearing a mask was a bad thing. 
 

This pandemic is fascinating from a social sciences perspective. I’ve never seen societal chaos such as this virus is bringing. 

[up and down 82]

1 minute ago, Olympian1010 said:

I want to be clear that I never said there was enough ventilators, or that every person should have one. I also never said that wearing a mask was a bad thing. 
 

This pandemic is fascinating from a social sciences perspective. I’ve never seen societal chaos such as this virus is bringing. 
 

For me, the difference in your approach and mine is ethics, class, and geography. 

 

Congratulations by the way. Dr Faucy from America received the award as the best doctor in coordinating the whole medical team and staffs in US throughout the whole pandemic. Only 3 doctors in the whole world got the award for their excellent and fast response. Dr Faucy is one of them. Good to hear this.

[heywoodu 13,819]

10 hours ago, Olympian1010 said:

There’s also a shortage of supply (still). So we should prioritize our response. Doctors, Nurses, health workers, and those infected should get first dibs. Once there’s enough supply people should be asked to wear them. Dutch and California seem to get their information from the same experts @heywoodu

 

Plus wearing masks somehow seems to make people think it's ok to not keep distance. Look at idiots from all kinds of governments who are wearing a mask, sure, but are then giving press conferences or making visits or whatnot while basically standing and walking directly next to each other.

 

Wear a mask if you want, sure, but for the love of everything, keep your damn distance from others...including you, presidents and prime ministers and other authority figures. And no, shaking hands - even with gloves and/or a mask - is absolutely not done now.

[heywoodu 13,819]

1 hour ago, up and down said:

@heywoodu

 

Ha ha I guess shortage of masks, PPE and everything is a problem for all the different countries around the whole world now. Ventilators of course not enough as well. So now for masks the citizens can still sew the masks using cloth and make do with it to wear them. Then as for the PPE and ventilators it is up to the person in charge to solve the problem themselves. Actually PPE can be sewn.

 

Yep. Ventilators are actually not too much of a problem here, since they managed to scale up the ICU capacity (which of course includes ventilators), it's not nearly full anymore. Which is good, so far it hasn't really gotten out of control in hospitals, hopefully the current precautions stay in place for a while longer and people keep listening to them as relatively well as they're doing.

 

Face masks, which are needed for people working in healthcare and so on, are a bit of an issue. For example at some of the nursing homes around my town, I've heard people have resigned from working there simply because they couldn't work in a somewhat safe manner due to a lack of PPE and masks.

[Agger 1,611]

So wednesday schools opened for the younger classes, high schools opened for those who are supposed to finish this summer and institutions for the children.

Apparently monday some more will open including dentists, hairdressers and driving schools just like courts are expected to start working again.

[OlympicsFan 791]

13 hours ago, rybak said:

Yes, atm worse situation is only in USA, France , Great Britain and Ecuador. It will be first time since 1945 when there won't be parade.

 

I don't know if this foto is true or it's fake but it looks very serious, it's near of one hospital in Moscow. Seems Russia reacted for this disease too late, just like few Western European countries.

 

You think Spain, Italy and Sweden are in a better position than Russia? Based on what?

[OlympicsFan 791]

11 hours ago, Olympian1010 said:

Masks still aren’t mandatory in California. Only when you enter a shop do you need one. They don’t have a real purpose outside of protecting people from those already infected. They just serve as a good reminder to people about the dangers of certain activities. Their good for psychology, but not all that practical for healthy people.

Which masks are you talking about? I think the kind of mask that i am wearing is also protecting myself ...

[OlympicsFan 791]

10 hours ago, bmo said:

Here is something I just thought of: 

 

If the virus originated from a Chinese lab & the Chinese government covered it up, do you guys think we will see a boycott from USA & other countries at Beijing 2022?

 

What do you guys think.

No, because it could/will never be proven.