face masks...

Considering the government's policies on combating CV19 have been shown to be based on flawed reasoning, questionable modelling, out of date scientific research, and politicized management strategies, can we assume that their guidance on face masks (based on 'the science') is also questionable? People the world over are being given the exact opposite information. Perhaps we're waiting for Tory donor Dyson to repurpose his dust filters?

 

It’s not based on the science of covid19

 

I'm not taking any chances....

 

Companies like “Tory donor” Dyson are perfectly placed to knock up kit in short order. Politics doesn’t come onto it. We should be relieved they stepped up to it (and made a good job of it, by the sound of it).

And simple masks may trap anything you’re exhaling, but they won’t stop stuff creeping around the edges in the other direction. They’re fairly useless.

 

Also, if you read studies and summaries based on influenza, the risk is that the simple mask is an efficient collector of viruses..

One comment was that even medical professionals touch the outside surface of the mask as they take it off on many occasions, then fail to wash hands after touching it.

And they dont stop small particles.

So for the cost, the benefit is barely measurable.


N95 respirators do seem to be efficient though, but discussing with ex-RAF types, using similar for protection they need a supply of filter components which have a limited lifespan.

Its also not certain if masks make people over confident, or make them more aware of keeping their distance.

In Asia the face mask wearing was originally more for coping with air pollution than disease.


Just dont bother buying into 3M.

 

I pretty much don’t agree with any of what you’ve said here.

Flawed reasoning? Almost every other country has based their infection control on social distancing and a lockdown of varying degrees.

Questionable modelling? They are being advised by some of the best scientists and universities in the country. Plus it’s not exactly hard to look at Italy and Spain if you want a bit of real world proof. You don’t need a fancy computer to see what’s going on there.

Out of date research? this virus has only been in general circulation since last November. All the research being done on it is current. Its new so how can anything be out of date?

politicised management? You do realise they are a government don’t you? As in a group of politicians? This is a meaningless statement. How else do you describe a group of elected representatives managing a situation if it’s not politicised management.

Surgical face masks in hospitals are worn once. The doctors don’t pop one in their pocket and take it off and use it repeatedly throughout the day. Plus they scrub up in between each interaction with patients. So in the general population having the same face mask for a week like most people do it basically useless.

I genuinely hope that either you, or your family or friends don’t contract this awful illness. But I think you should perhaps make your wishes clear to your family, that if you require a ventilator or a cpap, then tell them you only want it if it doesn’t contain any parts made by companies with Tory supporting owners. At least you can die a man of principle as your lungs fill up with mucus and you slowly drown in your own body fluids. Safe in the knowledge those Tory bastards didn’t help you.

you are the first person I’ve heard during this whole episode that’s tried to make political points during a moment of national crisis.

 

Sounds like the Jeremy Vine show on Radio 2. Yesterdays was disgraceful, poor old Boris in hospital and a load of politics about whether he should delegate more. We are in a national crisis indeed and still some folks look to make their political points. Meanwhile us ordinary folks are doing our best to self isolate and social distance to play our part in reducing the spread of the virus.

 

If your that keen to use a face mask then apparently you can make one out of a thong, I suggest washing it first though.

 

Surely it would be good if the Tory donor Dyson repurposed his dust filters to help fight this virus , he has already come up with a Tory donor breathing machine , obviously you wouldn't want one if god forbid you became unwell, I wouldn't give 2 tuppenny you know whats if they used something the Nazis had invented to help defeat this virus , how anyone could bring politics into this is beyond me, I've read some vile left wing comments on the net hoping that Boris dies
GET WELL SOON BORIS

 

I’ve been pretty impressed with the medical experts putting themselves up there at the daily press conferences and having to endure questions from journalists who don’t appear to have listened to a word they’ve said.
I’m guessing that the decision on face mask advice has been made on the basis of sketchy evidence on how much good they’d do, and the unholy scramble that would be precipitated by a change in advice when there are already supply issues at the places where they are needed most, and by the people who are trained how to use them.

 

I had a box of N95 masks by pure chance and they are indeed impressive things e.g. you can't even smell thinners through them. Used the last ones last year sanding some paint.

 

...and their complete unavailability

 

Our youngest son is part of a team that is currently working on developing a vaccine.
The people at his institute are Marmite scared of this virus and have a lot better idea than someone mouthing off to score political points. They had to learn on the job so to speak so it's hardly surprising views change about the best way to deal with it when you start with little or no data.
To summarise, we hardly speak to him at the moment as he's a bit busy but reckons the government is doing well.

 

Credit to him, you must be rightly proud.

Did his institution announce if masks are of use to Joe Public?

It would be reassuring that those genuinely in the know are informing policy.

 

Who else would they use other than the people in the know ? Barbara at number 27 may be able to spot a jogger on their 31st minute of daily exercise but I don’t think here Facebook Menes are the answer to a global crisis , although Elaine at 54 agrees with Barbara , maybe there’s something I what she says after all

 

Sorry I don't know much more.

We speak for about 5 minutes or so every few days and try and keep it normal, like have your oat cookies arrived, hows your girlfriend - she's also working on it as she's got the testing and analysis skills etc. needed.

All I can say is that the amount of brainpower being applied is phenomenal, this is one of the areas where the UK either leads the world or is pretty close to it.

 

I’ve worked a lot of central government....you’d be amazed by what advice they follow....

E.g. Nadine Dorres announces to Tory colleagues via WhatsApp she has Coronovirus.

So that’s a non approved platform owned by Facebook and consequentially subject to the US Homeland Security bill where all content can be read by US security forces.

Our ministers are probably talking about extremely sensitive subject on something the Americans can read and share at will.

Or

Boris Johnson on a Zoom video conference with the cabinet told to go to hospital as he looks so ill.

So that’s an unencrypted platform known for being unsecure where people that hold data at Top Secret level are yammering about running the country.

Or any foreign visits by ministers where they use Siri to translate, again, straight back to the US, or the visual impaired readers that store data in the US, or the Civil Servants that use Megaupload (the popular with organised crime and drug syndicates ignoring paedos platform of choice) to store sensitive data.

I’m not saying they can get things right all the time....you’d be amazed by what they get wrong.

 

But that’s not quite the same as the suggestion that they aren’t asking the knowledgeable people for advice about the current situation.

 

Take it from me - that is them over and over ignoring advice from experts in a situation where they had plenty of time to make informed decisions.

In a time when they don't have time to make informed decisions, they will usually go with whoever sounds best qualified or who their advisers like best.


I'm being flippant - I know the data modelling is starting to mature, I also know the big challenges yet to be faced to get it properly rounded - but let's not take away from many many people working very hard.