Just curious, anyone have a plan, or preps for global pandemic?

[Sibiriak]

Greece

Quote

The government has shut down schools, bars, restaurants, shopping centers, cinemas and theatres.

 

Quote

On the same day it said public beaches and ski resorts were also off-limits after Greeks converged on the coast en masse after being previously told that cafes, bars, tavernas, restaurants, casinos, brothels and barbers were also banned.

Those violating the policies do so at their own peril: among those arrested in recent days was a hairdresser caught giving a customer highlights.

 

Edited March 17, 2020 by Sibiriak

[Shezian]

On 3/16/2020 at 1:16 PM, Gordo said:

I've completely warmed to the idea that its just not tenable for people to "hole up" like so many are doing (and many experts are recommending).   It will cause an epic depression and cascade of debt defaults, unemployment, and plummeting GDP the likes of which we've never seen.  Hopefully just by people staying home when sick, wiping down commonly touched surfaces, obsessive hand washing, and no touching other people, we can slow the spread enough that hospitals are not overwhelmed, but we need to return to "mostly normal behavior" and get our kids back to school pretty much immediately.  Expect that millions will get the virus and most will be fine.  It's only a matter of time before politicians wake up and realize this has to be done.  The fear and panic cannot go on like this, nor can we allow the total destruction of the global economy which is happening before our eyes (the Fed just cut interest rates to zero and announced a new quantitative easing scheme and futures are limit down).  Sorry old folks, but hey, at least if you are retired you can personally hole up for the next year if you want while researchers work on those vaccines (maybe get your groceries delivered, sanitize everything, avoid people, do what you can). 

Not sure I agree with you. There are many people not just the old who are vulnerable, why would you risk it? Health is everything, the financial climate is second. 

[Shezian]

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/coronavirus-australia-queensland-researchers-find-cure-want-drug-trial/news-story/93e7656da0cff4fc4d2c5e51706accb5

Edited March 17, 2020 by Shezian

[Matt]

Two Women Fell Sick From the Coronavirus. One Survived.

By Sui-Lee Wee and Vivian WangMarch 13, 2020

阅读简体中文版閱讀繁體中文版Leer en español

The young medical professionals, who worked long hours on the front lines in Wuhan, first came down with fevers. Within weeks, both were in hospital beds, hooked up to IVs or oxygen machines.

Deng Danjing

Xia Sisi

THE YOUNG MOTHERS didn’t tell their children they had the coronavirus. Mama was working hard, they said, to save sick people.

Instead, Deng Danjing and Xia Sisi were fighting for their lives in the same hospitals where they worked, weak from fever and gasping for breath. Within a matter of weeks, they had gone from healthy medical professionals on the front lines of the epidemic in Wuhan, China, to coronavirus patients in critical condition.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/13/world/asia/coronavirus-death-life.html

[Sibiriak]

On 3/16/2020 at 3:06 AM, mccoy said:

I've started wearing an FPP1 mask with tissue paper on it when going to public places like shops and supermarkets. I'll then dispose of the tissue paper.

[...]I'll just roll the edges of a paper handkerchief unto the edges of the mask to keep it there. It works though, the higher breathing effort means a higher degree of filtration. Usage time depends on exposure, at the hospitals they are supposed to dispose of it after one day, but until there is a shortage they tend to save them. If you have many, and use them, I'd suggest to discard it after one day. I just burn the used handkerchiefs

Thanks for the info!

I just received 100 3M FFP2 masks (30 rubles each!).  Much better fit than the looser soft surgical masks, and presumably better filtration.  I'm particular concerned about a family member who has asthma.  All is calm at the moment, but I'm expecting things to explode any day now.    Reports of one case discovered locally, but afaik no official confirmation.

[mccoy]

2 minutes ago, Sibiriak said:

I just received 100 3M FFP2 masks (30 rubles each!).  Much better fit than the looser soft surgical masks, and presumably better filtration.  I'm particular concerned about a family member who has asthma.  

In the 3M leaflet on protection factors, they say FFP2 has been tested for suine flu, so that should presumably hold true for SARS-COV2 as well.

My colleagues who are doing worksite prevention where I'm working say that FFP3 would be needed. P3 though means a higher filtration and a higher breathing effort.

FFP2 with a disposable handkerchief should do very well the trick, if it doesn't impede breathing too much.

[mccoy]

12 hours ago, tea said:

Mind on Longecity said that in the USA, no individual under 70 without pre-existing conditions has died from covid-19. Does this sound accurate? How does this compare to the data from Italy?

At the beginning, while the sample is smaller, it is likely, but then, when the sample of infected persons grows up in size, some younger guys will die. Just recently, a first intervention guy who was 48 died. I don't know if there are published official data on deaths and critical cases broken down to age and pre-existing pathologies

[mccoy]

14 hours ago, Ron Put said:

Of course 🙂 After Salvini drove the draconian measures, which he will eventually claim were too late, he has to move to a new target: the impact on the economy. As a skilled populist, he knows how to push the right buttons.

As to Italy and Germany differences, it is likely that the number of beds available (Germany has close to 3x more) and possibly equipment (ventilators?), and maybe age and serious ailments.

Of course, I repeat. He's a very astute and capable politician, he works hard, he has proven results, the absolute best in capturing the crowds, that's why everyone else wants to dispose of him. Regardless of the validity of what he says. I'm just speaking of evidence-based facts. Opinions differ according to the various party-lines, but evidence remains evidence.

The difference of confirmed cases Italy-Germany is more than an order of magnitude, so ICUs available do not justify the difference. Also, so far ICUs have been enough in Italy, even if barely. So far.

Re. the draconian measures: now, it's a matter of length. I share Gordo's and others' worries and your opinion in regard. How long can we last in total lockdown ?

Maybe it will become as TomB says: when the situation is no longer sustainable, people will accept the virus among the ordinary risks of life...

 

[Sibiriak]

30 minutes ago, mccoy said:

In the 3M leaflet on protection factors, they say FFP2 has been tested for suine flu, so that should presumably hold true for SARS-COV2 as well.

Thanks.

Mccoy,  do you know offhand the purpose/ desirability of this kind of FFP2 mask with the thingamajig on the front?

 

[Sibiriak]

Why UK's coronavirus strategy changed

New quarantine and social distancing ‘suppression’ measures are based on modelling by Imperial College

Quote

[...]Within days of Boris Johnson and his advisers announcing that anyone with symptoms of a cold should stay at home for seven days but otherwise live life as normal, the prime minister came out with a series of bombshells that will effectively confine most of the population to their homes.

What changed was new data on the impact of Italy’s out-of-control epidemic on its health service. Basically, it is catastrophic, with 30% of hospitalised patients having to be admitted to intensive care. The teams of modellers at Imperial College and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine who advise government crunched those numbers – and the death toll and pressure on the NHS that came out were unacceptable.

Prof Neil Ferguson at Imperial College’s MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis and colleagues found that the mitigation strategy, as they called it – or scenario 1 – that the government had just announced would lead to 260,000 deaths. That would be not just deaths from the virus, but from other illnesses that the NHS would be too hard-pressed to treat.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *

[...]So now we have scenario 2, which the modellers call suppression. It takes things much further, adopting all the measures except closing schools and universities. And school closures, said Ferguson, are probably also on the cards before too long.

[...]The bad news is that although it will keep death rates down to 20,000 or possibly just a few thousand, said Ferguson, we are looking at these social curbs through to July or August – and even when the brakes are taken off, they may have to be slammed back on again. The virus will not have disappeared and could resurge. Only a small proportion of the population will have been infected, recovered and become immune.

The government’s earlier hopes that it could rely on large proportions – maybe 60% – of the population getting ill, getting better and becoming immune to build up some herd immunity in the UK population are dashed by this strategy, which many experts thought was dangerous anyway

Edited March 17, 2020 by Sibiriak

[Gordo]

6 hours ago, Shezian said:

Not sure I agree with you. There are many people not just the old who are vulnerable, why would you risk it? Health is everything, the financial climate is second. 

How many will die or lives made miserable due to the destruction of the economy though? Something many don’t seem to consider.

I do like seeing all the optimistic stories about “cures” this morning, that could actually be the catalyst for moving on, people and politicians can run with the narrative that we can resume business now that we have a cure. 😉. Old people with 3 or more diseases, better stay in just in case...

 

The Chinese are just pretending like they eradicated the virus and it seems to be working, business is resuming, traffic congestion has returned to normal there. I think everyone just wearing masks, doing social distancing, wiping down surfaces, and washing hands obsessively is enough to get by with this thing essentially being “just a really bad flu but not the end of the world”.

Edited March 17, 2020 by Gordo

[Sibiriak]

Dutch embrace 'herd immunity' as dire death warning prompts UK to change course

Quote

The Netherlands will embrace a "herd immunity" strategy to combat the coronavirus pandemic, just as Britain backs away from its own plans to manage rather than suppress the disease following warnings of 250,000 deaths.

In remarks that make him the first world leader to publicly back the herd immunity theory, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said a mass lockdown was not feasible and the country had instead opted for a plan that included "controlled distribution" of COVID-19 "among groups that are least at risk".

[...]In his speech on Monday, Rutte said his government had ruled out two options: letting the virus spread unchecked, and locking down the country "for a year or even longer". Instead, the government settled on a third option dubbed "maximum control".

He said "experts are telling us" that the Netherlands can slow the spread of the virus "while at the same time building group immunity in a controlled way".

"Those who have had the virus are usually immune afterwards - just like in the old days with measles," he said. "The larger the group that is immune, the less chance that the virus will jump to vulnerable elderly people and people with poor health. With group immunity you build, as it were, a protective wall around them.

"That is the principle. But we have to realise that it can take months or even longer to build up group immunity and during that time we need to shield people who are at greater risk as much as possible."

Edited March 17, 2020 by Sibiriak

[Clinton]

We cannot indefinitely shut down entire economies to attempt to only slow the spread of the inevitable.  It will be recognized that business must resume, accepting the fact that those that are at 'least risk' (or nearly everyone) must return to business 'as usual'.  Those that are  'at risk' will need to take all possible measures self-isolate.

Edited March 17, 2020 by Clinton

[Sibiriak]

New Research Warns 2.2 Million Could Die From Coronavirus in US

Quote

 

An alarming scientific report compiled by British researchers and shared with the Trump White House warns that, in the absence of drastic and coordinated government action, the novel coronavirus could kill as many as 2.2 million people in the United States alone.

The new research (pdf), led by epidemiologist Dr. Neil Ferguson and published Monday by the Imperial College of London, shows that merely acting to slow rather than completely stop the spread of COVID-19 would "still likely result in hundreds of thousands of deaths and health systems (most notably intensive care units) being overwhelmed many times over."

"For countries able to achieve it, this leaves suppression as the preferred policy option," the researchers wrote. "In the U.K. and U.S. context, suppression will minimally require a combination of social distancing of the entire population, home isolation of cases, and household quarantine of their family members. This may need to be supplemented by school and university closures."

Successful suppression of the virus could take a significant amount of time, the researchers noted—"potentially 18 months or more."

[...]"We don't have a clear exit strategy," Ferguson told the Times. "We're going to have to suppress this virus—frankly, indefinitely—until we have a vaccine. It's a difficult position for the world to be in."

 

 

[mccoy]

Boris Johnson's 180° deviation is expressed in the quoted letter. He calls the measures draconian, but actually I don't read about any police enforcement, which means they are really mild. Also, large gatherings as sports events are discouraged but not prohibited. Sounds sort of a compromise.

Quote

PM statement on coronavirus

 

16 March 2020 via Prime Minister’s Office

 

Good afternoon everybody, thank you very much for coming. I wanted to bring everyone up to date with the national fight back against the new coronavirus and the decisions that we’ve just taken in COBR for the whole of the UK. 

 

As we said last week, our objective is to delay and flatten the peak of the epidemic by bringing forward the right measures at the right time, so that we minimise suffering and save lives. And everything we do is based scrupulously on the best scientific advice. 

 

Last week we asked everyone to stay at home if you had one of two key symptoms: a high temperature or a new and continuous cough. 

 

Today, we need to go further, because according to SAGE [the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies] it looks as though we’re now approaching the fast growth part of the upward curve. 

 

And without drastic action, cases could double every 5 or 6 days. 

 

So, first, we need to ask you to ensure that if you or anyone in your household has one of those two symptoms, then you should stay at home for fourteen days. 

 

That means that if possible you should not go out even to buy food or essentials, other than for exercise, and in that case at a safe distance from others. If necessary, you should ask for help from others for your daily necessities. And if that is not possible, then you should do what you can to limit your social contact when you leave the house to get supplies. 

 

And even if you don’t have symptoms and if no one in your household has symptoms, there is more that we need you to do now. 

 

So, second, now is the time for everyone to stop non-essential contact with others and to stop all unnecessary travel. 

 

We need people to start working from home where they possibly can. And you should avoid pubs, clubs, theatres and other such social venues. 

 

It goes without saying, we should all only use the NHS when we really need to. And please go online rather than ringing NHS 111.

 

Now, this advice about avoiding all unnecessary social contact, is particularly important for people over 70, for pregnant women and for those with some health conditions. 

 

And if you ask, why are we doing this now, why now, why not earlier, or later? Why bring in this very draconian measure? 

 

The answer is that we are asking people to do something that is difficult and disruptive of their lives. 

 

And the right moment, as we’ve always said, is to do it when it is most effective, when we think it can make the biggest difference to slowing the spread of the disease, reducing the number of victims, reducing the number of fatalities. 

 

And as we take these steps we should be focusing on the most vulnerable.

  

So third, in a few days’ time – by this coming weekend – it will be necessary to go further and to ensure that those with the most serious health conditions are largely shielded from social contact for around 12 weeks. 

 

And again the reason for doing this in the next few days, rather than earlier or later, is that this is going to be very disruptive for people who have such conditions, and difficult for them, but, I believe, it’s now necessary. 

 

And we want to ensure that this period of shielding, this period of maximum protection coincides with the peak of the disease. 

 

And it’s now clear that the peak of the epidemic is coming faster in some parts of the country than in others. 

 

And it looks as though London is now a few weeks ahead. 

 

So, to relieve the pressure on the London health system and to slow the spread in London, it’s important that Londoners now pay special attention to what we are saying about avoiding non-essential contact, and to take particularly seriously the advice about working from home, and avoiding confined spaces such as pubs and restaurants. 

 

Lastly, it remains true as we have said in the last few weeks that risks of transmission of the disease at mass gatherings such as sporting events are relatively low. 

 

But obviously, logically as we advise against unnecessary social contact of all kinds, it is right that we should extend this advice to mass gatherings as well. 

 

And so we’ve also got to ensure that we have the critical workers we need, that might otherwise be deployed at those gatherings, to deal with this emergency.

 

So from tomorrow, we will no longer be supporting mass gatherings with emergency workers in the way that we normally do. So mass gatherings, we are now moving emphatically away from. 

 

And I know that many people – including millions of fit and active people over 70 – may feel, listening to what I have just said, that there is something excessive about these measures.

 

But I have to say, I believe that they are overwhelmingly worth it to slow the spread of the disease, to reduce the peak, to save life, minimise suffering and to give our NHS the chance to cope. 

  

Over the last few days, I have been comparing notes and talking to leaders around the world and I can tell you that the UK is now leading a growing global campaign amongst all our friends and allies, whether in the G7, the G20, the UN, the IMF - all those bodies in which we play a significant role. 

 

We’re leading a campaign to fight back against this disease. 

 

To keep the economy growing, to make sure that humanity has access to the drugs and the treatments that we all need, and the UK is also at the front of the effort to back business, to back our economy, to make sure that we get through it. 

 

I know that today we are asking a lot of everybody. It is far more now than just washing your hands - though clearly washing your hands remains important. 

 

But I can tell you that across this country, people and businesses in my experience are responding with amazing energy and creativity to the challenge that we face, and I want to thank everybody for the part that you are playing and are going to play. 

 

 

[mccoy]

 

 

0

 Advanced issue found

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3 hours ago, Sibiriak said:

Mccoy,  do you know offhand the purpose/ desirability of this kind of FFP2 mask with the thingamajig on the front?

Sibiriak, that's the classic respirator with a frontal filter, it makes it easier to breathe, the filter is also largely protected by the plastic shield FFP2 seems to be enough for healtcare protection in some instances:

Quote

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends European CE approved particulate respirators, EN149:2001 approved FFP2 or FFP3 disposable respirator or EN143:2000 P2 filters or respirators with higher levels of protection, in countries that accept CE approved respirators to help reduce healthcare worker’s exposures to airborne organisms in certain situations such as during aerosol generating procedures on patients with influenza. It is important to remember that government-approved respirators will help to reduce your exposure but will not eliminate exposure or the risk of contracting disease, illness or infection.

This is also a pretty good webpage for concise explanations about respirators.

N95 is the Niosh approximate equivalent of EN 143 FFP2, which is deemed by the CDC to be the  minimum safe level for Covid-19

Quote

The US Center for Disease Control (CDC) cites the N95 respirator standard as part of the advised protective equipment in their Covid-19 FAQ and their SARS guidance (SARS being a similar type of Corona virus). Which suggests that an N95 or better respirator is acceptable.

CDC recommends minimum protection of N95=FFP2 for healthcare personnel. It does not suggest the use of facial masks for healthy people (probably because of the current shortage).

Quote

Capacity across the healthcare continuum: Use of N95 or higher-level respirators are recommended for HCP who have been medically cleared, trained, and fit-tested, in the context of a facility’s respiratory protection programexternal icon.

 

Bottom line, you are all right with the FPP2 respirator, if you want better protection, N100 or FFP3 is the next level.

 

[Sibiriak]

Thanks Mccoy!😷

From your link-- pros and cons of the valve  (frontal filter) I asked about:

Quote

Valved respirators make it quicker and easier to exhale air than their non-valved counterparts. This makes them more comfortable to wear, and leads to less moisture build-up inside the respirator. This is particularly useful with the higher rated filters (N100/FFP3), which require more force to exhale through.

One important caveat though, is that valved respirators may not be optimal in settings where you want to stop the wearer from spreading infection. If the wearer is ill, the valve will mean that their out breath / coughs / sneezes will make their way through the mask, and into the air, without filtering. This is due to the valve opening when exhaling.

 

Edited March 17, 2020 by Sibiriak

[mccoy]

17 hours ago, Gordo said:

Just curious as to what you guys are doing with your investments/savings?  Are you just going to ride it out and hope you don't need to sell anything for a few years?  Or sell now and buy back sometime in the Summer perhaps at far lower prices?  Or do you not believe this is going to kill the economy - and if so, why?  Several states (Ohio, Pennsylvania, and others) just told all restaurants and bars to close, in PA its "all non-essential businesses" (whatever that means).  

As soon as I read it I had to check my contracts. I don't have much, but it's not pleasant to loose money like nothing. Some previous negative experiences with investments made me very skeptical about the financial markets, so I invested in funds or pension funds that have a no-loss clause. I'll earn nothing, I'll loose something (the management expenses), but that's all right, my initial concept was just parking the money for arising necessities.

Right now I'm just thinking whether drawing the money and hiding the cash into the mattress may be the best choice...

[Dean Pomerleau]

19 hours ago, Gordo said:

Just curious as to what you guys are doing with your investments/savings? 

We have about six months worth of expenses in cash already and our investments generate about as much cash as we spend per month, so we are riding it out. 

--Dean 

[Gordo]

9 minutes ago, Dean Pomerleau said:

We have about six months worth of expenses in cash already and our investments generate about as much cash as we spend per month, so we are riding it out. 

--Dean 

So far I'm riding it out as well, but not feeling great about it.  Many businesses are already asking for bailouts or teetering on the edge of solvency, dividends will probably be suspended, hopefully we get a second half rebound as people learn to live with this new reality.  No one knows when a vaccine might be ready, or even how effective it will be (corona might end up becoming like the flu with many strains).  Already I've seen several reports of people getting reinfected which is not a good sign.  If a company you are invested in declares bankruptcy typically shareholders get completely wiped out (if the company survives bankruptcy, it will come back and trade as a newly reorganized company with different shares that you won't own).  I have some restaurant stocks that I'm not sure can survive, also some energy stocks that might not make it but they've already been hammered, at least if I hold on there is some hope they will eventually recover, I feel like its a coin toss, but hoping I'm being too pessimistic.

[Clinton]

3 hours ago, mccoy said:

Right now I'm just thinking whether drawing the money and hiding the cash into the mattress may be the best choice...

If you are not fearful of fire or robbery it might be an option...

Good luck, McCoy.

 

[KHashmi317]

Several of you have probably already seen this ... Khan Academy posted  it two days ago ... a reasonable analysis ...

 

[TomBAvoider]

19 hours ago, Gordo said:

Are you aware of the deficit spending of this administration??  Its ludicrous already, I mean I guess we could go with 2x ludicrous, but...

Can we really bailout all the hotels, airlines, restaurants, bars, tourism, autos, cruise lines, banks, oil industry, etc.?  Just doesn't seem like an option.  We HAVE to accept these deaths and move on or the alternative will be much worse.  But when are people going to realize this?  As per above: "The average age of COVID-2019 positive and deceased patients is 81 years, in more than two thirds of cases they have three or more pre-existing diseases."

Welcome to our disfunctional government. WHY is there deficit spending right now? This is not how Keynesian policy is supposed to work. As you know, Keynes advocated running budget surpluses during economic boom times, with the surpluses saved for a recession fund. The idea was that as the boom becomes frothy, this is the time you RAISE taxes - for two reasons, one being to save for the recession fund and two, if you raise taxes you'll moderate the frothiness and avoid an exaggerated bust - this allows the boom to continue for longer instead of peaking, so you smooth out the boom-bust cycle. A longer boom also allows for longer time to run surplusses and a bigger recession fund. But of course, Republicans - for whom cutting taxes is a religion - instead CUT taxes during boom times, thus ensuring that the frothiness will be even greater and nothing is saved for the recession... and once there is a recession, Republicans of course find the cure to be - you guessed it - CUT taxes. Basically cut taxes regardless (for the upper income folks, of course!). 

We saw that at work when Clinton ran budget surplusses - as soon as he could, Bush who is an economic illiterate, cut taxes instead of saving the money. It all ended up with a massive financial crash. Obama had to deficit spend to get out of that disaster because the idiot Bush ran deficits and saved nothing and there was no recession fund. Then as soon as the economy recovered, Trump decided now was the time to repeat the cycle, so instead of raising taxes, he cut them (with most of it going to the upper echelons - who don't spend). That resulted in an epic deficit - and now that we need to spend to get out of this situation, we have ZERO in a recession fund. So when you ask:

Are you aware of the deficit spending of this administration? I say, sadly yes. It's a tale of a grashopper who never saves, and only goes into debt, and then when he needs the funds to avoid a catastrophy, Gordo finally screams "but deficits!". Yeah, all along. You save when times are good, so you're OK when times are bad - seems elementary - don't you do it in your life? You don't wait to save when times are bad, and go into credit card fuelled debt when times are good in order to live it up even more. But it's beyond both parties (especially the Republicans) to exhibit any discipline.

Point being now is not the time to scream "deficits" - the time to scream was when they were cutting taxes during a good economy. When we know for a fact that such tax cuts will result in massive deficits - why are the Repubs doing this? And why are the tea baggers not outraged by these deficits? They're only outraged when a Democrat has to go into deficits to clean up a Bush type disaster.

Anyhow, both parties are corrupt, the Democrats never met spending they didn't like and the Republicans are outright criminals Robin Hooding in reverse, robbing the poor to help the rich. Neither bothers to run the economy along any logical lines - but as Upton Sinclair said "It's difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon him not understanding it". 

Now everyone is lining up for a bailout - just recently I saw casinos are crying for a government bailout. But the idea is not to bail out every single business, the idea is to spend on infrastructure (which is in dire disrepair anyway) so that it becomes an engine for future growth while stimulating the economy at present and employing the displaced workers - that's what FDR did to great success. The fact that we have no recession savings or rainy day fund just makes this a much more tragic situation for future generations. Had we saved, we'd wouldn't need to go into as deep (if any) deficit to stimulate us out of this downward spiral.

In any case, unless you want to go down that road, you better advocate for business to return to normal as soon as possible (June at the latest), so we can avoid a depression where such drastic measures are necessary. Because you are not helping the public health if you destroy the economy - a broken economy is not going to be the cure for CORVID-19.

[BrianA]

Starting to see more US efforts towards cloning the successes from Asia. Masks... not sure if they will become a widespread thing here or not. Currently still being discouraged by officials due to their completely bungled (at all levels, fed/state/private) preparation levels, now scrambling to try and hoover up all mask supplies. Perhaps 2 or 3 months from now, after that crisis is over and all the ramped up China and US production is flowing well, then you could see mask prices drop back close to normal and availability be enough that the officials and/or public might change their stance during a potential virus rebound this fall/winter.

 

Surveillance Company Says It's Deploying 'Coronavirus-Detecting' Cameras In US

https://science.slashdot.org/story/20/03/17/211228/surveillance-company-says-its-deploying-coronavirus-detecting-cameras-in-us

 

US Government, Tech Industry Discussing Ways To Use Smartphone Location Data To Combat Coronavirus

https://yro.slashdot.org/story/20/03/17/1911201/us-government-tech-industry-discussing-ways-to-use-smartphone-location-data-to-combat-coronavirus

 

More from that UK study, predicting a virus rebound later in the year after this initial lockdown period ends.

Inside the model that may be making US, UK rethink coronavirus control

https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/03/new-model-examines-impact-of-different-methods-of-coronavirus-control/#p3

[Sibiriak]

Quote

Australians have been told they face at least six months of restrictions to their daily lives as the country’s prime minister, Scott Morrison, set out a host of measures designed to combat the spread of the virus.