Why Shouldn't We Be Wearing Masks?

witsa on 21/03/2020 - 15:14
Last edited 21/03/2020 - 17:00 by 1 other user

The official advice regarding masks seems to be don't need it unless you're sick.

I mean the first problem with this statement is that you don't actually know that you're sick. Then if you look at China and Korea and Hong Kong and all these countries that seem to be doing a good job at containing this virus, every single person is wearing a mask. Not just people on the street but politicians, reports, scientists and doctors etc.

Are they wrong? Are they all just overly paranoid? Do we have a right to judge when they've managed to contain this virus?

Are the advice to not wear masks just because there is a shortage of masks and that if there wasn't a shortage we should all wear one? If this is true, is that not absolutely crazy? The Chinese were able to supply masks for every one of their 1 billion+ ppl and we've had 4 months and not been able to find 30 million masks for our population?

Health & Beauty COVID-19

Comments

  • elgrande on 21/03/2020 - 15:17
    +21

    Grabs mask and handwash….

      • TEER3X on 23/03/2020 - 16:08
        +32

        There have been studies showing wearing a mask can reduce the chance of catching and spreading the flu. Somewhere in the region of 4x-5x at prevention, when used properly.

        I'd say that's pretty significant. The WHO basically lied to the world when they said a mask won't help. They did so because of the shortage for hospital staff that need the masks more than anyone.

        • yannyrjl on 23/03/2020 - 17:00
          +14

          why would anyone believe WHO at this point, they just took China's word and said there is no evidence it will transmit in the community

          • allenhori on 25/03/2020 - 09:31
            +4

            @yannyrjl: That is so not true. The whole purpose of a city level lockdown is to prevent the spread of the disease and it happened in January when the Chinese locked down Wuhan. It is the Australian government keeps saying there is no indication of community transmission until it is too late. Australia is among the first few countries stopped Chinese from entering into the country and it definitely worked.

            WHO never lied about community transmission.

            I quote below from The Guardian as of 27/02/2020

            Link: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/21/explainer-how-…

            “The only new COVID-19 detections in Australia in the last two weeks are eight cases in Australian passengers repatriated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship,” the AHPPC said in a statement issued on Friday. “There remains no evidence of community transmission in Australia, with thousands of negative tests for COVID-19 in the last week alone. the risk to the Australian community from travellers from mainland China appears to have reduced significantly since the inception of travel restrictions. This could justify some further easing of travel restrictions.”

            • yannyrjl on 26/03/2020 - 18:36
              -1

              @allenhori: https://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2020/03/20/the-wo…

              Don't restrict your news to only CCP friendly sources, I'm not sure if you are aware to say the Guardian is left leaning is probably an understatement. Just look at their reporting on the Hong Kong Protests.

              I really can't trust the news source so you can then go and try to trace back to the original WHO tweets, if they haven't been taken down already.

              Found it
              https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1217043229427761152

              • allenhori on 27/03/2020 - 00:25
                +4

                @yannyrjl: I’m trying to avoid negs and having a healthy discussion here, to be clear: I totally agree what the CCP did to those 7 doctors was unfair and it subsequently caused the breakout in Wuhan.

                But you are comparing a mid-Jan WHO twitter post with a late Feb Australian news. Forget about if the Chinese tried to cover the truth or not back then and if WHO just copy/pasted what they were told. The news was posted at the end of Feb, it is more than clear to anyone the disease will spread fast and becoming out of control if we do nothing. Tens of thousands of people were infected in China. No evidence of community transmission in Australia doesn’t mean it won’t happen. And what the government did was completely ignored the fact and didn’t do much other than stopping people from a few selected countries from entering into the country. I didn’t quote The Guardian on purpose it is merely a report of what the Australia official said.

                Look at the situation in China now, their country-wide lockdown + enforcing masks worked and when did WHO said anything about masks won’t work in Feb? It never said anything about masks won’t work.

                Wuhan is about to come out of the lockdown now. I don’t want to go down the human rights path just the fact people get to live is the first priority. If they have a problem with CCP, at least they can now live to fight.

                HK is a totally different story. As far as I know I don’t want the CCP point their fingers to how TAS/ACT should operate and if the Brits returned HK to China in 1997, it is theirs. They have the ultimate right to decide what is “the best” for their land. I don’t know what the full story was in HK but I do have very close cop friends, if anyone’s trying to attack them on the street while they are on duty, I say they have every right to defend themselves and shoot the mobs. Just look at what the US police would do if they see people as a threat to their safety. The HK people my have the right starting point but it definitely ended in police against crazy violent mobs. I as a normal person would respect the police and co-operate if the they are in operation and ask me to step back.

                My whole point is, our government was too slow to react. There are more infected people coming from the US than China as of today as the PM said a couple of days ago. We are already behind, what can we do to help flatten the curve? Wearing mask is a sensible solution if you have to go out and see people. What the WHO said in Jan is irrelevant to what it is now and there wasn’t a lie to start with since they never said anything about masks won’t work .

                • yannyrjl on 27/03/2020 - 10:04
                  +1

                  @allenhori: if you don't know much about HK I suggest you take the time to read up on it to get informed on it and understand the conditions as well how the protest went about before spending a large paragraph on the topic. Again, search multiple sources, on the ground interviews, commentary from China as well as abroad.

                  While you have remained courteous, every point you didn't want to talk about or glossed over are in fact the crux of the problem: whistle blower cover-up, human-rights abuse, Chinese pandering by UN / WHO, media bias against travel bans, medias left leaning stance etc.

                  I think it's not productive to blame at this point as the best approach is to solve the problem, but people should not forget or gloss over what happened.

                  Also, if China forced every single person to wear masks or any form of other covering available, so obviously they believe it works. So when you say they managed to keep it under control, don't you at the same time advocate for Masks which is what the OP originally asked about.

                  Also, the only reason I commented on this post is because you mentioned WHO never said about community transmission, which by the tweet I pulled up evidence the opposite. You yourself admit it, and in all likelihood I agree they just took the Chinese claim and legitimised it, but they are still responsible lending that little credibility they had to the lie (and the CCP already knew given they destroyed lap samples early on).

                • yannyrjl on 27/03/2020 - 10:23
                  +2

                  @allenhori: Also I think language is important, I'd say what the CCP did to those doctors was "unfair" is a fairly strong understatement considering several are now dead under suspicious circumstances. Framing like this could definitely inflame the conversation rather than help. To me it's akin to saying "… what the Hilter did to the Jews were …"

            • yannyrjl on 26/03/2020 - 18:46

              @allenhori: I'm not sure how aware you are on how China works, but their City Level lockdown is very much different to what the Western world imagines it.

              Also the lock down was at the end of Jan, shortly after City government encouraged massive gathering, after shutting down Whistle Blower Li Wen Liang and his group of doctors.

              You can check the Wiki about him below, look at how early he warned people:
              https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Wenliang

          • juki on 25/03/2020 - 17:49
            +5

            @yannyrjl: should have listened to Taiwan.

            but if we lawyer for WHO, there are different types of masks, ie surgical vs n95 (then not only wearing but the handling of masks may cause issues as well as the supply).

            • yannyrjl on 26/03/2020 - 18:56
              +1

              @juki: Yes, Taiwan tried to warn them, but WHO just decided to believe China.

              Look at Hollywood, NBA and now WHO appeasing China for a few more $$$ and now all suffering the consequences. Reminds me of Neville Chamberlain's appeasement to Nazi Germany.

          • TEER3X on 23/03/2020 - 19:35
            +5

            @[Deactivated]: Do you think there is a major difference in how the flu and coronavirus is transmitted?

            I highly recommend watching this for some more insight from an expert, it will help educate you further on the topic.

            https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=E3URhJx0NSw#menu

            • [Deactivated] on 23/03/2020 - 19:39
              -5

              @TEER3X: ughh so you are one of those who just think covi-19 is a bad flu.. no point even dsicussing with you.

              going by your source being a UFC fighter podcast, you are one of those..

              • TEER3X on 23/03/2020 - 19:50
                +7

                @[Deactivated]: No, don't be an idiot. I despise the UFC (and Josh Rogan) but don't hold any judgement of anyone that doesn't (or does).

                The video features Michael Osterholm, he's one of the most knowledgeable people on this pandemic.

                Obviously covid-19 is much worse than influenza, but mainly because we have never been exposed to it and have zero existing immunity to it…. I do however believe the actual mortality rate is closer to 0.5%, that the only reason it's higher is because of the number of confirmed cases or rather the number of unaccounted for cases.

        • shiny1 on 23/03/2020 - 21:48
          +1

          400% to 500% is massively significant. 5% is considered statistically significant. I wonder if that's the reason why a lot of member discounts are a measly 5%.

          • rover on 24/03/2020 - 17:51

            @shiny1: I should clarify that that isn't how statistical significance works. While setting a critical statistical significance level at 5% is commonplace, it can actually be set to other values (10% and 1% being other common values). What you need to know is the p value associated with those measures of 400%-500% to know if those measures were statistically significant.

        • Eeples on 30/03/2020 - 14:09

          Links to the studies please.

      • THL on 23/03/2020 - 16:44
        +4

        Yes masks along don't stop coronavirus. But nothing does (except the vaccine). It's a combination of good hygiene practices such as washing hands, don't touch your face and reduce your chance of exposure (i.e. travelling or be in a confined space with others) and masks are good to have if you have them depending on your situation and where you are going.

        If you are going to open space places like parks, there's literally no point of wearing masks. But if you are travelling on public transport or crowded places (like the aisle of toilet paper rolls in supermarkets :D), yes there's definitely a case to wear mask.

        Surgical masks are good at capturing droplets, which is a main form of transmission of coronavirus. Yes it doesn't stop aerosols but it will reduce your chance of getting coronavirus. What's needed is good education on how to put on masks properly, and when do you throw them away properly.

        Read the below for additional info.

        https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/21/can-face-mask-…

        • [Deactivated] on 23/03/2020 - 17:35
          -8

          And like i said droplet protection stops working after 20 minutes, so unless you are replacing your surgical mask every 20 minutes, you are contributing to the hospital shortages and them being exposed and transmitting the virus in a hospital setting.

          Sick of having to educate clueless people that just believe random news articles. You are actually making the situation worse having clinicians spread diseases in hospitals

          • THL on 23/03/2020 - 18:24
            +14

            @[Deactivated]:

            Sick of having to educate clueless people

            I'm also sick of people unable to have proper discussion without name calling. No I didn't believe anything I read from some random news article. Here's many others talking about the use of masks and their effectiveness:

            From CHP of Hong Kong: https://www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/use_mask_properly.pdf
            From Singapore: https://www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19/faqs

            droplet protection stops working after 20 minutes

            Where's the source? Personally I have never heard of this and I don't think hospital staff change their masks every 20 minutes. Happy to be corrected if I'm wrong.

            Speaking of shortages of masks in hospital, there was a news 2 weeks ago saying Australia has $100 million worth of medical stockpile, including 20 million masks. If there's any shortage of PPE, I believe these can also be requested through Department of Health. Personally I haven't seen any news saying there's shortage of masks and clinicians been exposed to virus as a result.

            Welcome for any constructive feedback without the name calling. Cheers.

            • [Deactivated] on 23/03/2020 - 19:43
              -7

              @THL: "Here's many others talking about the use of masks and their effectiveness:"

              Nice linking some Chinese propaganda stuff.

              "Where's the source? "

              Both statements from AMA and ADA.

              "Personally I have never heard of this and I don't think hospital staff change their masks every 20 minutes. Happy to be corrected if I'm wrong."

              Well clearly you have zero link to any sort of healthcare system or ever worked near one. When stock aren't running low (because of people like you who doesn't understand things), you should see how often we change gloves and masks.

      • BestofOZB on 23/03/2020 - 18:03
        +7

        Not sure why you were down voted.

        My neutropenic patient in hospital went without breakfast this morning because the catering staff couldn't find a mask to wear and go into their room, which nurses had to hide because visitors were stealing them!

        They left the food outside the room for the nurses to deliver, which then had to be thrown away for infection control.

        True story this morning!

        • [Deactivated] on 23/03/2020 - 18:14
          +1

          Yep, I'm in healthcare myself and understand what's happening.

          Frustrating when randoms on OZB are just completely uneducated and spreading information that's highly damaging to our hospital systems.

          • TEER3X on 24/03/2020 - 14:51
            +1

            @[Deactivated]: So does that make you a doctor or researcher?

            Are you yourself not a random on OZB?

            Just because you work in healthcare doesn't make you an expert. I know of a hospital in the US where they are banning surgical masks for their staff. See idiots can work in healthcare too.

            • pkjai on 25/03/2020 - 20:10

              @TEER3X: masster probably works in that hospital

        • lostn on 23/03/2020 - 19:02

          that's horrible. But also understandable. They are understaffed, under-resourced and stretched thin. We simply aren't prepared. This is a black swan. And we aren't even close to what Europe is facing right now. We have over 1000 reported cases of CV. Wait till we get to 40,000 like Italy.

          • BestofOZB on 23/03/2020 - 20:19
            +6

            @lostn: Not undesrtandable that people are stealing masks and hand sanitizers FROM hospitals, where they are needed the most. Sorry but this is stupidity and selfishness. And masster is right, (surgical) masks don't protect the people wearing if from the virus, why wear it, let alone steal it from an oncology ward in a hospital!!!

      • JaseWA96 on 23/03/2020 - 22:53

        If you go to a supermarket and you dont wear gloves, a mask, and a face shield, you are just bringing the virus home to your family. If not today, then tomorrow..

        • buckster on 24/03/2020 - 12:05
          +1

          False, if you clean your hands before hand, clean your hands after, and don't touch your face in the process you will bring nothing home. If you breath it in, it'll have to be because someone's just coughed it into the air

      • MisterX on 24/03/2020 - 10:06
        +3

        Do you not see how quickly the Virus can be stopped if there's a double barrier? If I'm sick I won't transmit. If he's sick, he won't transmit.

    • johno3456 on 27/03/2020 - 03:28
      -1

      Best to wear a mask or an alternative such a motorcycle helmet or good quality stocking, particularly when you go to a bank. Lots of germs there.
      Also carry a long bag too, or a guitar case. Works a treat.

  • jjjaar on 21/03/2020 - 15:21
    +64

    We used a lot of our masks during the bushfires. We, Australia, do have a shortage. And every country in the world wants masks, it’s not easy to get more.

    Hospitals do not have enough long term for frontline workers who are 100% certain they are around this or other dangerous viruses. I have been told this by three different nurses of two hospitals in Melbourne.

    Oh, and those I have seen using masks are not using them properly. They’re touching them every minute, lifting them up to eat or drink, etc. We can’t trust people to use them properly. Why would we waste them when doctors and nurses don't have sufficient access to them.

    • witsa on 21/03/2020 - 15:49
      -1

      Someone mentioned elsewhere the masks in the bushfires are different to the surgical masks we need now

      • subywagon on 21/03/2020 - 16:09
        +13

        I'm pretty sure the masks that were used in the bush fires filter better than surgical masks. The problem is most people have no experience wearing them and don't wear them properly. You need to make a proper seal.

        • gromit on 23/03/2020 - 08:48
          +9

          yes and no. One of the main benefits of the masks for infected people is stopping the spittle when they speak or cough so they are less likely to spread the virus. Even a badly fitted mask will assist with this. It also prevents you from touching your mouth.

      • jjjaar on 21/03/2020 - 16:31
        +1

        They are, but a lot of people don’t know that and used surgical ones.

      • Ghost47 on 23/03/2020 - 10:23
        +3

        The surgical masks supposedly do not do much to protect you from the virus. The best masks to have are N95 masks, and yes these were heavily purchased during the bushfires (and even when coronavirus did start to spread).

        • evuser on 23/03/2020 - 12:49
          +2

          The surgical masks do a great deal to prevent you from spreading the virus.

          • subywagon on 24/03/2020 - 00:55
            +2

            @evuser: People aren't buying and wearing masks to prevent spreading the virus. If they are they should be at home in quarantine! They are buying them to protect themselves from the virus.

          • buckster on 24/03/2020 - 12:06

            @evuser: Sorry kerb the standard surgical ones do nothing. They've gotta be P2/N95 to be effective

      • Ahbal on 23/03/2020 - 16:17
        +1

        hahahaha the virus goes straight through the surgical ones.

        The bushfire ones are n95 and even then those only last an hour or so of effective use.

        Pointless having everyone wearing one.

        Better just to be smart and let the nurses/doctors use them.

        Difference between us and Asia is that most Aussies only wash their hands and practice hygiene when there is a pandemic going on.

        Harsh truth.

        • subywagon on 24/03/2020 - 00:56
          +2

          So true. I've been mocked by friends and family in the past for washing my hands…

        • ChickenTalon on 25/03/2020 - 19:40
          +4

          hahahaha the virus goes straight through the surgical ones.

          Incorrect

    • Lichen6420 on 21/03/2020 - 19:35
      +7

      I know a Brisbane nurse and their PPE situation is a joke. Lots of hospital workers are going to catch this thing.

    • kasp on 25/03/2020 - 23:43
      +2

      However there is so much bullshit about the coronavirus and it was done to either not make the public worry or cover for a supply shortage.

      The virus is airborne and while simple surgical masks aren't as effective as n95 gear they still offer significant more protection than nothing and are a tiny bit worse than n95. Even better still if you are an unknowing carrier you protect the community by making it harder for other people to catch.

      With all these bloody rules and shutting down the economy they could just open up some factories pumping out these things 24x7 and make it mandatory for everyone to wear a mask.

      It would cause a significant drop even without social distancing. Mix it with it and it would just about be eradicated.

  • Iwilltakeit on 21/03/2020 - 15:26
    +37

    not been able to find 30 million masks

    Face masks are supposed to be single use and disposed afterwards. You're going to need a lot more than 30 million.

    Dont have much else to add since I don't know anything about the supply.

    I do agree that everyone should be wearing them for that added level of protection. But if there is a supply issue the face masks should be reserved for those on the frontlines.

    • Kangal on 21/03/2020 - 17:15
      +3

      Exactly.

      Face Masks won't prevent infection either. But they can reduce transmission, as the amount of particles you're infected with is reduced making the barrier of infection higher. But more importantly, it causes a psychological change in that people start touching their eyes, nose, ears, and mouth less often. That seems to have a higher effect.

      Although, even if we had enough masks for everyone, and spares as well. It doesn't make sense to wear it if you are "normal". Mask wearing has the biggest effect for those who are in close-contact with suspects (ie Doctors, Nurses, etc etc). And has the biggest effect on the sick, from reducing the expulsion though coughing.

      If everyone stayed home without interacting with anyone, the virus would become extinct in 3 weeks. That's not a viable/possible solution. Neither is it viable to wait for vaccines (as that can take anywhere from 1-9 months). So the most practical solution is to "straighten the curve" by reducing the exponential spread of the virus, and making sure hospitals have plenty of supplies, personnel, resources. And we achieve this with social engineering, by restricting travel, increasing hygiene, and having some "social distancing". Unfortunately, the worst is yet to come, and it will likely take a full-year for at least our country to go back into normal mode (social and production). However, it is more important that this doesn't evolve into social breakdown where fights and thefts become rampant.

  • ego22 on 21/03/2020 - 15:27
    +59

    they advise u not to wear masks for 2 reasons.

    most people dont know the rules of wearing them, like how to fit them on their faces properly, how long can u use them for, how to safely put them on and take it off, how not to contaminate them by touching your mask all the time etc. that mixed with the confidence it gives people to go out and live a normal life as long as they have a mask on is going to spread the virus alot more than if people are indoors locked in their houses, scared to go out because they dont have masks.

    and the other reason is because there is a shortage and they dont want people buying up masks. taking them alway from medical workers.

    that is it.

    masks do work great if u know how to use them and have the right one. thats why all medical front line people have them on. thats what they are for. surgical masks are different from n95 masks. surgical masks would help not spread the virus if u are sick. but n95 masks are for both sick and not sick people. (dont give a sick person a valved one)

    • kahn on 21/03/2020 - 18:53
      +76

      Good comments, but are you afraid that your shift key has the virus?

      • luffyex2010 on 21/03/2020 - 19:18
        +2

        lol good one

      • kiitos on 22/03/2020 - 11:20
        +1

        Maybe the shift keys are socially distancing themselves from the rest of the keys. Very responsible.

        • ProlapsedHeinous on 23/03/2020 - 06:38

          Perhaps it's one of them fancy "Paradigm Shifts" everyone keeps going on a boot

        • ccrap on 23/03/2020 - 15:18

          Maybe it's been subject to a CAPS Lock out?

      • tik tok on 23/03/2020 - 07:35

        I reckon its got an ego, in line with username, and doesn't want to be pushed.

    • y on 23/03/2020 - 16:30
      +6

      "Masks only work if you wear them properly"

      Many people also don't wash their hands properly, but we don't tell them to not bother washing their hands - Something is better than nothing

      I think in addition to shortages there's a cultural reluctance to going out wearing masks among Australians - I have been wearing my N99 mask with changeable filters that I bought for the bushires out and still hardly see anyone else wearing masks on the street in inner Melbourne

      • ego22 on 23/03/2020 - 18:42
        -1

        yes one of the reasons china and hong kong recovered so fast is because they have lived through alot of viruses and the population automatically put on masks and know the routine. something that Australia will learn the hard way.
        what model mask do u own?

        • tyme on 25/03/2020 - 14:08
          -1

          China has told its people to stop recording deaths.
          They haven't flattened the curve, they haven't cure it, they aren't doing better than Italy.
          They are in no way "recovered".

  • gomertose on 21/03/2020 - 15:28
    +19

    https://imgur.com/fY9zgmN

    Newspaper letter to the editor from a surgeon.

    • witsa on 21/03/2020 - 15:47
      +2

      That's nuts.

      I completely agree if there is a shortage, it needs to go to the people on the front line.

      But also crazy there is a shortage in the first place. Would've assumed Australia would've some sort of plan for a pandemic and in that plan we would've stockpiled these masks

      • [Deactivated] on 21/03/2020 - 16:35
        +6

        The countries that make most of them stopped exporting them in December to preserve stock for themselves….

      • mingofmongo on 23/03/2020 - 11:13
        +1

        The problem is that the rubber perishes over time, so the stockpile needs to be regularly replenished.

        • witsa on 23/03/2020 - 11:19

          So do that. I'm sure there's normal non pandemic usage of these masks.

          It must be the same with other things we need to stockpile. (Eg. Oil)

          Sounds like there really wasn't any foresight here

          • serideth on 23/03/2020 - 17:39
            +2

            @witsa: They do that, but when you're rotating stock of say 20 million masks you could reasonably use that up whereas if you're stockpiling 300 million masks you can't reasonably use that much.

            Different story for oil, for one if you store it without oxygen that stuff can literally last thousands of years. Also there's way more uses for oil no just for petroleum, but construction, industrial and plastic manufacturers all consume oil.

            Bottom line could they have stockpiled hundreds of millions of masks? Sure, would it make economical sense? No.

  • trustnoone on 21/03/2020 - 15:45
    +11

    I feel like there are issues with communication here, though I don't have the expertise to know for sure.

    They don't say "you don't need it" the recommendation feels more like "Don't wear one, it doesn't do anything", and I think the issue is people are sitting here saying wut? That doesn't make sense?!? Why do doctors need it then? Even if it doesn't do much, wouldn't any little bit help? Which just makes everyone not believe official sources, I can't count the number of people who told me they believe its bullshizzle.

    I feel like the Australian people are down to earth types, and instead, they should just say "hay the masks help a little, but you're taking it away from doctors and nurses who legit need it more, unless you've got a compromised immune system please don't buy up all the stock". And it would probably go a much longer way in helping on the shortage.

    • Donkeyface on 24/03/2020 - 19:31
      +2

      I used to think 'the Australian people are down to earth types'. Looking at the empty shelves, where the toilet papers are supposed to go, I changed my mind. People are selfish, and it is true everywhere.

  • roundnumbersonly on 21/03/2020 - 15:52
    +8

    I'd wear a mask if I could find one! Funnily enough the only people I see wearing them when walking around the city are mainly of Asian descent….where are they getting them from?

    • Soluble on 21/03/2020 - 16:00
      +14

      They've probably always had them, more prepared. Before the pandemic who were the only people you ever seen wearing them?

    • SnoozeAndLose on 21/03/2020 - 16:05

      Some pharmacy still had some, selling $3 each for 3 ply masks N95 $15@.

      Would you willing to spend this much?

      • jowu15 on 22/03/2020 - 09:01

        @Snooze I would be willing to pay for it but I have been looking for them for months but could find none. Which store have them, near Melbourne would be great thanks

        • SnoozeAndLose on 22/03/2020 - 09:42
          +1

          I am located at Hornsby area in NSW.

          Look on eBay, there are plenty. I have bought some for around $2 each and take 4 days to deliver from VIC.

          Pm me and I can send you the listing I bought from

        • sajidmib on 22/03/2020 - 23:33

          Ebay have sellers 50 surgical masks for $42

          But extra gaskets about 100 pcs for $14 and extend the life of your mask. Use it for longer.

          Both sellers are on ebay can send link

      • lostn on 23/03/2020 - 15:34

        if they're chinese, they're used to wearing them back home anyway, so keeping stock around is not unusual for them. We aren't used to wearing them, so when everyone decides they want one, there aren't any around.

    • [Deactivated] on 21/03/2020 - 16:37

      You need to change it several times a day for it to be effective.

      • SnoozeAndLose on 22/03/2020 - 14:09

        It can last for 4-6 hours if you use it properly, so use when you get on and off public transport.

    • SnoozeAndLose on 22/03/2020 - 14:09

      eBay sell $2 each.

    • cheng2008 on 22/03/2020 - 22:41
      +2

      They got in early when everyone else thought it was no big deal.

      • SnoozeAndLose on 24/03/2020 - 21:47

        Still, a lot of people on here thought it was no big deal.

    • qiaoer on 25/03/2020 - 10:08

      It is quite easy to and cheap to buy from China now. Many Chinese bought online and get them shipped to Australia. If the government place the order now, they should be able to have the masks in a week. Ps, we think we all should wear a mask since the supply is definitely enough now. At least the mask prevents the patient to spread the virus during the incubation period. Also, a lot of people saying you have to wear the mask properly and I totally agree. But how long to learn wearing it properly? Two minutes should be enough. I didn't know how to wear a mask properly until I saw a video recently.

  • DingoBilly on 21/03/2020 - 16:29
    +7

    Why shouldn't we adopt an Authoritarian regime? Their countries are booming and handling this better than us. Maybe democracy is the problem?

    • lostn on 23/03/2020 - 15:43
      +13

      you don't need an authoritarian regime to contain a virus. Singapore, Taiwan and HK have done a very good job without such a regime. The key is they were prepared, not complacent. All 3 countries have single digit deaths and no more than a few hundred cases. Due to experience with past outbreaks, they were ready and knew what to do, acted early to prevent it from getting where we are. You can add Korea to the list of prepared countries even though they were hit with a serious outbreak. They do not have stock shortages in their supermarkets. Everything is full. And they didn't need to close every non-essential business. Their daily new cases number in the double digits.

      Western countries on the other hand were not prepared. They recalled that recent outbreaks such as swine flu, mers, sars were confined to other countries, and the containment was the responsibility of those countries, not theirs. They just didn't fathom a world the virus would make its way into their borders and got complacent. When they saw only a handful of cases imported in, they assumed that was all they had, and as long as they monitored each one, the risk was low. It was spreading, they just didn't know about it because they weren't testing people. They didn't bother contact tracing or mass testing until it was too late. By the time they acted, the damage had already been done.

      It's not their fault the virus exists in the first place, but they have known about its existence including internal cases for over 2 months now. They had time to prepare but underestimated the severity of the situation and didn't act in time. Thousands of cases didn't just appear overnight. The seed was there months ago and was not nipped in the bud before it could do the damage it has done.

      Things will only continue to get worse from here on unfortunately. I predict this will hit us harder than the great depression.

      • qiaoer on 25/03/2020 - 10:25
        +1

        I don't think you are comparing the same situation between these countries. When Wuhan was locked down, there were already hundreds of thousand people infected. However, when Singapore, Taiwan, HK and Korea started to control, only tens of people were infected. Also, almost all these countries encourage their people to wear masks and educate them how to wear it properly.

        I believe CCP is handling this better than democratic countries for this situation, but I STILL prefer to have democracy.

    • trienchieu12 on 21/03/2020 - 16:55
      -1

      I think you should wear them, to stop spreading the virus or get infected, so the higher risk professions have more time to saver other lives.

      • Tech5 on 21/03/2020 - 17:06
        +2

        Really?

        So if there are 5 masks. 7 doctors in the emergency ward. And then there is 7 of you. Who should the masks go to? Particularly if the 7 of you don't know how to use it, can't stop touching your face, don't understand the basics of infection control (of no fault of your own. It is more than just washing hands)

        Because that is what the situation is being boiled down to now. If there was enough masks for the medical profession, go for it. Wear them. But there isn't.

        We are finding it next to impossible to find masks to treat patients. Do you know that we send staff out to pharmacies, groceries etc. to source masks?

        The higher filtration masks are not even being handed out to certain medical staff anymore. Literally being locked away

        • coin saver on 21/03/2020 - 18:33
          +2

          The Nurses? You make a statement "We are finding it next to impossible to find masks to treat patients" so who are we? " Do you know that we send staff out to pharmacies, groceries etc. to source masks?" maybe time to change employers.

        • lostn on 23/03/2020 - 15:47

          i'm pretty sure hospitals get their supplies delivered to them, instead of sending staff out to pharmacies to buy them. That would be a very expensive way to get supplies since their time is worth a lot more than $6 for a courier to deliver them.

  • Price Hike on 21/03/2020 - 16:55
    +2

    It's probably because there isn't enough stock. Imagine how much panic there would be if the official advice was wear a mask and there's no stock. Panic buying would be nothing compared to the chaos not having masks would cause

  • nahi11 on 21/03/2020 - 16:55
    -7

    They've already been hoarded. I only see a particular demographic wearing them in Sydney.

    • Cluster on 21/03/2020 - 17:27
      +5

      Until recently I only saw Chinese/Indian/subcontinent people wearing masks, but today I saw two Caucasian looking people wearing them too. More people will certainly wear them next month, if they can get stock. I wouldn't be surprised if there will be areas of our major cities where you're not allowed in public without one in June/July/August.

      I'm not of Asian descent but have prepared.

    • Ghost47 on 23/03/2020 - 10:29
      +6

      I've seen Asians, Lebanese, White people all wear masks in Sydney.

      Just an FYI for you and others, because there's a lot of shit being spread online because of people's personal prejudices. In times like these we need to be sensible and use our brains instead of believing everything and spreading shit.

    • eek on 23/03/2020 - 11:37
      +8

      If you're referring to Asians, it's because Asians have always had them. It's already embedded in their culture to wear masks in public, on public transport etc for hygiene reasons.

      • Brianqpr on 23/03/2020 - 17:07

        See many ethnicities wearing them recently but Asians the most common probably for reasons already discussed.

        Highlight was a girl I saw yesterday who looked of European origin. Had colour co-ordinated a black mask with her outfit and looked amazing!

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