Hi
@mat200 and whoeverdecides to read what follows. Welcome!
1.) I've looked at it a while ago. I'll refresh and see what has been updated. Though it's not going to change much of the below. Thank you for sharing the source though, I always like to critically evaluate a plethora of different sources.
2-3) We agree, you're just restating the same information using slightly different words...., hopefully, we're not going to descend into pedanticism .....
4.) Healthcare workers are making cloth masks and or sourcing their own due to the following
A.) The gross inability of institutions to prepare and or do their duty to protect their employees all the while having no real qualms about not having or getting the stuff they should have had.
aa.) Big money be it VC or the politically connected of every form and many others smelled opportunity and jumped into the grey market. It got brutal fast...
B.) Once shielded from liability for workplace safety/exposure/etc... via various gvt executive means; they decided to wait for states and the fed to show up with their wishlist of gear free of charge. No need to spend capital chasing gear when the gvt will bring it.....eventually....Also no need to buy any because well the states and or fed will bring the gear....
Really, you need to keep that cash handy, never know when you're going to need it like down in point C or so....
There is also that part where you get to skip explaining to the board why you spent it when the gvt was bound to come and since they're indemnified from liability...if some of those front line heroes die nice things will be said but generally "shit happens"...We saved the capital and it's around ya know for bonuses and incentives and such.
I mean who's going to race uphill explaining why they pent and spent to get gear for a long-shot scenario, and lots of it has a shelf life. It's so no Bueno and more headache than it's worth. Better to just go low friction right boys and girls? So buy PPE for the guys in units or on the street? No. ...Hell no...I mean No thank you....
They weren't buying, the red cross and state and local businesses were coming along and doing it for free. others were so valiantly doing the right thing...how could they put a damper on that?? That's bad PR best to encourage it, stay on with the messaging.....yeah!
wait for it
wait for it
Some places are still waiting, no gear (from the fed state, or corp buyers hey everything goes to voicemail right...we have like zoom meetings and have to figure out how to source from more than 1 place...it's a hard knock life man!) or 10 pcs of it which is the same as none. But you're ready to move on to the next point already...right?
C.) When the hospital systems realized the gvt wasn't going to appear in any sort of normal timely manner with PPE gear ( or C-5's full of cash like the Iranians got) they jumped into the market fray that was thoroughly already carnivorous, and thoroughly FUBAR and made it worse. At some point, those without very deep pockets realized they couldn't afford or compete with most of the players. Those with deep pockets were shoved around by the fed, states and 150 other sovereign countries trying to secure gear for their peeps. There were suitcases full of cash and armed coercion happening on runways and elsewhere. Threats were made, political favors and bribes paid all over. People started getting creative; flying charters into Indian reservations and bouncing across multiple free trade zones..a real 21st century anything goes how creative can you be and how fast....
D.) Manufacturer avarice caught up with the market and suddenly tire factories were world-class PPE manufacturers......selling counterfeit non-functional gear...downright dangerous to have in some cases worse than nothing at all......still are but that's getting cleaned up. Seriously squeaky clean. So clean the tooth fairy will be by to take cocktail orders for drinks that include unicorn tears, aged olive oil, and ghost peppers... No wait, that's the Fleets enema Spa menu for the #qualintine crowd...really...like 4 real....but, I digress...
E.) The CN foreign ministry got sick of taking Ambassadors calls and fielding high-level direct plainly worded complaints about point D. So they got all 12th century and buddies up with MSS and justice and started throwing their weight around...a little. They shut down shipments and started their own QA system that made everything worse.....P
F.) Manufacturers supply chains started to fail, they couldn't keep up with the demand for raw materials and components so they started jacking up pricing to factories 3X,....5X...then 50X, and so on....Now they can't supply much at all, the cupboards are bare $$'s have no bearing. Manufacturers now have to wait, and the raw component suppliers are getting the same feeding frenzy the manufacturers got earlier....
and we're back to wait for it.... wait for it.....except there is no fast forward button here.
G.) more of repeating points A-F again, and again....
H.) net end result....Folks who need the gear the most are left begging won't and trying to get free donations of cloth masks so they can have some level of delusion about being protected and not having to go without anything....
I.) It's very slowly getting better but by like 15% not 99% or more. This is why healthcare workers are wearing cloth masks and paramedics on the street are wearing the same ones for a couple weeks at time in some places.
Does all of the above piss you off? If not it should!
5.) We can agree to disagree. Let's just say application and variance in application decrease a lot of the efficacy/supposition put into the origin data/rationale for such claims..As you aptly illustrate in your points 7 and 8
6.) If I want great protection I'll get a 1 micron filter system combined with a PAPR and full-face shield along with other appropriate gear and use it because I don't want what everyone else has got...Think of me as a no sharing zone. A real it's better to give viral load than receive any type of miser. Except I don't have any or want it
*note= there's a lot of ways to have effective protection....the aforementioned is just 1, yours may or may not be different.YMMV
7.) You can't fix stupid, it's organic and forever.
8.) See #7
www.foxnews.com
