The N95 masks are reusable until damaged or air flow is restricted.

1) Yes we are desperate! You can NOT autoclave masks or a lot of the other PPE because it destroys it effectiveness.

2) Yes a 2 ply cotton masks keep you from infecting the others around you. The new data out of Singapore (A really great scientific study) show a lot of people are contagious for 1-3 days BEFORE they have symptoms.

It appears UV light and 70C heat will effectively rid PPE of the virus without damage but those studies are still on going.

Thanks for the input again Bac-si. Many of the photos I saw coming out of Singapore didn't feature the whole populace, en masse, wearing real sophisticated stuff but they were masked up. I cannot help believe that mitigated community spread and the numbers in Singapore seem to bear that out.

Possibly a "social impact" question but I wonder how much their culture plays into their cooperation in that matter, and how much the ego-driven rugged individualized nature of ours hinders it.

NB: I do NOT have a 1st Aid Merit badge from the BSA so h/t JJ.
:)

Thanks, Doc..

I was thinking of purchasing or fabricating a UVC box sanitizer using OTC lights? This example is large enough for a cell phone and hearing aids, but I fear not large enough?

I am thinking the ability to sanitize "family" volume is a baseline (4-6 units at a time)?

Here is one example that suggests it can sterilize in 3 minutes: https://smile.amazon.com/Disinfectio...ustrial&sr=1-5

Another example: https://smile.amazon.com/HH-Underwea...5829389&sr=8-4

Some excellent info from a pulmonary specialist that works on the front lines.

https://www.*******.com/watch?v=YitWZj9QhdQ

Fill in the stars, you know the deal. YT.

BLUF: social distancing, wash your hands, don’t touch your face

Thanks all, when I woke up this morning I didn’t know I needed to buy a mini sterilization box but now I have two of them coming.

One for pocket items and one for oral hygiene items...for now. (I know hard to believe my wife and I have shared a water pic for years right?, but I used to kiss her too!)

I have heard that a UV Sterilizer will sterilize masks (and hard objects), with some caveats.

YMMV.

TR

American ingenuity at work in many sectors currently. Medline has gotten approval for an ethylene oxide process for sterilizing masks.

https://www.medicaldesignandoutsourc...vid-19-spread/

Also seeing many peer companies ( small textile) are repurposing to PPE...

I am out in Malaysia at the moment.

The government enacted the Restricted Movement Act (MCO) on the 18th March and introduced a total lock down throughout the country.

-All businesses to close except essentials (supermarkets, pharmacies, convenience stores) who were/are allowed to open from 8am-5pm. All stores must institute temperature testing before entry and all customers need to line up 2 meters apart whilst waiting to get into the stores.

All stores must close by 5pm in our location (8pm in other locations).

Controlled numbers inside the supermarkets/stores at all times and shoppers have 15-20 minutes to complete their shopping and to line up to pay and to leave.

-All schools/universities/colleges closed

-Road blocks set up at all major roads leading in/out of the major towns/cities. Army has now joined in to help with manpower shortages to enforce the road blocks.

-Civilians not allowed 10km from their homes i.e. do your grocery shopping in your area and do not leave your area

-1 person per household allowed out to purchase groceries and meals if neccessary as there is a 1 person 1 car policy in place.

-All fuel stations only allowed open from 6am-2pm daily. Other locations 8am-8pm within the country.

-Food outlets only allow take away. Allowed open from 6am-5pm. All restaurants doing take out must close at 5pm.

-Face mask use highly recommended by all government/health agencies to reduce spread of the virus from infected to uninfected

-Families not allowed outside the home to walk/exercise. Need to do it within confines of the apartment or the home compound. Dog walking banned.

-Running outside solo banned.

-All parks closed.

-Airports have just shut down as the airline companies too have stopped flying now this past week.,

-Burger King, Pizza Hut, KFC,Dominos and McD are open from 9am-5pm daily (8-8 in other locations)>

This policy seems to be working...we are still getting infected cases on a daily basis and death rate is less than 1.7% and number of recoveries is increasing.

Most of the deaths within 50-90 years of age with health complications or weak immune systems. A few in the mid 30s or 40s. Obesity and underlying health issues also involved in the deaths.

We have about 40 deaths and about 1500-2000 cases only as spread has been contained "early."

Must say the Malaysian Health Department got their act together early on in early February and began preparing by screening vistors arriving/flying in and then starting to enforce a ban on passengers from China early on for our area. Our area has then gone and banned all foreigners from entering the state I am in by mid March and then banned all non essential travel.

The politicians (to their credit) also went ahead with the drastic lock down which I think has saved lives, draconian as it is.

We think the 3 week lock down will be extended till the end of April once it expires on the 14th April (it was extended from 18th March-to 31st March till 14th April).

I think we will be out of the lockdown in June.

South East Asian populace are "used" to using masks. We get hammered here annually by the bush fires in Indonesia and the haze/smog gets blown in our direction and the air becomes toxic so masks on during that period. Its been a norm since 1997.

So, to use the mask during this pandemic is not an issue. People are masking up and some aren't as they don't feel ill or feel they are infected. I was not using a mask for 2.5 weeks as I was not ill BUT, decided to start using a mask because people were giving me the evil stare when I went into supermarkets or to buy take out food..and it just felt akward.

The social belief here is mask up...as it will potentially save lives and stay home if you don't need to be out.

Now, the situation in Malaysia varies drastically to what is going on in Singapore.

Malaysia has many borders/many points of entry into the country so they decided to lock down as they could not contain the spread and feared if they closed off all airports and flights, the economy would tank. It has tanked thanks to the lock down BUT some states banned china flights and entry of foreigners and chinese citizens two weeks ago and have largely contained the spread.

But, the lock down will wipe out a large number of smaller small-medium enterprises, restaurants and that is the big debate going on here now and what the governmenbt is going to do to help SME's.

The entire country is closed down except for medical, hospitals, pharmacy's, courier companies, the post office, limited banking options (major banks have closed smaller branch's and are keeping limited few open in towns/cities if they have multiple branchs there), schools/universities closed, exams postponed.

Malaysia has followed the Wuhan model for the lockdown BUT, has taken a slightly less draconian attitude towards implementing the lock down.

Singapore on the other hand has taken a different approach; they are allowing schools to remain open, malls to continue to operate, restaurants to operate and businesses to carry on as normal BUT are:

1-encouraging people to stay home if they don't need to go out
2-have only 3 major entry points into the country by road/air and 1-2 entry points by sea from Batam/Indonesia so they can do testing at the borders.
3-banned short term visits/transits into the country. Either you fly in and enter and get tested or you stay out
4-Self isolation for 14 days if you are flying in from overseas
5-Mask up and use sanitizers to clean hands
6-Great emphasis on educating the populace on the do's and don'ts as far as avoiding getting infected.

Thanks for that. Interesting contrasts.

Thank you sir.

Potential lab responsible for outbreak.

https://www.*******.com/watch?time_c...ature=emb_logo

I've been keeping an eye out for Zheng-Li Shi since this came to the US. Quick search on pub med with Shi ZL as keywords will list a lot of coronavirus studies in bats.

Singapore just announced a two week lockdown, with extensions likely. Contact tracing and isolation have failed.

The only way this ends, the only way, is when the susceptible population goes away: illness followed by immunity or death, or an effective vaccine. If you flatten the curve through isolation the disease pops up again as soon as you loosen up. But there's no other option except to let it rip through the population. And that’s politically impossible.

We'll see another serious wave this fall for that exact reason.

A vaccine is still at least a year away. Recent research papers confirm weak antibody response with late seroconversion during active disease, which leads to slow clearing of the virus and viral shedding for a week after symptoms go away. This is bad news for vaccine development. Not insurmountable, but...challenging. It’s not a slam-dunk that vaccines currently under development will work.

Our one shining hope is an antibody treatment that targets those receptor spikes on the virus. Lots of work going on in that arena. Those products should go into Phase I trials soon, and unless they kill a lot of people, into compassionate release immediately thereafter. It could be a game-changer.

Good luck to you and your loved ones.

Yes skipper, Op Circuit Breaker has been activated...no schools, all businesses to be shut down on the 7th April (allowing everyone time to get neccessary banking done on the 6th April and over the weekend as banks do operate at certain locations in key malls over the weekend and to allow people time to stock up on neccessary items) and only essentials allowed to operate.

They are following Malaysia's lead.

The State I am in within Malaysia will start to allow hardware stores, pet stores to open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday's for limited operating hours soon (not a national policy) but our lock down hours are from 5pm-6am meaning, everyone stays home/indoors during these hours unless you need to go to the hospital.