What I don’t understand is why the military has not been mobilized. They have equipment and the ability to set up wherever they are needed. Am I missing something here?

They have! Setting up hospitals in NYC & Seattle
https://www.facebook.com/DeptofDefense/

I do know some hospitals reject N95s that have been opened even though some in the pack have never been used. Just check first so they won’t be discarded. Some nurses have held onto donated discarded masks as they are being asked to reuse theirs. No need to throw them away!

Thank-you konastreet. I guess I am a little bit out of the loop here. That lowers my anxiety level considerably.

Smart to make sure that opened packages can be used! I think they are now. In the Detroit area personnel are issued PPE (protective personal equipment) and may use it all day, or even take it home and have to reuse it. Some medical personnel do not have this equipment. There are online requests for communities to make non n95 masks for hospital personnel.

In west Michigan requests are out to the community for Chlorox type wipes, hand sanitizer, gloves (non sterile), masks, gowns, face shields..... it can all be used. Hospitals have posted drop off sites. Nursing homes will have similar needs.

Non hospital sites are being converted to patient care areas like the Detroit convention center. In west Michigan, a local university’s health sciences building has already been converted and has 250 beds ready.

I would suggest:
Don’t add the the patient load and stay isolated/
non exposed
Don’t smoke
Don’t go to the ER or hospital if you don’t need to
Do use online visit options with you doctor
Do see what you can do to help
Check on neighbors (from a distance)

West Michigan MD

Remember the Hippocratic oath? First, "do no harm." I said on the other thread and I'll say again, that's the most important thing we can all do. Don't add to the patient case load by flouting social distancing and lockdown rules; dont go shopping unless you need to (ie food, not clothes, paint or vegetable seedlings); don't risk speading the disease by heading off to your holiday home; don't hoard soap, hand sanitizer, toilet paper or pasta; don't invite people over for drinks or dinner. I continue to be stunned by people ignoring these rules and crowding onto beaches (we've had to close all the beaches where I live because so many people still weren't "getting it.") All the donations to Meals on Wheels someone makes won't compensate if his behavior causes even one person to be infected.

In Ventura CA, sheltering in place with 3 sisters marooned when they could not safely fly to their Midwest homes. Local County hospital is way ahead of the curve in gathering donations and supplies. The have asked for 3000 homemade cotton masks to be worn over the N95 and so far have over 1500. We are going to have 50 for them by morning. We sisters are working as a team to make the effort as efficient as possible. Not N95....but better than nothing and they can be washed and reused! The hospital coordinator said we may make gowns next..

so check with your local hospital, urgent care or physician and if you sew you can help protect those front line workers.

I see stupid everywhere too.

People use grocery shopping as a FAMILY OUTING.

I am not a health professional and have no supplies that would be useful, so -- no -- I have nothing to donate.

However, my daughter is an RN, and here are a few things I know from her:

- Her employer (Atrium Health) provides every employee with a good respirator mask every year. My understanding is that these masks "seal" to the face and aren't what you and I would order from Amazon (or similar).

- My daughter is the "person in charge" of this particular detail in her facility, and she went to a whole-day workshop to learn how to measure people's faces, and she is responsible for supplying good masks for everyone in her office once a year.

- She herself cannot use an "off the shelf size" and must special order her mask. Employees are allowed to keep their "old" masks, so -- in theory -- those employees who've been around a while have a small stash of masks. I know that she wore an "old" mask when she and her husband flew back in January.

- She says they are not hurting for masks at her facility, but our area isn't nearly as hard-hit as some other states.

- She says her office has actually been pretty quiet. People aren't coming in for routine needs, and people are video-conferencing more often with the doctors. She really likes video-visits, saying they're cheaper for the patient, and they require less time for the doctor.

Don’t add the the patient load and stay isolated/

Yes, we can all do this!

I see stupid everywhere too.

I've been to the pharmacy and the grocery store -- quick in and out trips, just for necessities -- and I haven't seen a whole lot of people out. Most people have been doing what I'm doing: going in alone, hurrying in, hurrying out, no leisurely hanging around.

I’m an RN also, semi-retired, in an acute hospital setting the N95 mask is supposed to be used only time but they are in such short supply that nurses are issued 1 per day (12 hour shift) and told to keep it in paper bag between patients.

Mrs. Pete .... N95 masks are "FIT TESTED".

The N95 mask is placed on the face. The wire is pinched to conform to the nose bridge. A plastic shield, sometimes a hood is placed over the wearer's face. Next, a flavor spray is aerosolized toward the subject, or under the hood If the subject can TASTE the spray -the mask doesn't fit, and the next size is tried in the same way.

(***Facial hair air inhibits a close seal to the face)

The ECDC Europe's CDC states clearly that the virus is transmitted via EYES, Nose and Mouth. Wrap around eyeglasses or goggles, or safety glasses should be worn when out sopping for supplies, Masks are needed by everyone to limit their exposure, but we don't have enough, which means folks need to stay home for now.

Hand sanitizer cannot be trusted to clean your hands. The alcohol dries out the skin and the skin will develop multiple small lacerations. Sing the "alphabet song" as you lather your hands and then wash off.

See ECDC -Prevention heading

https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/novel-coronavirus-china/questions-answers

The answer to your question Emily is no.

The answer to the question is not " no" but "it depends." I mean, who has surgical masks in their pantries in the first place? Most people only have a supply if they've ignored the "do no harm" mantra and cleared the pharmacy shelves of their normal supplies.

Here in Australia neither the government nor the hospitals have asked for donations of medical supplies. Some organizations have asked for donations of money to fund research, and all medical organizations and the government have asked individuals to stop buying/hoarding masks so that they are more widely available Oh, and the army has been brought in to help expand the capacity of the only Australian manufacturer of masks. But donations in kind from the public, nope.

I might add that another thing we can all do is show a bit of tolerance for those of our fellow men and women who are doing their best to keep family and persons afloat in a difficult situation. Kindness is, after all, a virtue.

”.. N95 masks are "FIT TESTED".

so are full and half face respirators. I’m sure that is what Mrs Pete is referring to.

@wacokid With respect, you are incorrect that nobody has medical supplies that may be helpful. In SW Michigan contractors DO have n95 masks. March 17 VP Pence asked builders/contractors around the country to donate their existing supplies and asked they not re-order until crisis over. N95 face masks filter out particles in the air, and are often used by painters and drywall contractors, among other construction workers. So large and small businesses may have supplies. The shortage is real. It is serious. Medical staff at my hospital are using 1 mask for 12 hour shift and re-using multiple days. Not good. And yes, I know this for fact. I work on the COVID unit at my hospital as non-clinical support staff. Take care all...

We are having a “collection” site for people and companies to drop off supplies of unopened protective equipment. It is amazing how much stuff is stock piled everywhere. The intension is to backstop existing supplies. It was reported that there was a line of 40-50 cars and pick ups waiting to unload. It feels like during Hurricane Harvey. Everyone pulling together. Pretty nice deal here and one of the many reasons we love it here. Our next door neighbor from our previous neighborhood here texted me asking if we needed anything. She has been going through a very ugly divorce but set that aside to reach out. Really touched us very much. Good people around here!!

All American. If someone has them, of coarse, then donate. Yes, the shortage is real, everyone I know and see why at the grocery store is social distancing. And most now are wearing masks. i don’t see anyone on houzz, offering to donate anything but their opinion. Except the health care workers. Some contractors here on house were actually writing that they would gouge customers during this crises. Hardly something to be proud of. I had mentioned on another post how I decided to do something. I cut rent to two families of rentals I own, in half, for three months and longer if needed. Those families were very grateful, and I was glad I did. 1837, and a few others went off, you would think I robbed a medical supply store. But I’m not shocked. stay Safe All American, my daughter also works in HC, at the med center in Houston.

I saw on TV where a women started “Feed the Fight”. She gets contributions and has restaurants prepare meals and then they get delivered to nurses and others in the “fight” so she is helping both. That’s what I’m talking about, actually getting out and helping others. I thought I might motivate others by posting what I did. It didn’t work but I tried....

@suedonim75 . Yes, N95 masks are FIT TESTED. They are also called respirators. Surgical masks are not Fit Tested

N95 masks are also called respirator masks. They come in different sizes. See link. N95 masks and some surgical masks are built with a wire along one edge. View pics of the public wearing such masks. Most of the time masks are not worn properly as the nose bridge wire is left alone. It should be bent to conform to the nose bridge. A properly fitted N95 mask aka respirator is uncomfortable to wear, as humidity builds-up, due to exhalation. The N95s with a front valve are more comfortable to wear for longer time periods, but the studies I've read suggest that the front valve might not be as effective/safe against tiny viral particles, as opposed to bigger microbes like bacteria and chemicals.

https://www.moldex.com/wp-content/uploads/N95-Respirator-Protection-for-Pandemic-Influenza.pdf

Waco - I resent that comment that I "went off"at you, and it's a gross misrepresentation to claim I implied you stole medical supplies or anything of the kind. I simply tried to explain why I think your stinging contempt for people you've never met and whose circumstances you don't know is unfair and unneccessarily judgmental. We are all experiencing this in different ways, and just because someone can't give financial assistance to strugglers (because they may be struggling themselves) or deliver groceries to the elderly (because they're of an age to have their own groceries delivered) doesn't mean they should be sneered at. In these times, kindness matters. You should try it.

I lived through SARS and avian flu in Asia. It was our understanding then, that it is foolish for people to think that wearing a mask will protect you from getting sick. The mask is a courtesy to others, so that you don’t risk exposing them to your own sneezes/coughs/saliva spray.

The only real solution is courtesy, sanity and unselfishness. Stay away from others to reduce your role in spreading disease, be vigilant about your own hygiene and the practices of your household, and don’t buy things you don’t need, because others may well need them more.

Here. Actual scientists explaining the benefit of masks

“Aside from handwashing, the use of facemasks is also valuable in infectious disease control, especially in circumventing droplet transmission.(14,15) For example, the effectiveness of surgical masks and N95 masks in blocking the transmission of SARS are 68% and 91%, respectively.(7) Facemasks, when fitted properly, effectively disrupt the forward momentum of particles expelled from a cough or sneeze, preventing disease transmission. Even if the facemasks are ill-fitting, they are still able to interrupt the particles and airborne viruses sufficiently, such that these pathogens do not reach the breathing zones of people nearby.(16,17)“

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4293989/

Et voila....a courtesy to others, to avoid YOU spreading, if you may have been exposed.

”forward momentum” from the wearer.

I don't know why the armed forces haven't been called into action. They can set up anywhere they are needed because they have the necessary equipment. Is there something that I'm overlooking here?

Drop me a reply @ clinica en richmond