In the comments at West Hunter, Scott Novak writes:
March 20, 2020 at 5:45 pm
Off topic but Coronavirus related:Taiwan and other East Asian nations claim a mask shortage – despite having the bulk of world N95 and surgical mask productive capacity. Even the 23 million nation of Taiwan makes more masks than the US. The reason they claim a shortage is that their goal is to flood nearly every man, woman and child with a continual mask supply – not just health care professionals. To be clear I agree with the East Asian mask consensus and not with the CDC/WHO consensus that only Health-Care Professionals need them, but that is besides the point because our Health Care Professionals do not even have enough.
China and Taiwan have banned exports. We can expect China to do this – but Taiwan is supposed to be our friend and we have helped them for decades – to the point of risking war with China – to keep them independent. Yesterday Taiwan not-so-generously proposed to start supplying us with 100,000 per week. This is 1/700th or 0.14% of their production of 70 Million per week. Forget about their claimed mask shortages – we must remember that is only because they are attempting to nearly blanket every single person in their country of 23 Million with continuous masks. That is their right to try and is probably wise, but given our robust and necessary protection of their independent existence, why are we not firmly asking – arm twisting behind the scenes if you will – to get them to supply more like 1 million per day? We could pay dearly for them – almost no price is too high – so Taiwan can save face. Our health care professionals in a nation of 320 million should come before every man woman and child in Taiwan getting one. American lives are at stake.
Here’s a question: What’s behind the big difference in how everybody is thinking about hand sanitizers vs. facemasks? The news is full of stories about
American gumption: Everybody and his uncle are brewing their own hand sanitizer! vs.
We’re doomed: There aren’t enough masks for doctors and nurses and there’s nothing anyone can do about the shortage.
How come I’m not seeing stories about clever organizations making masks like I am about everybody making hand sanitizer?
Is it because hand sanitizer is virtually unregulated and mask factories have to meet stringent safety inspections?
Is it because the media is worried that reporting good news on masks would make people want them and undermine the cover story that only people who have taken both Maskology 101 and 102 will get the slightest benefit out of them?
What’s the deal?
