+- Scivillage.com Casual Discussion Science Forum (https://www.scivillage.com)
+-- Forum: Science (https://www.scivillage.com/forum-61.html)
+--- Forum: Ergonomics, Statistics & Logistics (https://www.scivillage.com/forum-78.html)
+--- Thread: N95 masks have been leaving during pandemic when we needed them most (data) (/thread-8391.html)
N95 masks have been leaving during pandemic when we needed them most (data) - C C - Apr 6, 2020
https://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2020/04/06/n95-masks-and-other-ppe-have-been-leaving-the-us-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic-when-we-needed-them-the-mostwhat-should-happen-next/
EXCERPT: . . . China is seen by much of the world as a source of medical goods, but in this case it seems China—a key destination of U.S. exports—actively sought sources of PPE [personal protective equipment] in other countries to amass an enormous stockpile of billions of masks and other medical supplies. This was occurring while hospitals across the U.S. and other countries have been in desperate need for these very items.
While coverage of the larger story will continue to unearth more details, some of the data points are rapidly connecting, and we’re also revisiting what we know in light of what’s changed. For example, we know that export laws in the U.S. have allowed the sale of medical supplies around the globe – that’s been true right up until this point in the pandemic. What’s changed is that the U.S. was thrust into a health crisis without modern comparison, and that changed our perception of export laws that would otherwise remain unquestioned.
Likewise, the U.S. has always provided significant humanitarian aid to countries in need, including critical medical supplies. What’s changed, again, is that this health crisis came to U.S. shores (and, in yet another twist, has placed the U.S. in a position of needing humanitarian assistance from other countries).
Blame will continue to be pointed in all directions, but for now—at least until we make it through this crisis—it’s more important that we work toward an understanding of what happened and why. We are living through the biggest health crisis of our time and it’s crucial that we figure out how to learn from this experience to improve our systems and standards moving forward... (MORE - details)
RELATED: New York is in dire need of ventilators. China just donated 1,000