Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) Updates

[Estéema]

Just for laughs. DS told me a classmate brot a heavy-duty masks with breathing apparatus to sch to show off. :slapshead:


Classmates all told him to go home :heresmyfish:

[MrsKiasu]

floppy\" post_id=\"1961672\" time=\"1580701605\" user_id=\"97579:

Estéema\" post_id=\"1961670\" time=\"1580701086\" user_id=\"66413:

[quote=MrsKiasu post_id=1961665 time=1580699839 user_id=43981]I wonder if all surgical masks got to be in blue color.. If stated white mask but with 3 layers..is that suitable for this virus..got black/ mint/blue etc colors also..And how if non surgical mask, they put blue surgical mask color leh :?

Honestly, I’ve no idea leh. But I know some online vendors cannot be trusted one. Hv to be careful. Some well known country ppl (sorry I’ve to say this) very creative in doing black bz. So, ya, can even sell u blue masks with no protection filters. Just a piece of thin cloth at high price. We’re the suckers. :gloomy:

That’s why it doesn’t matter what you wear if you are not the sick person. Just get a piece of fashion statement mask, serves no protection but you will look good at least.

From Wiki (but verified info):
A surgical mask, also known as a procedure mask, is intended to be worn by health professionals during surgery and during nursing to catch the bacteria shed in liquid droplets and aerosols from the wearer's mouth and nose. They are not designed to protect the wearer from inhaling airborne bacteria or virus particles and are less effective than respirators, such as N95 or NIOSH masks, which provide better protection due to their material, shape and tight seal.

Singaporeans are typically kiasu and kiasi. They don’t bother to understand or think what they are doing but as long as everyone is doing it, they want to chup ji ka, in case they lose out.[/quote]to catch droplets..I remember slmkhoo mentioned something like making do with cloth mask, wash it..I been using cloth mask till now. Still haven't receive my 'surgical' masks .

and yesterday we were at library..one guy sneezing badly at the kid section, dont even bother to use anything to just cover up his mouth..pop vit C at home. btw, got 'value for $' hand sanitizer at Q...now..can chk it out.

[phtthp]

The problem is, whether students wear face mask to school or wear to eg. Chinese tuition centre, nobody know whether


- student is genuine sick, hide behind the mask or
- student is wearing mask, just for precaution sake


example

for students taking high-stake National Exam this year 2020,
whether P6 students (born 2008) or O-level students (born 2004) or A-level students (born 2002) -

a) in schools

to skip school for 1 week (7 days) is ... still manageable. At most, miss one week's lessons.
But to skip school for 2 weeks (14 days) means ... miss out a lot of school Teachers' teaching lessons
for languages English and Chinese, still not so bad, because language u can just write some zuowen at home or self-study Chinese Paper 2 components at home, or do past year papers yourself.

But for subject Science especially, and also for Maths,
if a pupil miss 2 weeks' lesson (14 days) ... is a lot, esp. facing National exam this year, nobody want to miss. Hard to catch up, if miss too many lessons.
Hence, schools (primary, Secondary, Junior Colleges) and MOE should arrange for alternative solution, for those students who missed school, but taking National exam this year.

students taking 2020 high-stake National exam, make sure u keep yourself healthy, Don't fall sick. Nobody want to take National exam, on hospital ground


b)

At the Chinese tuition centre, nowadays Tuition centre kind of \"forced\" parents to pay, by one Term (10 weeks) tuition fees.
In the past, some tuition centre still allow parents to pay, by month.
But noticed from this year onwards, a lot of Chinese tuition centre imposed \"pay by, one Term tuition\" Chinese fees

so, parents who had already paid $ up-front for one Term tuition fees, if their child don't go for lesson, but had already paid up in full one Term, chances are ... they will get their child to attend tuition. Hence, if tuition centre don't check student's body temperature, and student wear face mask to the centre, nobody know if child is genuine sick, virus can spread ... esp. if their parents are not civil minded

[lee_yl]

floppy\" post_id=\"1961672\" time=\"1580701605\" user_id=\"97579:

That’s why it doesn’t matter what you wear if you are not the sick person. Just get a piece of fashion statement mask, serves no protection but you will look good at least.

From Wiki (but verified info):
A surgical mask, also known as a procedure mask, is intended to be worn by health professionals during surgery and during nursing to catch the bacteria shed in liquid droplets and aerosols from the wearer's mouth and nose. They are not designed to protect the wearer from inhaling airborne bacteria or virus particles and are less effective than respirators, such as N95 or NIOSH masks, which provide better protection due to their material, shape and tight seal.

Singaporeans are typically kiasu and kiasi. They don’t bother to understand or think what they are doing but as long as everyone is doing it, they want to chup ji ka, in case they lose out.

Actually wearing a mask is not enough as our eyes are vulnerable openings. We should also wear goggles. Lol.

While I can agree that there is no need to wear a mask if one is not sick, DH says we cannot guarantee the person sitting in the MRT or someone talking to us is sick, and not wearing a mask!! I guess wearing a mask is to protect ourselves against socially irresponsible persons.

N95 is overkill for us since there’s no community infection at the moment. One key disadvantage about N95 is that one can hardly breathe while using N95 masks in the proper manner. If one cheats by allowing a small gap in between, it is as good as not wearing a mask.

[MrsKiasu]

yeah and I think at least one need pay 1 semester if I m not wrong. I was planning for starting tuition after cny. I was quite relieved I haven’t got time to register before cny…we scared of other people and same for others also…try not to bring kids out to crowded places if can…we dont want to catch or pass around if so suay got it… Now like getting better in Spore? at least no new cases this morning news.

[floppy]

lee_yl\" post_id=\"1961682\" time=\"1580706716\" user_id=\"17023:

floppy\" post_id=\"1961672\" time=\"1580701605\" user_id=\"97579:

That’s why it doesn’t matter what you wear if you are not the sick person. Just get a piece of fashion statement mask, serves no protection but you will look good at least.

From Wiki (but verified info):
A surgical mask, also known as a procedure mask, is intended to be worn by health professionals during surgery and during nursing to catch the bacteria shed in liquid droplets and aerosols from the wearer's mouth and nose. They are not designed to protect the wearer from inhaling airborne bacteria or virus particles and are less effective than respirators, such as N95 or NIOSH masks, which provide better protection due to their material, shape and tight seal.

Singaporeans are typically kiasu and kiasi. They don’t bother to understand or think what they are doing but as long as everyone is doing it, they want to chup ji ka, in case they lose out.

Actually wearing a mask is not enough as our eyes are vulnerable openings. We should also wear goggles. Lol.

While I can agree that there is no need to wear a mask if one is not sick, DH says we cannot guarantee the person sitting in the MRT or someone talking to us is sick, and not wearing a mask!! I guess wearing a mask is to protect ourselves against socially irresponsible persons.

N95 is overkill for us since there’s no community infection at the moment. One key disadvantage about N95 is that one can hardly breathe while using N95 masks in the proper manner. If one cheats by allowing a small gap in between, it is as good as not wearing a mask.

“ I guess wearing a mask is to protect ourselves against socially irresponsible persons.“
Therein lies the problem. The surgical mask isn’t designed to protect the wearer but to protect the others from the wearer!

If the sick bugger sneezes, the droplets / viruses will still end up on you, mask or no mask. The only good thing the mask does is to prevent the wearer from touching his nose / mouth. If you touch your nose / mouth without proper sanitization / before the virus dies, you will still get it, even you had mask on at the point.

[Jadedfox]

A Singapore doctor has spoken out against the Singapore government’s new advice to not wear mask in public if one is well, describing the move as reckless and a gamble on human lives:


"Not wearing a mask in public greatly expose yourself to potential super-spreaders who, for any reasons or fears they have, are not seeking treatment… While I understand that there is a shortage of face mask in Singapore, the advice is reckless and a gamble on human lives. Many patients, especially the elderly ones, do not visit the hospital until their conditions become serious or when they feel they are unable to recover from self-medication and this is why all the more healthy people should protect themselves in public."

MOH propaganda poster telling people not to wear mask; Facebook

The doctor who works in a government hospital spoke to over the phone on conditions of anonymity. The Singapore doctor said many colleagues expressed similar reservations when they heard the Ministry of Health is telling the public not to wear a mask if, they think, they are feeling well. None of them spoke out against the ministry’s directive out of fear they may face repercussions.

The doctor also pointed out that during the SARS outbreak in 2003, the Singapore government did not issue the "reckless" advice and they handled the situation much better. The Singapore government is also the only one that issues such an advice.

The Taiwan authorities have issued the following health measures for the public:
1) Wear a mask
2) Wash your hands with soap
3) Avoid crowded places
4) Avoid uncooked meat
5) See a doctor if you have been to China and are feeling unwell within 14 days

Taiwan government poster; China Times

Singapore’s 5.7 million population currently needs at least 160 million face masks a month, and each face mask can only be used for a maximum of 6 hours. The Singapore government refused to declare how many face masks they have in stock, and only 4 pieces were issued to each household.

[phtthp]

Wuhan death virus death toll had overtaken that of SARS (2003)


last night (around mid-night), death toll was 305

now, after 12 hours later, death 361

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/03/asia/wuhan-coronavirus-update-intl-hnk/index.html

[sharonkhoo]

MrsKiasu\" post_id=\"1961680\" time=\"1580705682\" user_id=\"43981:

to catch droplets..I remember slmkhoo mentioned something like making do with cloth mask, wash it..I been using cloth mask till now. Still haven't receive my 'surgical' masks .

That's what I thought then, but it was a poor suggestion: it seems that since the cotton fabric can get damp and doesn't dry while in use, it's not a good option (can be a breeding ground for other bugs). Of course, it will block big droplets, but just like the surgical masks, it does not block everything, and can also be contaminated on the outside. Even N95 doesn't work well as the virus is smaller than what the mask screens out. Hand hygiene and not touching the face are still the best strategies. See articles below:

https://www.businessinsider.sg/wuhan-coronavirus-face-masks-not-entirely-effective-2020-1/?r=US&IR=T
https://www.forbes.com/sites/leahrosenbaum/2020/01/29/should-you-get-a-face-mask-a-guide-to-coronavirus-face-protection/#4d94acb530a5

I think it would be wise for some people to wear masks more: e.g. those in the front-line service jobs who speak directly and at length to large nos. of strangers every day, or those who work in hospitals/clinics where there are large nos. of sick people. For others who don't spend so much time interacting directly with strangers, I would say masks are not necessary unless there is wide community spread or it's proven that masks actually help significantly. If not, it's just a waste of resources.

By the way, I collected my 4 free masks earlier today - no queue at all! Based on the lists I saw, it looks like many households in my area haven't collected yet.

[MyPillow]

slmkhoo\" post_id=\"1961704\" time=\"1580711985\" user_id=\"28674:

MrsKiasu\" post_id=\"1961680\" time=\"1580705682\" user_id=\"43981:

to catch droplets..I remember slmkhoo mentioned something like making do with cloth mask, wash it..I been using cloth mask till now. Still haven't receive my 'surgical' masks .

That's what I thought then, but it was a poor suggestion: it seems that since the cotton fabric can get damp and doesn't dry while in use, it's not a good option (can be a breeding ground for other bugs). Of course, it will block big droplets, but just like the surgical masks, it does not block everything, and can also be contaminated on the outside. Even N95 doesn't work well as the virus is smaller than what the mask screens out. Hand hygiene and not touching the face are still the best strategies. See articles below:

https://www.businessinsider.sg/wuhan-coronavirus-face-masks-not-entirely-effective-2020-1/?r=US&IR=T
https://www.forbes.com/sites/leahrosenbaum/2020/01/29/should-you-get-a-face-mask-a-guide-to-coronavirus-face-protection/#4d94acb530a5

if everybody can be not so kiasu, then it is easier; education , education & education to Gen public
Bring a hanky along /cloth mask is gd idea for timebeing, just cover out half face & hurry get out of the area if too crowded

As of yest, only 6 % collect the free masks, i collected for my mum - no Q
I wonder .... many kiasu people already bought masks or have masks so need the precious 4 pcs of masks like us
we din anyhow wear masks around too, just got to be v careful , not to touch our face , mouths with naked dirty hands
in fact, wearing the surgical mask also not very comfortable n breathe free... i wore a while last week when i had sore throat .