On Friday, October 16, 2020 at 8:15:55 AM UTC-5, Gary wrote:
> Bryan Simmons wrote:
> >
> > I just ordered another hundred K-N95 respirators. I need to be
> > better about not wearing the same one for multiple days, and
> > having a hundred of them will help.
> Not respirators. Just better than average dust masks.
> Anyway...you bought 100 new ones? You go, boy. Bet
> that cost you a chunk of change these days.

They are the Chinese equivalent of N95 medical respirators, and
they cost $39.98 w/ free shipping. That's 40 cents each. A few
months ago I paid $3 a piece for FFP2 (EU certified equivalent)
ones. The virus is bad here in Missouri, and not so much in
urban, suburban and exurban areas, where population density is
higher, but in rural counties where far fewer persons wear face
coverings.

https://www.kmov.com/news/missouri-r...11fa5bcf6.html
"The state said the positivity rate for coronavirus tests over the
last seven days is 19.7%, and six counties reported rates above
50%. The counties with positivity rates over 50% are Holt,
New Madrid, Osage, Stoddard, Dekalb and Moniteau counties.
Holt County led the state with a positivity rate of 63.2%."

St. Louis City and St. Louis County have lower numbers, but as
rural health facilities are overwhelmed with cases, patients are
being brought to metropolitan areas, and it *will* get worse here.

The extra protection provided by N95 equivalent respirators over
cheap surgical masks might not be large, but it is not trivial,
especially when working in a fairly poorly ventilated building
where irresponsible persons go around with no masks at all. As
Winter said in my book, "I am exceedingly fond of my existence."

--Bryan