Brit's Nhs Needs Ppe

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-52145140


Good morning all,

Per ...

The inherently good news is that PPE is not high-tech. For a nation that can manufacture avionics, electronics (I'll include the older Lucas electrical systems), etc, it's not about the supply shortages and much more so with the governmental aspects running the economy.

Note how the term "lie detector" is used.

Yes: "It's about being pragmatic".

 

"not high-tech" is what developed countries are lack of these days. With non advance manufacturing has already been shifted elsewhere, its going to take sometime before industrial capacity could be put back into producing the non high-tech materials to meet demand. Also lets not forget the availability of manpower.

 

Good morning Varuna,

True, much of the developed world shifted their low tech manufacturing overseas. This ranged from garments (all over) to shipbuilding (eg South Korea), to aircraft sub-assemblies (eg China), to pharma (eg India, China).

How long would it take to convert 1,000 barns and 100 aerodromes into machine shops to produce N 95 face masks (~ $1 production cost, less labor and insurance) ?

Here in the US - and it's about the same in the rest of the designated "developed" economies - there is EXCESS LABOR (The term "manpower" no longer used because the US now uses Aristotelian logic (actually fallacy) and "manpower" is deemed a discriminatory term.

The lack of US labor availability relate to US labor politics and not bodies. For example, it is ~ 99% illegal to hire a servant or "nanny". Only the rich can do this notwithstanding there are many citizens willing to do this type of work...even if in an environment that is not fully compliant with occupational health and safety regulations.

......

If it was realistically legal here, I'd make some financial budget adjustments and hire a young healthy servant to make me Kopi Luwak coffee and stir in real cane sugar. Otherwise I do not use sugar.

 

Just because you can bought them online doesn't mean your gov't could also do the same thing as easy. There are so many moving wheels in any gov't to the points it takes tons of paperwork (more likely email these days) to get the simplest task to move ahead. Moreover gov't agency can't just buy stuff the need (even in emergency) there are procedural steps that need to be strictly observe. By passing those procedures typically would require some kind of emergency declaration which will be subject to public scrutiny.

What kind of occupational hazard could possibly emerge from domestic work anyway? Its not like they will be operating some heavy machinery anyway. How do the rich people there circumvent all those regulations then? What legal basis they typically use?

Just curious, how much does the typical domestic worker (of any kind) typically earn there (hourly / daily / weekly)? And how many McDonalds Big Mac® they could buy locally with their wage?

Just for comparison my parent chauffeur receive minimum wage + over time, while the rest of the domestic worker receive 2 previous year minimum wage + benefits (financing their college degree if they choose to do so). However as for current minimum wage, the daily wage (8 hours / day, 5 days / week) is good to bought 6 (six) McDonalds Big Mac®

 

Good afternoon Varuna,

In reply;

Occupational hazards in a private residence in the US could be a dirty kitchen floor, inadequate lighting in house, no air conditioning, inadequate heating, many, many, many more. They are really subterfuges to prevent the legal hiring of servants.

Rich Americans circumvent the regulations the traditional way. There is more than 1 corpus of laws in the US.

I do not know about compensation of domestic workers here. Remember the US is a large country like Indonesia and the areas have different economic complexions.

I don't go to fast food restaurants so not familiar with Big Mac costs.

A chauffeur in the US for the middle class is a rarity.

A quick example related to much above; When Bill Clinton became US President, he sought out his Cabinet nominees. For Attorney General, the highest government official representing the Administration in the legal arena, he selected a corporate attorney, Zoe Baird. This selectee withdrew her nomination after it was learned she hired 2 domestic workers without paying the provident fund equivalent taxes on them. Two selections later the US Attorney General was Janet Reno of Waco, Texas Branch Davidian fame.

 

I use McDonalds Big Mac index due to their use as common good anywhere in the world, thus can be reliably use in the exact manner as PPP, not to mention far easier to calculate

 

Good morning Varuna,

Real good point in re the Big Mac index and PPP/P3.

Still, I'm not familiar with the Big Mac and what would make up the rest of a visit to McDonalds eg like fries and a drink.

Much restaurant competition is here. A "all you can eat" Chinese buffet restaurant has many vegetables, etc and it is not expensive so can't establish a personal benchmark to determine PPP/P3.

In other words - along a highway, a McDonalds could be the reference. In a metro area with much of a restaurant trade, like Chinese restaurants, Mexican restaurants, etc, I don't know the accuracy of Big Mac PPP/P3.

 

All governments including mine here in the U.S. need to learn a few lessons from this pandemic and stock FEMA warehouses full of PPE, masks, gloves, respirators, etc in case another pandemic should strike and I think that'll happen again withen at least ten years tops.

There are so many damn lessons to be learned here it isn't funny. To see the lack of preparedness from state to state and country to country is baffling. I mean, this isn't Mumbai India or Iran for god sakes. These countries are well developed and should have been prepared.

I shit you not. Next on the docket is a CME or X-flare from the sun. It happened in the 1800s and it WILL happen again. Only a matter of time. You think this virus is bad, wait till all forms of communication and electricity go out the window because governments failed to harden their electric grid.

If I were president for a month...

 

Good morning F22,

The US Government is fragmented.

In this situation it's not really about stockpiles of PPE, etc All this is known to the knowledgeable citizenry and some in government employment.

The US Government and its political subdivisions has a thick layer of "make work jobs programs" combined with the political class using government contracts for ulterior purposes.

Why do large budget cities like Los Angeles and New York City need hospital ships, professional health care labor from out of state ? California and New York state have LARGE educational establishments that can teach the health care fields.

Two examples for comparative study use;

The RAF hospital in Akrotiri, Cyprus can expand as needed. They have the equipment and supplies for the anticipated requirements. This is accomplished by leadership and management. Rambam Hospital, Haifa, Israel can also geometrically expand to provide required needs. Now for the comparisons to the US situation.

So true, the same problems emerge with grid failure - I'm in Hurricane Alley and understand what's pending after 1 June - and just about all the other aspects of civilization as we know it.

The good news is that some of the public are catching on and preparing.