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Comment by fny | Hacker News Reader

This is such an insane problem. I've been trying to source N95s and everyone I've talked to, even very reliable people, keep bringing me counterfeits without realizing it.

I'm actually really concerned their physicians are using those N95 masks.

Thankfully face shields are less of a risk.

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Some commentators, disproportionately Silicon Valley VC types, are absolutely befuddled at why the FDA needs to exist and why regulations are slowing things down.

It's like they can't imagine a crisis worse than COVID being created by a sloppy and irresponsible response (exempting, of course, responses that hurt their investment portfolios, all of which are bad).

Oh wow. I think it's easy to "fix" it: give them a pill (of actually sugar) but present it as a cure that you developed in your basement to whatever ailment they have. Skin in the game works wonders on such cheap bullshitters.

Also please post links, always good to know whom to avoid.

Speaking as a physician who's been handed a lot of respirators from ever more dodgy sources, how do I tell whether I'm given a counterfeit N95?

The CDC has a great page [1] on fake N95 masks, including details at the bottom on identifying real ones. They also provide a list of everyone who is approved to make them [2].

1. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/usernotices/counterfeitResp....

2. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/topics/respirators/disp_part...

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