Sharp to make masks amid shortage caused by virus

A friend of mine is an infection control nurse, and she said hospitals are running short on surgical masks needed for surgery and other medical procedures. Hopefully Sharp will make masks that can help hospitals.

Probably very good news for this bankrupt company.

In addition to masks, could they start making toilet paper and klenex tissue? These are completely sold out here in Shinjuku. Anybody have a suggestion about where I can find some?

Just another example of how unprepared Japan and the entire world is to a pandemic. The mask shortage is just the tip of the iceberg. Perhaps the biggest problem is that politics and economic interests take priority over health. That said, hopefully this virus is contained quickly and governments can learn and prepare for when it happens again.

more bollocks

@filmore2 - We really need quality mask after Chinese bought entire Japanese supplies in few weeks.

Um, the Japanese bought up all the masks in panic buying. It doesn't take very much for the Japanese to have an untruthful snipe at the Chinese, does it?

I wish Abe would be able to repeat something like the news reports in Australia

"It could be any warehouse in Australia. In fact, you may travel past it every day and not even know.

In multiple secret locations across Australia, about $100 million worth of medical supplies — including 20 million masks, antibiotics, vaccines and equipment such as basic hand sanitisers — is sitting on huge pallets wrapped in plastic, ready to be deployed.

It has been gradually accumulated over more than a decade in case of a bioterrorist attack, medical emergencies or pandemics.

It's known as the National Medical Stockpile (NMS).

And with coronavirus almost certain to be declared a pandemic, according to the Prime Minister, the stockpile is now, according to health authorities, set to become a critical element of the response to COVID-19 — its first major use in more than a decade."

Perhaps he can, and if so why not?

Huberts

fillmore2

Some of you think that we are bashing Chinese for no reason, same as we are bashing J. government for no reason at all. The video is by broadcasting companies.

This mask shortage is caused by Chinese, they should get the majority of the blame in Japan,Korea and U.S.A , yes, U.S has n95 mask shortage now.

i have more , hundreds more , they all point to Chinese, i don't see any other race doing this, ,,,,

You are right. I posted here about how a Chinese woman living in Kyoto made a fortune by selling top quality Japan made masks online to China. Masks are all sold out in my country, too. So you know how my wife manage to stockpile 100 masks in case of an outbreak here? She turned to a Japanese lady who usually buys and sends her all the Sanrio stuffs in Japan. The so call Daigou. And the price is higher plus shipping. We are OK with that. Therefore, when you wrote I don't see other race doing this than the Chinese. Well, I can tell you that there is other race doing this.

Has it occurred to anyone yet that the virus is spreading regardless if you have a mask?? Hello McFly....

Comments are sad as usual...

A company goes out of its way - AND its business industry - to provide masks for the population, and you have people here talking about Sharp being a damn Foxconn subsidiary...

I'm quite sure that Sharp is not jumping on the mask bandwagon to help people. It's all about getting the government subsidy and turning a profit. You can also be sure these masks will be expensive with no fixed market pricing.

That photo shows the irony of the mask shortage. The government 'urged' people to avoid crowds and stay indoors. Yet, people are lining up in a public space for hours to buy masks that do very little to protect them from the virus and exposing themselves to the virus. It is logical that those who are desperately lining up for hours to get the masks are already ill.

"It has been gradually accumulated over more than a decade"

Was there ANY coronavirus out there a decade ago?

Nice of the to have all that stockpile and ZERO vaccines for this virus. Brilliant, according to your post.

You may wish to (intentionally?) omit the fact that the Chinese are in great measure responsible for the lack of masks in Japan.

Contrary to the habitual hater's pretence, Japanese people did not exhaust all the mask by themselves; they had a LITTLE help from our Chinese "friends", as it's been reported already!

Same thing they did with Japanese baby formula(s) and nappies.

Thanks God for Google.

It gives me no pleasure pointing out one specific race for mask hoarding, but when they have been case after case trying to illegally takes masks out of Korea, Japan and U.S. and they are Chinese national, when major TV media is covering these events, case after case, since both Korea and Japan is having shortages on masks now. who do you blame, point fingers,

when one person is taking out 24,000 masks at a time, and their 1000s doing this crap, no wonder we are having shortages.

actually, this is kind of sad, those Chinese people who pimped this masks are no better than human trafficking,making profit out of others suffering. It's a sad world we live in.

OMG!

What a hysteria on this forum!

KEEP CALM AND WASH YOUR HANDS!

@Bruce

In multiple secret locations across Australia, about $100 million worth of medical supplies — including 20 million masks, antibiotics, vaccines and equipment such as basic hand sanitisers — is sitting on huge pallets wrapped in plastic, ready to be deployed.

Great initiative and will definitely be useful for health professionals on the front lines.

To Australia and other Southern hemisphere countries: learn from the mistakes made elsewhere and take advantage of your limited window of opportunity.

Meanwhile In Japan, hospitals are running short on basic supplies, people still can't easily get tested; there is political wangling and bickering about the pros and cons of closing schools; people are stocking up on toilet paper/tissues and genuinely becoming worried about their livelihoods. And we are barely a few weeks into this crisis.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltVpyaVby7I

Some of you think that we are bashing Chinese for no reason, same as we are bashing J. government for no reason at all. The video is by broadcasting companies.

This mask shortage is caused by Chinese, they should get the majority of the blame in Japan,Korea and U.S.A , yes, U.S has n95 mask shortage now.

This is from YonhapnewsTV, you can translated into your own language.

This Chinese gentlemen try to sneek 24,000 masks out of inchoen Int'l airport, the allowable amount is 300 pcs without declaration documents.

Its not just your hands that need washing... I wish Companies that have Shower rooms would promote that fact better, as that fact alone would appeal to many - certainly to those who wish to keep themselves fit by jogging to/from work.

DisillusionedToday  10:18 am JST

@filmore2 - We really need quality mask after Chinese bought entire Japanese supplies in few weeks.

Um, the Japanese bought up all the masks in panic buying. It doesn't take very much for the Japanese to have an untruthful snipe at the Chinese, does it?

if you get caught time and time again for illegal taking masks out of the country, and the nationality is Chinese, do you just let it go? why do Chinese get a pass?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2F8TIad2n1w

there is thousands of this youtube, i don't see anyone except Chinese national doing this

it's not snipe man, they got busted at the airport . this broadcast is done by public television, not person, not youtuber, but national broadcasting companies .

i have more , hundreds more , they all point to Chinese, i don't see any other race doing this, ,,,,

Funny that panic buying toilet paper never happen in China but in Japan and HongKong

Maybe not toilet paper but...

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/01/asia/chinese-traditional-medicine-claims-coronavirus-intl-scli-hnk/index.html

A traditional Chinese remedy said to help fight Wuhan coronavirus sparks skepticism -- and panic buying

By Nectar Gan, CNN 

Updated 10:09 AM EST, Sat February 01, 2020

I always like all of Sharp products, I hope they can find a niche market for high end masks, We really need quality mask after Chinese bought entire Japanese supplies in few weeks.

@marcelito

Funny that panic buying toilet paper never happen in China but in Japan and HongKong

I think the govt should start to build hospitals.