Apple and Facebook have been stockpiling millions of face masks for months — just not for the coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19. referred to as coronavirus.
The tech giants announced this week that they were donating a combined 9.7 million masks to help fight the deadly pandemic, medical equipment originally stored following a different disaster: last years’s California wildfires.
The companies were following a new regulation from the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board, CNBC reports.
The new rule requires companies to provide respiratory equipment, like N95 masks, for workers when air quality dipped, according to the report.
The board added that substitutes like scarves or clothing tied around someone’s nose and mouth, as well as surgical masks, would not be sufficient to protect people from smoke inhalation as the wildfires intensified.
The regulation states that an “N95 filtering facepiece respirator … is the minimum level of protection for wildfire smoke.”
Particulates in the air are the problem when it comes to using masks without the respirator facepiece.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevetion (CDC) issued the following statement: “In settings where face masks are not available, [health care personnel] might use homemade masks [e.g., bandanna, scarf] for care of patients with COVID-19 as a last resort. However, homemade masks are not considered [personal protective equipment] since their capability to protect [health care personnel] is unknown. Caution should be exercised when considering this option. Homemade masks should ideally be used in combination with a face shield that covers the entire front [that extends to the chin or below] and sides of the face.”
Our teams at Apple have been working to help source supplies for healthcare providers fighting COVID-19. We’re donating millions of masks for health professionals in the US and Europe. To every one of the heroes on the front lines, we thank you.
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) March 21, 2020
Though nearly 10 million might sound like a lot of masks, federal officials have estimated the real need over the course of the next year is up to 3.5 billion masks given the quick spread of the disease.
Thousands of medical workers across the country have made public pleas to friends and family on social media to donate their N95 masks or sew masks which could serve as makeshift replacements. Infection rates among hospital personnel is incredibly high compared to the general population in the hardest-hit places.
In Italy, people are using 3D printers to make N95 mask and ventilator substitutes. Car manufacturer Ford also announced it will partner with 3M and GE Healthcare to begin producing not just N95 masks but also ventilators, which are also in short supply, particularly in New York City.
Imagine you’re settled in the backseat of a car, ready to enjoy some Apple TV on your iPhone or iPad during a long road trip or your daily commute. Don’t let a poor wireless signal reception or a limited data plan ruin your viewing experience.
Instead, download your favorite TV shows and movies before you hit the road. Whether you want to catch up on the latest dramas or keep the kids entertained with quality children’s content, we’ll guide you through the simple steps to download everything you need.
There was a time when Siri was the best voice assistant. Then it lost its crown to the likes of Google Assistant and Alexa. Now, with the rise of AI assistants like Google Gemini and ChatGPT Voice, the competition has become even more fierce.
Thankfully, after letting Siri stagnate for years, Apple has finally given it the attention it deserved. And while there's still a long way to go, I cannot deny that I am enjoying using this new Siri, and it has become more useful in my daily life than ever before.
Choosing a note-taking app is not easy. What note-taking app you choose depends on your needs, the platform you use, and of course, the cost. The process becomes even more complicated as it seems that there’s a new shiny app released every other week.
That’s why I always suggest choosing a note-taking app that has all the features you need and can last you for a long time. Also, don’t chase new apps. The real power of a note-taking app comes when all your notes live in one place, making it easy to spot connections between them.