Why can't I get a mask reservation? What should I do if I can't get a mask reservation?

We all know that masks are a kind of protective equipment that is in short supply now. It is difficult for people in many places to buy masks, especially in various places in Hubei Province. In order to alleviate the shortage of masks, many cities have begun to make reservations to buy masks. So what is the matter with the reservation of masks but can't get them? Let's take a closer look!

Why can't I get the reserved masks?

System cannot be accessed

At the moment the reservation system was opened, citizens rushed to make reservations and purchases, and the number of online clicks exceeded the platform load, resulting in the above problems. At present, technology companies in various cities have urgently allocated resources to expand server capacity and do their utmost to ensure system stability.

Appointment failed

Since there is a great demand for masks in many cities and the supply is often insufficient to meet the demand, it is normal not to be able to get a mask. If you fail to make an appointment on the same day, you can continue to make an appointment the next day until the appointment is successful.

Why can't I get the reserved masks?

For general business, we usually use a straight-tube architecture design, that is, if 100 people initiate a mask grab at the front end, 100 people will request to the back end, and 100 requests will be sent to the database. However, for such a huge business as flash sales, a large number of queries can often cause the database to crash, so we generally use a funnel-type architecture design. What is a funnel-type architecture design? There are 1 million people who initiate a request to grab a mask at the same time, and only 100,000 people may request to the logic layer. The logic layer will filter out some people, and the service layer will filter out some people. In the end, only 10,000 requests will reach the database. They are all lucky and finally get the masks.

So how do we implement such a function? Usually we will add protection on the client, first of all to prevent users from clicking multiple times. If users desperately click the purchase button, the pressure on the background is very huge. Therefore, we usually only send a request to the background when the user clicks multiple times. Next, we can let the client return failure directly according to a certain percentage, or remind the user that they are in the queue. A lower-level approach is to generate a random number in the customer library or page. For example, the stock of masks this time is only one thousandth of the number of people who have made reservations. Then we can generate a number less than 1000. If the generated number is less than 5, then a request is made to the background, otherwise it will fail directly. A more advanced approach is to deploy some simple random number services on edge nodes such as cnd, so that a certain probability of request goes to the real service background. In this way, 1,000 people are scrambling for masks, but in fact only 5 people actually go to the background to buy them.

What should I do if I cannot get the reserved masks?

Ordinary people's masks can be reused and should be placed in a dry and ventilated place, and kept clean and hygienic. If you really don't have a mask, it's best not to go out.

Except for people with high or relatively high risk of exposure, masks worn by healthy people can be used repeatedly, including appropriately extending the use time and number of times of masks. However, it is worth noting that 75% alcohol can play a disinfecting role, but it may also destroy the electrostatic adsorption of the mask and reduce the filtering ability of the mask, so 75% alcohol is not suitable for ordinary medical surgical masks; any high temperature greater than 80° will destroy the internal structure of the mask, and boiling water can even directly decompose the non-woven fabric and meltblown fabric of the mask, so high-temperature disinfection methods are also undesirable. If the mask needs to be used again, it can be hung in a clean, dry and ventilated place, or placed in a clean, breathable paper bag. Masks should be stored separately to avoid contact with each other, and the mask users should be marked.

Don’t change it if you don’t need to, but if the mask is deformed, wet or dirty, which reduces the protective performance, it should be changed. If the user is a healthy person, the worn mask can be disposed of according to the requirements for household waste classification. However, if the user is a suspected case or has been confirmed, the mask cannot be discarded at will after wearing it. It should be regarded as medical waste and handled strictly according to the relevant procedures for medical waste.

Which platforms can make reservations to buy masks?

Pinduoduo

Open Pinduoduo, search for masks, click to enter the epidemic prevention area, and you can see the time points for mask reservations every day. The times are different! Take the following picture as an example. The mask reservation times on February 22 are 2:00, 3:00 and 6:00 in the afternoon! You need to make an appointment in advance and there are only 5,000 masks!

JD.com

JD.com has two time points for mask reservations, 3pm and 9pm! There are 1,000 masks at 3pm, 10 disposable masks for 18 yuan, and you can grab them at 8pm after making a reservation!

If you didn’t make an appointment for 3 o’clock, don’t worry, you can still make an appointment for kn95 masks at 9 o’clock in the evening!

Honeywell has also released 3,000 kn95 masks. After a successful reservation at 9 pm, they will be available at 22:00!

Alibaba

Alibaba's factories have begun to resume work one after another, but many stores require 15-20 days of delivery, and many stores do not have the qualifications to sell masks!

On February 25, disposable masks from North Korea and the United States began to be snapped up!

Xiaomi Youpin

Xiaomi Youpin has started lottery purchases. Before 4 pm every day, you can enter the app to search for mask reservations. Enter your mobile phone number to make a successful reservation. After a successful reservation, the winner will be announced before 4 pm. Only the winners can purchase it!

Taobao

Many medical flagship stores have also begun to stock up. You can follow the official Weitao updates to see if the merchants are restocking!