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| FILE PHOTO: Men wearing protective masks walk inside the premises of a hospital where a special ward has been set up for the coronavirus disease in Mumbai, India, March 17, 2020. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo. Via Citizentv |
World
Health Organization officials Monday said they still recommend people not wear
face masks unless they are sick with Covid-19 or caring for someone who is
sick.
“There
is no specific evidence to suggest that the wearing of masks by the mass
population has any potential benefit.
In
fact, there’s some evidence to suggest the opposite in the misuse of wearing a
mask properly or fitting it properly,” Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the
WHO health emergencies program, said at a media briefing in Geneva,
Switzerland, on Monday.
“There
also is the issue that we have a massive global shortage,” Ryan said about
masks and other medical supplies.
“Right
now, the people most at risk from this virus are frontline health workers who
are exposed to the virus every second of every day. The thought of them not
having masks is horrific.”
Dr.
Maria Van Kerkhove, an infectious disease epidemiologist with the WHO, also
said at Monday’s briefing that it is important “we prioritize the use of masks
for those who need it most,” which would be frontline health care workers.
“In
the community, we do not recommend the use of wearing masks unless you yourself
are sick and as a measure to prevent onward spread from you if you are ill,”
Van Kerkhove said.
“The
masks that we recommend are for people who are at home and who are sick and for
those individuals who are caring for those people who are home that are sick,”
she said.
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World
Health Organization officials warned at a media briefing last week that
globally there is a “significant shortage” of medical supplies, including
personal protective gear or PPE, for doctors.
“We need to be
clear,” Van Kerkhove said last week. “The world is facing a significant
shortage of PPE for our front line workers including masks and gloves and
gowns and face shields and protecting our health care workers must be the top
priority for use of this PPE.”Sourc: CitizenTv
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