In recent days, everyone may be worried about the same thing: medical masks are already out of stock now, what should I do if I can¡¯t buy them?
Don't rush to grab the masks. In fact, whether it is masks or daily protective measures, we may still have some misunderstandings: masks really have to be changed at a time? Except for medical masks, other masks are useless?
Today we will solve five rumors about masks at once, and another one that may be ignored by you but is advocated as the primary method to prevent infection. Let¡¯s look at it together:
In the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, it is mentioned that there is currently no vaccine to prevent 2019-nCoV infection, so the best way to prevent infection is to avoid contact with the virus.
In the daily protective measures, they listed a total of 6 Tips, and the first and second of them all emphasize the importance of hand washing:
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Stay at home when you are sick.
Cover your mouth with a tissue and cough or sneeze, then throw the tissue in the trash.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
In the World Health Organization (WHO) "Recommendations to the Public on the Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCov)", hand washing is also listed as the first recommendation:
Regarding how to protect yourself, WHO has further emphasized the need to maintain hand hygiene:
All in all, washing hands frequently is really important.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have not included wearing masks in their daily protective measures and recommendations to the public, but without exception, they put hand washing first, and frequent hand washing is a daily protection for ordinary people. The importance of it is self-evident. It is also worth mentioning that the hand sanitizers mentioned in various guides are ordinary soap and water. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can be used instead of soap and water, so you don¡¯t need to be superstitious and hoard alcohol-based hands. As a disinfectant, wash your hands frequently and keep your hands hygienic.
Presumably, we all have the experience of making every effort to persuade our parents and elders to wear masks, right? Yesterday, a colleague said that the price of masks is cheap in the city, and the elders went out and lined up excitedly.
At this time, people gather and queue to buy face masks. Isn¡¯t it messy?
According to the WHO "Clinical Management of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection Suspected of Caused by Novel Coronavirus (nCoV): Interim Guidance", droplet transmission may be possible if contact with patients within 1 to 2 meters, if direct or indirect contact with patients and be Contaminated surfaces may also be infected.
Masks are not golden bells. The best way to protect yourself is to stay away from crowds and try to avoid crowded places. Isolation is more important than wearing masks.
One question is: Now the Spring Festival holiday is about to end, and everyone has to go to the crowded airports and train stations, and now they can¡¯t buy masks. What should I do?
A mask must be better than no mask at this time. Whether it is a medical mask or an ordinary mask, put it on first. After Zhong Nanshan heard that N95 masks were sold out, he advised everyone not to wear N95 masks. Normal masks can block most of the virus-laden droplets from entering the respiratory tract.
In this sense, wearing a protective face mask is useful. And more attention should be paid to masks: in crowded areas such as airports and train stations, do not take off masks easily; in situations where it is not possible to wash your hands, try not to touch your mouth, nose, eyes, etc. with your hands.