WHO issues fresh guidelines, emphasizes on wearing masks for COVID-19 protection

By Syed Sajid Aziz in USA
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

As the entire planet faces the wrath of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued fresh guidance for the use of masks on the basis of evolving evidence. 

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General, WHO, shared the new guidance over the weekend, warning the people about the dangers of ignoring the other safety measures while wearing the masks. 

He cautioned the people against developing a false sense of security when they were wearing masks as the protective gear but did not take care of other preventive matters. 

“I cannot say this clearly enough: Masks alone will not protect you from COVID-19. Masks are only a benefit as part of a comprehensive approach,” Dr Ghebreyesus clarified. 

“Masks can be used either for protection of healthy persons (worn to protect oneself when in contact with an infected individual) or for source control (worn by an infected individual to prevent onward transmission). However, the use of a mask alone is insufficient to provide an adequate level of protection or source control, and other personal and community level measures should also be adopted to suppress transmission of respiratory viruses,” the WHO advised. 

In places with widespread transmission, WHO has advised medical masks for all people working in clinical areas of a health facility, not only workers dealing with patients with COVID-19 which meant that when a doctor is doing a ward round on the cardiology or palliative care units even without confirmed COVID-19 patients was advised to wear a medical mask.

In areas with community transmission, people aged 60 years or over, or those with underlying conditions, have been advised to wear a medical mask in situations where physical distancing is not possible. 

The WHO has continued to recommend people, who are sick with symptoms of COVID-19 should remain at home, and should consult their healthcare provider while people confirmed to have COVID-19 should be isolated and cared for in a health facility and their contacts should be quarantined.