Latest COVID-19 Guidelines Issued by WHO
The World Health Organization issued the latest guidelines for the use of masks to prevent COVID-19 on June 5, giving the latest recommendations on which groups should wear masks, when to wear them and what materials should be used for them.WHO General Director Tan Desai said at a press conference on the same day that WHO had developed the guidelines after careful review of all available evidence and extensive consultation with international experts and civil society groups.
Compared with the previous version, the new guidelines suggest that in areas where the epidemic is widely spread, all personnel working in health clinical areas should wear medical masks, not just those in direct contact with COVID-19 patients. For example, doctors should also wear medical masks when visiting cardiology departments or palliative care wards that have not admitted newly diagnosed patients.
The new guidelines also suggest that people aged 60 and above, or people suffering from other diseases, should wear medical masks when they cannot maintain social distance in communities where the COVID-19 is spreading.
WHO has also updated the guidelines for the use of masks in communities where the COVID-19 has spread, suggesting that governments encourage the public to wear masks in areas where the virus is widespread and difficult to maintain social distance, such as public transportation vehicles, shops and other closed or crowded environments.
The new guidelines also updated information on the material composition of the fabric mask based on the research results. WHO recommends that fabric masks should be made of at least three layers of different materials and give specific instructions on which materials to use for each layer. At the same time, the guidelines provide guidance on how to clean and maintain fabric masks.
As for how to use the mask correctly, the guide also reminds that if you use unclean hands to adjust the mask or take it off repeatedly, and do not wash your hands during the process, there is a possibility of infection. Masks also give people a false sense of security, causing people to ignore hand hygiene and fail to keep a safe distance.
Tan Desai stressed that masks alone cannot guarantee the prevention of infection with COVID-19 virus, and masks are only part of the comprehensive measures to combat the new coronavirus. The basic measures for countries to deal with the pandemic must be "to find, isolate, detect and care for every case, and to track and isolate every contact".
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