Rational use of face masks in the COVID-19 pandemic

Rational use of face masks in the COVID-19 pandemic



Since the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that caused coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the use of face masks has become ubiquitous in China and other Asian countries such as South Korea and Japan. Some provinces and municipalities in China have enforced compulsory face mask policies in public areas; however, China's national guideline has adopted a risk-based approach in offering recommendations for using face masks among health-care workers and the general public. We compared face mask use recommendations by different health authorities (panel). Despite the consistency in the recommendation that symptomatic individuals and those in health-care settings should use face masks, discrepancies were observed in the general public and community settings.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 For example, the US Surgeon General advised against buying masks for use by healthy people. One important reason to discourage widespread use of face masks is to preserve limited supplies for professional use in health-care settings. Universal face mask use in the community has also been discouraged with the argument that face masks provide no effective protection against coronavirus infection.
People at moderate risk * of infection: surgical or disposable mask for medical use.To get more news about quality medical surgical mask factory outlet, you can visit tnkme.com official website.
*People at moderate risk of infection include those working in areas of high population density (eg, hospitals, train stations), those have been or live with somebody who is quarantined, and administrative staff, police, security, and couriers whose work is related to COVID-19.

People at low risk † of infection: disposable mask for medical use.
†People at low risk of infection include those staying in areas of high population density (eg, supermarket, shopping mall), who work indoors, who seek health care in medical institutions (other than fever clinics), and gatherings of children aged 3–6 years and school students.
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People at very low risk ‡ of infection: do not have to wear a mask or can wear non-medical mask (such as cloth mask).
‡People at very low risk of infection include those who mostly stay at home, who do outdoor activities, and who work or study in well-ventilated areas.