Priority for patients and specialists .. What is the correct way to use the masks?

Dr.. Osama Abu Al-Rub

The World Health Organization has repeatedly emphasized that the use of masks should be limited to those with the emerging SARS Cove 2 virus that causes Covid-19, and that wearing them for non-infected people does not protect them from infection, so why? What is the correct way to use the gags?

In many regions of China, medical masks have become mandatory since the outbreak of the Coruna virus. And some other countries follow these procedures, such as Austria, which imposed a muzzle on customers in shopping stores. In Germany, the debate is currently taking place around the imposition of the muzzle.

On Monday, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas expressed his reluctance to compel citizens to wear masks when shopping, for example, as Austria did.

In an interview with the German newspaper "Bild" published on Monday, the politician belonging to the Social Democratic Party said, "If it makes sense, it should not be ruled out."

Mas added that it should also be ensured that the masks are suitable to protect the person and others, adding that "it will not work when anything is put on the face that has no protective effect."

On the other hand, German officials on Tuesday expressed their opposition to the requirement for residents to wear masks and medical masks during the new Corona epidemic, amid warnings that this may give a false sense of safety.

no need
German Health Minister Jens Young said on Tuesday that he now sees that "there is no need for commitment" to wear masks in his country despite the fact that the city of Jena (east) took a local decision to impose wearing masks while shopping or using public transport in the context of intensifying efforts to reduce the outbreak of the Corona virus, And thus became the first German city to take this step.

For his part, Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer said that the focus should be first on providing sufficient quantities of masks for health workers and the police, while many officials warned against sending a wrong signal by asking the general population to put the masks.

Infected with the virus
In a statement, the World Health Organization has repeatedly stressed that the use of masks should be restricted to those infected with the virus, and that wearing them for non-infected people does not protect them from infection.

For long periods, wearing a medical mask was restricted to operating rooms, and the goal is to protect a patient who is undergoing surgery from an infection if a doctor coughs or sneezes during a surgical procedure, which is an effective preventive method that prevents the spread of cough spray, but under conditions the most important of which is changing the muzzle regularly. Commonly known in operating rooms is to change the muzzle every two hours.

And if the masks are worn in everyday life, they protect the wearer from infection, but on a very small scale, viruses usually penetrate the body through the mouth, eyes, or open wounds, and the most important role in the transmission of infection is played by the hand. The most important advice here from experts is not to rub the eyes or nose.

On Monday, WHO officials said only caregivers and front-line health-care workers should wear masks, as well as patients, to prevent the spread of infection.

The organization said that the masks are largely misused, citing research indicating that the masks can give a false sense of safety and may lead people to reduce hand washing.

In response to a question on the issue of wearing masks, Michael Ryan, executive director of the Global Health Health Emergency Program, said that the organization does not obligate everyone to use the muzzle, and stressed that the priority for medical personnel and the injured and those dealing with them if they were at home, and also said that putting the muzzle and taking it out again and again may Be damaging.

In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people who have symptoms of the disease or who provide care to patients only wear respirators.

Earlier this month, American general surgeon Jerome Adams urged to stop buying gags, tweeting, "It is not effective in preventing the general public from contracting the Coronavirus, but if health care providers are unable to use it - as a result of its shortage or interruption - then This puts them and our societies at risk. "

Masks with filter
In addition to operating theater masks, there are also more effective masks which are equipped with a filter to protect from dust and harmful substances. These masks are commonly distributed among workers in the fields of construction and industry, who are exposed to dust and harmful materials.

These gags also do not provide optimal protection from viruses, as they are intended for another purpose, they are useful for carpenters for example to protect from inhalation of wood dust, or for the construction worker who mixes cement and needs protection from its dust.

Even the use of masks with the best degrees of filtering does not provide protection without taking other preventive measures, the most important of which is: following the highest levels of hygiene when applying the muzzle or disposing of it, wearing gloves and a complete suit covering the whole body, in addition to regular washing of hands and sterilizing the area around you regularly and properly.

This is what the workers in the isolation units in which they are already infected with the virus depend on, and this is something that requires a long time. Therefore, following this method of protection during work or when using public transport is impractical at all.

When to wear a muzzle?
"If you are in good health, you do not have to wear a muzzle unless you are attending to a person suspected of developing the Coronavirus virus infection," the WHO says on its website when asked when to use the mask and the Corona outbreak.

And add "put a muzzle if you suffer from coughing or sneezing ... masks are not effective unless they are accompanied by cleaning hands by either rubbing them with an alcohol disinfectant or by washing them with soap and water."

"If you are wearing a muzzle, you must learn the correct way to wear and dispose of it," the organization asserts.

How to use, remove and dispose of it

• Rub your hands mainly with alcohol-based material, or wash them with soap and water before wearing the muzzle.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a muzzle and make sure there are no gaps in your face and muzzle.
• Avoid touching the muzzle while using it, and if you do touch it, rub your hands with an alcohol-based substance or wash them with soap and water.
• Replace the muzzle with a new one as soon as it gets wet, and the masks intended for single use are not prepared.
• Removing the muzzle: Be sure to remove it from the back (do not touch its front) and dispose of it immediately by throwing it in a closed container, and rub your hands with alcohol-based material or wash them with soap and water.

Finally, all means of protection do not work unless the standards of personal hygiene are adhered to. No matter how you wear masks, all of their effects can be lost at the moment when you touch your nose or eyes with an unclean hand.