‘Mask’ up to fight COVID-19

The World Health Organisation (WHO’s) publication: Advice on the use of masks in the context of COVID-19, states that the wearing of a medical mask is one of the preventive measures that can limit the spread of certain viral diseases, including COVID-19.

The publication states however that, “there is currently no evidence that wearing a mask (whether medical or other types) by healthy persons in the wider community setting, including universal community masking, can prevent them from infection with respiratory viruses, including COVID-19.”

Although appearing contradictory, the advice by the WHO is not completely out of place. On the whole, it shows that the wearing of masks is integral in the hygienic protocols we all must maintain to fight the spread.

Indeed, the publication goes on to say that, “... the use of a mask alone is insufficient to provide an adequate level of protection and other measures should also be adopted.”

The other measures it details are the social distancing and the handwashing habits that should now become a part of all.

Research by the WHO has also established the two modes of the spread of COVID-19, that is, by respiratory droplets and by contact.

Respiratory droplets are generated when an infected person coughs or sneezes, thus any person standing close, within a metre, risks being exposed to the virus.

The droplets may also land on surfaces, where the virus could remain viable; thus, the immediate environment of an infected individual can serve as a source of contact transmission.

Masking up, therefore, goes a long way in containing the spread of the disease in both ways. In the case of the respiratory droplets, a sick person masking up contains any droplets from falling in his or her immediate environment or surrounding.

That means the droplets from a sneeze or a cough do not fall, but are retained in the mask that would later be discarded or washed and ironed, killing any virus in the process.

For doctors and caregivers, masking up would mean that they are not overly exposed to the virus from symptomatic patients.

For all others, there are practical and healthy reasons for masking up. Masking up by the public means that we do not spread any respiratory droplets when we cough or sneeze.

Masking up, however, requires the right use of masks and knowing the right way to wear it.

On the right uses of masks, the Medical Women’s Association of Ghana (MWAG) last week announced their campaign to get Ghanaians all masked up with nose masks made locally by seamstresses and tailors.

According to them, getting all masked up can help prevent the spread as in other jurisdictions such as Singapore, Czech Republic, South Korea, and China.

Additionally, getting all in locally made masks, will free the medical and N95 masks for medical personnel at the critical period of the pandemic, to be used exclusively in taking care of those suffering from the contagion.

The Daily Graphic is heartened by President Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s directive for all to mask up to fight the pandemic. He has shown the lead in procuring for health facilities 263,281 nose and 13,002 N95 masks, as he mentioned in his seventh address to the nation on the status of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana.

The MWAG must also be commended for its campaign to get all masked up with locally sewn masks to free up the medical masks for healthcare workers. We also commend the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) for its ‘Wear your nose mask’ campaign.

In the same vein, we commend all Ghanaians who have taken it upon themselves to go into the production of masks so all can benefit.

The Daily Graphic, however, sounds a caution that the masks produced locally must not be out of the reach of the ordinary person.

It is also worth noting that masks are effective only when used in combination with frequent handwashing with soap under running water or alcohol-based hand sanitisers where water is not readily available.