Health Ministry considering US mask review
WELLINGTON: The Health Ministry is awaiting a United States review of whether the public should wear face masks during the pandemic.
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reviewing new data that shows the highly infectious nature of Covid19 means regular face mask use may help cut transmission.
It shows the coronavirus is probably three times as infectious as the flu, that many people show no symptoms for two days, and that in this time they spread the virus around.
Both the CDC and the World Health Organisation have repeatedly said people do not need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. New Zealand follows these guidelines.
But the CDC now is ‘‘aggressively’’ reviewing its guidelines on who should wear masks.
Directorgeneral of health Ashley Bloomfield told a briefing in Wellington on Thursday afternoon that the experience in parts of Asia of routine face mask use by people who had common respiratory illnesses appeared to back this up.
‘‘There’s some suggestion that routine wearing of face masks by people when they’re out in public may help reduce the transmission, for example if they are asymptomatic.
‘‘So we’re looking very closely at that. I’m watching that CDC review very closely.’’
Some of the 41 million new masks being imported by the ministry over the next six weeks could be redirected from district health boards to the general public, he said.
‘‘It is possible, yes, because the main thing would be to ensure that they are being used where they are most valued.’’ — RNZ