The National Institute for Communicable Diseases is reviewing its stance on discouraging members of the public from using masks to reduce the spread of Covid-19.
But more and more countries around the world are now following the example of Asian governments in advising people to use masks when they go out in public as concern mounts that infected people could transmit the virus before they show symptoms.
In recent days, health minister Zweli Mkhize and Gauteng health MEC Bandile Masuku have indicated that they see a greater role for masks, including when people are using crowded public transport or queuing at shops. The provincial government posted detailed instructions on its website showing how to make, use and clean masks. It called on households, the textile industry and civil society groups to make cloth masks.
The Covid-19 coronavirus, targets human cells with ACE2 receptors, which are found in the respiratory system. The immune response can trigger potentially deadly inflammations and the virus can spread from the lungs to other organs. Here’s a visual representation of how Covid-19 infects and damages the human body.
McMorrow warned that wearing masks could provide a false sense of protection, and if they were used incorrectly could pose more of a risk to the user than not using one at all, not least of all because people wearing them tended to touch their faces more.
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