The Director-General of National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu said Monday that the use of face masks without observing personal hygiene and preventive measures would be counterproductive in the fight against coronavirus in the country.
Ihekweazu said this at the briefing of the Presidential Task Force on Control of COVID-19.
Represented b the Head of Surveillance and Epidemiology Department, Mrs Elsie Ilori, the NCDC boss said other preventive measures to be strictly observed include avoiding large gatherings, frequent washing of hands and maintaining physical distancing.
“And as the number of covid cases increases globally, it brings to the forefront the need to adhere to preventive measures, therefore wearing of masks is a key aspect of this preventive measures and several studies have shown that its effectiveness is in reducing the risk of infection.
“Wearing a mask in public, not only to protect yourself, but you also protect others around you. Just because this is important, because not many people show symptoms. Some people you come across do not show symptoms, these are the people will call asymptomatic. They won’t show symptoms but they have the virus and they can still transmit,” she said.
She said does who do not show symptoms are the ones likely to infect people leading to fatalities as evident in the NDDC data.
“We are now closer to 1000 fatalities for COVID. This situation is not unique to Nigeria, is a global issue and it requires collective efforts. This is the eight month since the world has been heavily impacted by this disease.
“And by doing our own beat, you can go through it much faster and taking responsibilities and adhere to preventive measures of covid as well as emphasizing on the need for it’s within our family members and friends.
“When going out wear a mask, especially when you’re in a situation where physical distancing might not be possible and that includes making public transports or in the marketplaces. Face mask should never be shared. This is very important,” she said.
She said while the use of improvised mask is cost-effective and can be washed, the medical mask should be disposed of properly in the waste bin.
“And lets wear our face masks properly please, under the chin is not effective, also below the nose will see some people create below the nose, that is not effective. You’re not protecting yourself.
“You might be covering your mouth, but you’re also taking in the air. So you need to cover your nose and mouth that is when it is effective. When we are speaking, we should not do put it under our chin because we are infecting it,” she said.
