By Moses Emorinken, Abuja
The Presidential Job Force (PTF) on Monday revealed that airborne transmission of COVID-19 is possible, even as new proof has revealed.
It, for that reason, prompted citizens to absolutely wear a face mask and abide by other non-pharmaceutical procedures like preventing mass gatherings, practicing social distancing and keeping hand hygiene by cleaning of hands.
Speaking during the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 briefing in Abuja, the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Illness Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, stated: “Over the past couple of weeks, increasing proof has emerged that in addition to bead infection we can not dismiss that air-borne transmission is also possible as a mode of transmission of covid-19
” The World Health Organization (WHO) has actually updated its guidelines on this stating exactly the exact same thing– that we can not dismiss airborne transmission. Therefore, we need to act in a precautionary method assuming that this is also possible given the new proof that is emerging.
” Understanding the mode of transmission of any brand-new virus is extremely vital for specifying action techniques. For Covid-19, from the very beginning, our understanding based on all the coronavirus that was spread, was primarily through beads and excretions from the breathing tract that can’t remain on in air, and they ultimately fall to the ground after a few minutes.
” Nevertheless, as we have actually studied transmissions and clusters of these infections, we saw increasing evidence from clusters of infections where bead transmission did not seem to be adequate to explain the clusters that we are seeing.
” Illness that are typically understood to be spread by what we call air-borne infection are things like measles, influenza, and so on, that can be suspended in the air and transferred over longer ranges.
” The new research does not change our guidelines, however only strengthens them as they stand.”
Ihekweazu added, “This suggests that remaining together in closed spaces and clusters such as in dining establishments and in little spaces with really poor ventilation increases the danger of transmission. Indoor activities are riskier than outdoors activities especially when there are many people in the space when we don’t adhere to distancing them and when we do not wear masks.
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” This implies that we need to with a louder voice of the things that we have actually been stating already; that we need to even reinforce further the avoidance of mass gatherings or gatherings of any nature in small spaces.
” As soon as you exceed the typical level of what is possible in a space, particularly in a room with bad ventilation, then, there are currently a lot of people in that space. We have to pay attention to ventilation, distancing, stay outside as chosen to within, continue to clean our hands and absolutely wear a mask whenever we are outdoors our homes.”
The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, included: “I emphasize once again that diligent using of masks is being verified in various studies, as the most convenient, least expensive and most trustworthy way to examine the rate of spread.
” Some countries have made it compulsory by law and imposed a fine for non-compliance. Regular cleaning of hands, preventing crowds, social distancing and usage of minimum of 65 percent alcohol based sanitizers stay as appropriate as at the start.”
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