Washington, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Roundup: The U.S. government distributes N95 masks to the public The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updates its guidelines for masks
Xinhua News Agency reporter Tan Jingjing
Recently, with the rapid spread of the new crown variant virus Omicron strain, the epidemic in the United States has rebounded seriously, and many epidemic indicators such as new confirmed cases, hospitalized cases, and child infection cases have repeatedly set new records. U.S. public health experts stress that wearing masks, especially high-quality masks with good protection, is an important tool to prevent the spread of the virus through respiratory droplets and aerosols.
Since this week, the U.S. government has distributed 400 million N95 masks to people free of charge in pharmacies, community medical centers and other places across the United States. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also recently updated its guidelines for masks, emphasizing that wearing N95, KN95 or disposable medical surgical masks can provide better protection.
The Washington Post recently quoted a White House official as saying that the mask distribution plan is the largest personal protective material distribution project in the history of the United States. According to reports, the masks issued by the US government are from the US National Emergency Medicines Strategic Reserve Project, and each adult is limited to 3 to ensure that more people can be covered. The mask distribution program will continue until the beginning of February. The N95 masks for adults were distributed, and the White House official said it was "expected to provide high-quality masks for children in the near future."
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated the epidemic prevention guidelines on the correct wearing of masks on the 14th, ranking the protective effects of various types of masks: the protective effect of loosely woven cloth masks is the weakest; followed by multi-layer precision woven masks; disposable medical surgical masks and KN95 masks can provide more protection; including N95 masks, masks certified by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health can provide the "highest level of protection".
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, N95 masks can filter up to 95% of particles in the air, and are designed to fit more closely with the face. If you continue to wear a suitably sized N95 mask, you can provide the highest degree of protection against the new crown virus and other particles in the air, and also prevent the wearer's respiratory droplets from spreading to others.
The CDC also emphasizes that the medical surgical N95 mask is a special type of N95 mask that can provide additional protection against dangers that occur during medical procedures such as blood spattering, so it should be left for use by medical staff.
Since the outbreak, wearing a mask has become a controversial topic in the United States. The medical community has long emphasized that wearing masks as a low-cost means of protection can help slow the spread of the virus. However, some politicians and public figures, including former President Trump, are reluctant to wear masks in public and even question the "mask order", and these chaotic and contradictory messages have affected public perception.
At the same time, for some Americans, buying N95 masks is not a small economic burden. Anne Miller, executive director of the N95 Program, a nonprofit organization in the United States, said in a statement that although there is currently no shortage of N95 masks, masks cannot be fully popularized in the United States due to their cost and public awareness.
The U.S. government's lagging supply of anti-epidemic supplies has been criticized. Another washington post report recently said that the United States is slow to provide masks and rapid test kits, lagging behind many countries. The report said that political factors have hindered the US anti-epidemic process. Both masks and rapid test kits have become the subject of fierce partisan battles in the United States. In addition to partisanship, the "decentralized" political system and inadequate universal health care coverage in the United States are also in stark contrast to other countries, and the US federal government often responds to changes in the epidemic at a "snail speed".
Now that the epidemic has been raging for more than two years, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the United States has exceeded 70 million, the number of deaths has exceeded 860,000, and basic epidemic prevention measures such as wearing masks in the United States are still controversial. The Los Angeles Times recently commented: "If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it is that the help provided by the government should be meaningful, direct, and with as little friction as possible." ”
(Xinhuanet)