我们有关于口罩的坏消息要告诉你

我们有关于口罩的坏消息要告诉你

The US Surgeon General has urged the public not to buy face masks to protect against the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, warning they are largely ineffective at protecting against the viral infection in public.

美国卫生局局长敦促公众不要购买口罩来预防正在爆发的冠状病毒，并警告称，口罩在预防公众感染病毒方面基本无效。

They are, however, a useful tool for doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals who are consistently in close proximity to infected individuals. So, to prevent vital medical resources from running dry, the Surgeon General, Dr Jerome M Adams, has warned against rushing out to buy face masks.

然而，对于医生、护士和卫生保健专业人员来说，它们是一种有用的工具，因为他们总是与受感染的人密切接触。因此，为了防止重要的医疗资源枯竭，卫生局局长杰罗姆·M·亚当斯博士警告人们不要急于购买口罩。

Tom Hale

“Seriously people – STOP BUYING MASKS!” Dr Adams tweeted over the weekend.

“说真的，人们——别再买口罩了!”亚当斯博士周末在推特上写道。

“They are NOT effective in preventing the general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!”

“它们不能有效地防止公众感染冠状病毒，但如果医疗服务提供者不能让它们照顾病人，就会把它们和我们的社区置于危险之中!”

Jeffrey Swisher, chairman of California Pacific Medical Center’s department of anesthesiology, has also tweeted that "viral particles are too small and the filtration ability of surgical masks is insufficient" to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus. He added: "Surgical masks protect you as a patient in the operating room from bacterial contamination. Stop buying and hoarding them!"

加州太平洋医疗中心麻醉科主任杰弗里·斯威舍尔也在推特上表示，“病毒颗粒太小，口罩的过滤能力不足”，无法阻止新型冠状病毒的传播。他补充说:“外科口罩可以保护手术室里的病人免受细菌污染。停止购买和囤积!”

Selangor, Malaysia - January 18, 2020: A convenience store warns customers they have sold out of face masks. Jeentai/Shutterstock

Indeed, some parts of the world are already experiencing shortness of medical supplies, including face masks, in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. Increased demand for face masks has also seen price surges and counterfeit products.

事实上，在冠状病毒爆发后，世界上一些地方已经出现了医疗用品短缺，包括口罩。口罩需求的增加也导致了价格飙升和假冒产品的出现。

“There are severe strains on protective equipment around the world. Our primary concern is to ensure that our front line health workers are protected and that they have the equipment they need to do their jobs,” Dr Michael J Ryan, executive director of the health emergency program at the World Health Organization, said during a press conference on Friday.

“世界各地的防护装备都承受着严重的压力。世界卫生组织卫生应急项目执行主任Michael J Ryan博士在周五的新闻发布会上说:“我们最关心的是确保我们的一线卫生工作者得到保护，确保他们拥有完成工作所需的设备。”

The CDC states there is no need for the general population to be wearing face masks every day in public, but there is some evidence that suggests it’s useful for infected individuals to wear a mask in order to hamper viral transmission to others.

美国疾病控制与预防中心表示，普通人没有必要每天在公共场合戴口罩，但有证据表明，为了防止病毒传播，受感染的人戴口罩是有用的。

“There is very little evidence that wearing such masks protects the wearer from infection,” explained Dr Ben Killingley, Consultant in Acute Medicine and Infectious Diseases at University College London Hospital. “For example, studies have shown that wearing of masks by individuals in a household that contains an influenza-infected person does not confer significant protection.”

伦敦大学学院医院急性医学和传染病顾问本·基林利博士解释说:“很少有证据表明戴这样的口罩可以保护佩戴者不受感染。例如，研究表明，家中有流感感染者的个人戴口罩并不能起到显著的保护作用。”

“Specific respirator masks are worn by healthcare workers when looking after sick people but this situation is very different from the general public wearing surgical face masks, particularly when outside and when not in close contact with symptomatic individuals.”

“医护人员在照顾病人时需要佩戴特定的口罩，但这种情况与一般公众佩戴外科口罩有很大不同，尤其是在室外或与有症状的人没有密切接触时。”

There are a few simple things you can do to reduce the risk of being infected with the novel coronavirus (or any virus for that matter). First and foremost: wash your hands regularly and thoroughly using soap and warm water. Touching surfaces that are handled by many different people in public, such as handrails or door handles, are particularly useful for hitchhiking viruses, so it’s worth paying extra attention to your hand hygiene while out and about. It’s also a good idea to avoid touching your face, specifically your mouth, nose, and eyes.

为了降低感染新型冠状病毒(或任何病毒)的风险，你可以做一些简单的事情。首先也是最重要的:经常彻底地用肥皂和温水洗手。在公共场合接触许多不同人接触过的物体表面，比如扶手或门把手，这对搭车携带病毒特别有用，所以出门在外时要格外注意手部卫生。避免触摸脸也是个好主意，特别是嘴巴、鼻子和眼睛。