It emphasizes the use of non-medical grade fabric coverings for ordinary people.
By: Shannon Firth, Washington Correspondent, MedPage
The CDC now recommends that everyone wear a cloth face covering when in public places to protect others in case they unknowingly infect them with the virus.
Late Friday night, the agency updated its consumer-oriented webpage for COVID-19 self-protection as follows:
– Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face covering when you are around others.
– You could spread COVID-19 to other people even if you don't feel sick.
-Everyone should wear a cloth face covering when they have to go out in public, for example, to the grocery store or to pick up other necessities.
– Cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under 2 years of age, anyone who has trouble breathing, is unconscious, or is unable to remove the mask without assistance.
-The cloth face covering is intended to protect other people in case you are infected.
– DO NOT use a face mask intended for a healthcare worker.
– Continue to maintain about 6 feet between yourself and others. – Cloth face coverings are not a substitute for social distancing.
Because there is currently no vaccine or approved treatment, the agency stressed that the best strategy for preventing the disease remains avoiding exposure to the virus. Even asymptomatic individuals can spread the coronavirus to others.
During a White House briefing Friday night, President Trump emphasized the CDC's advice to non-healthcare workers against using "medical or surgical-grade" masks. These are now in short supply at many hospitals, forcing administrators to implement strategies to stretch their resources.
But Trump said he has no plans to follow the recommendation to wear a mask in public. "I choose not to," he said at Friday's briefing.
SARS-CoV-2 is mainly transmitted through person-to-person contact in close contact, meaning less than 6 feet (1.8 meters) away; through respiratory droplets, projected in a sneeze or cough that land in the mouths and noses of people nearby and can be inhaled, but most importantly the virus can also be transmitted through conversation.
Researchers reported earlier this week that the coronavirus can spread through normal breathing and speaking. Large droplets remain a method of transmission, when inhaled by someone nearby or through contact with a contaminated surface followed by touching the face. However, researchers noted that tiny airborne particles can also transmit the virus.
Former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, recommended last weekend that "everyone, including people without symptoms, should be encouraged to wear non-medical cloth face masks while in public."
While asymptomatic transmission of the virus outside of China was discovered in late January, White House officials initially suggested it wasn't a significant factor in transmission. "You really need to focus on the people who are symptomatic," HHS Secretary Alex Azar told ABC News in March.