The surgeon general made a plea to Americans to stop buying face masks, saying that they are not effective in preventing people from catching the coronavirus. But he implored that healthcare providers do need them.
“Seriously people – STOP BUYING MASKS!” U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams complained Saturday on Twitter.
“They are NOT effective in preventing 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!”
Seriously people- STOP BUYING MASKS!
They are NOT effective in preventing 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!
https://t.co/UxZRwxxKL9— U.S. Surgeon General (@Surgeon_General) February 29, 2020
In the post he linked to the CDC page on information on preventing the spread of respiratory diseases, like COVID-19.
The CDC does not recommend that healthy people wear a facemasks to protect themselves from respiratory diseases.
He followed up with another tweet saying that the best way to protect yourself is to stay home if you are sick and wash your hands. And get the flu shot.
The best way to protect yourself and your community is with everyday preventive actions, like staying home when you are sick and washing hands with soap and water, to help slow the spread of respiratory illness.
Get your #FluShot– fewer flu patients = more resources for#COVID19— U.S. Surgeon General (@Surgeon_General) February 29, 2020
On Sunday Adams posted another Twitter thread informing people that while “COVID19 is a serious disease … for the general public the immediate health risk is considered low.”
U.S. officials are trying to reassure the public that the federal government is working to make sure state and local authorities are able to test for coronavirus.
More cases of the virus were announced Sunday, with officials saying the virus may have been in Washington state for weeks, while a third case in Illinois and Rhode Island’s first case were reported.
