NAVI MUMBAI: It is not only failure to wear face masks that is leading to a rise in Covid-19 cases. Health officials said some people were wearing face masks with valves.
Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) on Monday posted messages on social media, urging residents not to wear face masks with valves. The valve does not have a filter for exhalation, making it ineffective in containing spread of the virus, said NMMC commissioner Abhijit Bangar, adding, “The air inhaled is filtered, but not when exhaled.”
In August, American Center for Diseases Control said while respirators with exhalation valves protect the wearer from SARS-CoV-2, they may not prevent the virus spreading from the wearer to others.
Private hospitals like Fortis in Navi Mumbai and Mulund have put up posters stating that people with valve masks will be told to change to regular ones. “Masks with valves may not be effective in controlling the spread of Covid. People should wear masks that are not only safe for them but also for others in front of them,’’ said a doctor. A new study in the US has shown that even a cloth mask is effective in preventing a Covid infection.
NMMC has been registering around 350 positive cases every day.