Guide! Preventing novel coronavirus infection in Wuhan pneumonia, how to wear masks exactly

The outbreak of pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus is spreading further from Wuhan, Hubei Province. According to public data, as of 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 21, a total of 219 cases of pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus had been diagnosed in China, including 198 cases in Wuhan, 5 cases in Beijing, 14 cases in Guangdong and 2 cases in Shanghai. At the same time, a total of 15 medical personnel in Wuhan have been diagnosed with pneumonia cases infected by the new coronavirus, and one is a suspected case. Lei Feng net concern, the national health construction commission high-level expert group leader Zhong Nanshan said, the new coronavirus pneumonia of is sure people to people, so the whole population should be vigilant.

1

What is the new coronavirus?

Coronaviruses are a widespread group of viruses in nature, so named because the virus form resembles a crown when viewed under an electron microscope. Coronaviruses have been found to infect only vertebrates and can cause respiratory, gastrointestinal and neurological diseases in humans and animals. 

This new coronavirus, first discovered in Wuhan, Hubei Province, has been named 2019-nCoV, or 2019 novel coronavirus, by the World Health Organization. In addition, there are six other coronaviruses known to infect humans. Four of them are more common in the population and have a lower pathogenicity, usually causing only mild respiratory symptoms similar to the common cold; the other two are the well-known SARS coronavirus and MERS coronavirus. However, the new coronavirus discovered this time is very different from SARS and MERS; although it is a close relative of SARS, it has not yet shown the same terrible characteristics as SARS. There are two types of clinical manifestations in the infected patients: 

• General symptoms: fever, malaise, dry cough, gradual onset of dyspnea (some patients start with mild symptoms and may have no fever);
• Severe: acute respiratory distress syndrome, septic shock, uncorrectable metabolic acidosis, hemorrhagic coagulopathy.

It should be noted that the majority of patients currently infected are moderately to mildly ill and have a good prognosis, while a few are critically ill or even dead.

2

How do I protect myself?

1. Wash your hands regularly

Hands come into contact with a wide variety of pathogens, and coronaviruses are no exception; hand washing is one of the definitive preventive measures. It is recommended that people rub their hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and running water. If water and soap are not readily available when you are out and about, you can use a hand sanitizer containing 70-80% alcohol in a leave-on form. Hand washing is recommended in all of the following situations:

• go out and come home
• After coughing or sneezing     
• Before touching the mouth, nose and eyes     
• before a meal
• When cooking, before and after handling ingredients
• after going to the toilet
• After contact with animals

2. Reasonable wearing of masks

It is recommended to visit fewer or as few crowded places as possible and avoid close contact with anyone with flu symptoms. If you must go, wear a mask sensibly to reduce the risk of infection. 

3. Avoiding contact with wildlife 

Avoid contact with wild animals and do not hunt, sell or buy game.

4. Attention to personal hygiene

When sneezing or coughing, do not cover your nose and mouth directly with your hands; the correct practice is to cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or by bending your elbow. Dispose of used tissues in a hazardous waste bin and then wash your hands thoroughly. 

5. Be alert to unusual symptoms and seek prompt medical attention

If you experience any of the following symptoms, seek prompt and timely medical attention:

• Cough, phlegm
• Fever (temperature > 38°C)
• Difficulty breathing during daily activities or at rest
• Pain when breathing deeply
• increased heart rate
• A cold or flu that gets better and then suddenly gets worse
• chills

Attention, if you feel unwell, please try to stay at home and do not go out to play. If you experience any of the above symptoms, please wear a mask and go to the hospital promptly. If it is not convenient to go to the hospital, you can contact your local regular public hospital and inform your doctor of the symptoms.

3

Guidelines for Wearing Masks to Prevent Infection
Among the many measures to prevent new coronavirus infections, a particularly important one is "wearing a mask". It is reported that many hospitals in Beijing have already started screening patients with fever and issuing masks to them. Experts suggest that patients should wear masks as a routine protective measure. So the question is, what kind of masks can prevent infection? How to wear a mask correctly?

How do I choose a mask?

There are several common types of masks:

• Plain cotton mask;
• Disposable masks (e.g., medical surgical masks);
• N95 mask.

Disposable masks (medical surgical masks)It can prevent respiratory infections to a certain extent and cannot protect against haze. Medical surgical masks have three layers, from the outside to the inside are waterproof layer, filtration layer, comfort layer. Comfort layer is a layer of non-woven fabric, wear white non-woven fabric towards the inside, blue waterproof layer towards the outside, with a metal piece of the side towards the top, do not wear the opposite, rubber bands hanging on the ears and pinch the metal piece and the nose fit, smoothing the cheeks, so that the mask and the face as far as possible, leaving no gap between. Purchase should pay attention to, should choose the packaging on the clearly indicated "medical surgical mask" words of the mask. N95 MaskIt can effectively prevent respiratory infections and can protect against haze. N95 type mask is one of the 9 types of anti-particulate masks certified by NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health). "N" means not suitable for oily particles (fumes from frying are oily particles, while droplets from talking or coughing are not oily); "95" means that, under the testing conditions specified in the NIOSH standard, the filtration efficiency is 95%. 95%. N95 is not a product-specific designation. As long as the product meets the N95 standard and passes the NIOSH review, it can be called "N95 type mask". The most important feature of N95 masks is their ability to prevent droplet infections caused by the splashing of body fluids or blood from patients. Droplets are 1 to 5 microns in diameter. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mandates that medical personnel exposed to tuberculosis bacteria must wear masks that meet the N95 standard or higher. N95 masks are more airtight than medical surgical masks. When selecting an N95 mask, try to choose an N95 mask without a respiratory valve. Ordinary Cotton MaskIt may be made of cotton, gauze, wool, canvas and fleece, etc. Try not to choose it because the material itself is not dense enough to serve the purpose of preventing infection. 

How to wear a mask correctly?

For the purpose of self-protection and reducing the risk of respiratory infections, medical surgical masks and N95 masks can be worn. How to wear these two types of masks is shown in the diagram below:

Different situations where a mask is required: 

• If you are going to a general open-air public place and do not come into contact with patients, you can choose to wear a medical surgical mask without overprotection, but if you will come into contact with patients with suspected respiratory infections, you should wear an N95 mask.
• You should wear a mask when visiting the hospital or visiting a patient, especially when visiting a hospital fever clinic or respiratory department;
• During the season of high incidence of respiratory infections, it is recommended to wear a mask when going to crowded places such as supermarkets, shopping malls and theaters; 
• To prevent spreading the disease to others, wear a mask when you have symptoms of respiratory illness such as fever, cough, or runny nose;
• Wearing a mask is recommended when you are outdoors in foggy weather.

Ways to wear masks for special populations:

• Pregnant women wearing protective masks should pay attention to combining their own conditions and choose products with better comfort. Before wearing it, you should consult with a medical professional to confirm that your physical condition is suitable.
• Elderly and chronically ill patients have different physical conditions, such as cardiopulmonary disease patients wear will cause discomfort, or even aggravate the original condition, these people should seek professional guidance from a doctor.
• Children are in the stage of growth and development, their faces are small, it is recommended to choose children's protective masks produced by regular manufacturers. 

How often do masks need to be replaced? 

In order to prevent infection, some people may wear medical masks all day long, but this will make the nasal mucosa become fragile, lose the original physiological function of the nasal cavity, and reduce resistance. Therefore, masks can be dispensed with in less densely populated and more ventilated places. It should be reminded that any type of mask, the effect of protection is time-limited, must be replaced regularly, it is recommended that every 2 ~ 4 hours to replace the mask. If the mask is contaminated, it should be replaced at the first time. Medical masks are not used when folded and placed in a self-sealing bag to save, it is not recommended that the mask is taken off and directly stuffed into a pocket or bag, which is likely to cause secondary pollution of medical masks. Be sure to fold it into a clean self-sealing bag and fold the side that touches the mouth and nose inwards. 

4

Notes for Spring Festival Traveling Groups
About spring travel, the following is the National Health Commission high-level expert group leader, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the national clinical research experts on respiratory diseases, academician Zhong Nanshan's tips: you are not suitable for spring travel, they have a fever and still go? In Wuhan is even more. If you really have a fever, but also to go home, monitoring should be in accordance with the law after the request that they do not go out, which is to raise the level, not to advise him not to go out.
First of all we go out ourselves to have a condition suitable for traveling, you say a little fever, a little uncomfortable, that still go out is not suitable.
I don't think there's anything special about it, like washing your hands, getting sleep, and so on. Of course there is such a process of spring transportation, the trains are very crowded, and now that we are already sick and many people have already gone out, we don't see any special ways to do it at the moment. Fever monitoring is being stepped up at various points now.