Spainin Europe, and paraguay, In South America, they have been the last countries to say goodbye to the use of the mask due to COVID-19.
Last February, in Spain removed outdoors and as of this Wednesday, April 20, 2022, it is no longer mandatory in most interior sites, except for health centers, residences for the elderly, public transport and as a suggestion in places where there are crowds.
That country has joined others such as France, Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom or the Netherlands that decided to no longer use the mask.
The health emergency is lifted in Paraguay and the mandatory use of the mask ends
In Paraguay, the health emergency caused by COVID-19 was eliminated and with it the mandatory use of the mask.
While in Peru, the Ministry of Public Health (Minsa) clarified that the use of the mask is still mandatory in both open and closed spaces, and Brazil will lift the health emergency, which has been in force since February 2020, soon.
What will happen in Ecuador?
The Government is optimistic about the result of the last carnival holiday, in which there was no increase in epidemiological indicators.
In laboratories, the positivity rate for COVID-19 ranges between 1% and 5%; For the Government, Ecuador has controlled the pandemic
The Minister of Health, Ximena Garzónhas stated that the viral positivity with antigen tests it is 4%, while with the PRC test it is 5%.
It refers to the number of people they would carry the virus after performing a screening test.
Even so, is it advisable to stop wear a mask in open spaces, What would be the next government measure after the presidential decision that there be 100% capacity that has been in force since March 18?
Alberto Narvaez, with a Ph. D. in Disease Control, sees the non-use of face masks in open spaces as possible as long as it is not mandatory due to the fact that there are people who have risk factors.
They, he added, could do it once the transmission is quite low and there is a daily case for every million inhabitants.
It is likely, added Narváez, that this can be achieved in June both due to natural immunity from infections and vaccines, as well as low transmission of the virus.
Jesus Elijah Dahaweran internal medicine specialist with a subspecialty in infectious diseases, agrees.
He explained that the transmission of the virus in open spaces is, depending on the scenario, low or very low, with a population with good vaccination coverage and immunized against the omicron variant.
He considered that there were many people in Ecuador infected with what was already there is herd immunity.
In the case of closed places, in workplaces, with people with whom the person interacts on a daily basis and if everyone is vaccinated, Dahawer believes that it would be necessary to evaluate withdraw the mask and keep it – at least for now – only in closed places with unknown people.
At the discretion of Nikolaos KyriakidisPh. D. in Immunology, university professor and researcher, Ecuador is not ready to remove the masks in closed spaces and recalled what happened in countries like Denmark or the United States, where outbreaks have occurred although less serious after that decision.
Regarding the removal of the mask in open spaces, he mentioned having concern in two aspects: that people would not wear their mask to go to an open place and the reaction of the authorities and citizens of take action of the appearance of a more transmissible variant.
He emphasized that in open spaces it is more difficult for the virus to be transmitted, but there may be, so he recommended that there are no crowds.
“These are political decisions after all. have a political tint and obviously they are also to reactivate the economy. There is always this factor as well that influences decisions,” Kyriakidis said.
Countdown for the Government to decide if in open places in Ecuador the use of the mask by COVID-19 is set aside
A Juan Carlos Navarro, biologist and Ph. D. in Molecular Epidemiology of Emerging Diseases, at the present time it seems right to him to stop wearing masks in open public spaces.
“The transmission rate has dropped and it is more than proven that the greatest risk of infection is in closed places with little ventilation,” Navarro argued.
The expert recommends keeping the use of the mask in closed and poorly ventilated places.
The Government will make an evaluation next May 3 on the use of the mask in open places. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
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