Public should use surgical masks, not N95 masks, to guard against Wuhan virus spread
SINGAPORE - A top infectious disease expert and the Ministry of Health (MOH) have said that the public should not rely on N95 masks to guard against the Wuhan virus, even as they fly off the shelves at pharmacies.
Instead, surgical masks are more appropriate in this case, the expert and MOH said on Wednesday (Jan 22).
Surgical masks can help reduce the spread of the virus and are more practical for the general public to use. They are meant to help block large-particle droplets and splatter from reaching the wearer's mouth and nose, and reduce exposure of the wearer's saliva and respiratory secretions to others.
新加坡-顶级传染病专家和卫生部（MOH）表示，市民不应依靠N95口罩来预防武汉病毒。
专家和卫生部周三（1月22日）表示，在这种情况下，更适合使用口罩。
手术口罩可以帮助减少病毒的传播，对普通大众来说更实用。 它们旨在帮助阻止大颗粒的水滴和飞溅物到达佩戴者的嘴和鼻子，并减少佩戴者唾液和呼吸道分泌物对他人的暴露。
N95 masks, which are tighter fitting, are designed to effectively filter airborne particles. They have been used in Singapore during haze situations.
National Centre for Infectious Diseases executive director Leo Yee Sin told The Straits Times that N95 masks are not recommended for the general public. They are mainly used by medical staff.
They are designed in a way that would make it difficult for people to breathe in if they are worn properly.
Prof Leo said: "If you find the N95 mask easy to breathe in and comfortable, you are wearing it wrong and it's no use... you think you are protected but you are not."
Checks by The Straits Times at five pharmacies in Clementi and Bishan found that four had run out of N95 masks in the last few days, with three out of surgical masks.
At the Guardian pharmacy in Junction 8, at least five people in 20 minutes were seen buying boxes of N95 masks, with only one person buying surgical masks.
N95口罩安装更紧密，旨在有效过滤空气中的颗粒。 在雾霾天气下，它们已在新加坡使用过。
国家传染病中心执行董事李怡仙告诉《海峡时报》，不建议公众使用N95口罩。 它们主要由医务人员使用。
如果佩戴得当，它们的设计将使人们难以呼吸。
Leo教授说：“如果您发现N95口罩易于呼吸且舒适，则说明佩戴错误，这是没有用的……您认为自己受到了保护，但没有受到保护。”
《海峡时报》对金文泰和碧山的5家药店进行的检查发现，在过去几天中，有4家N95口罩用完了，其中3口是手术口罩用了。
在8号交叉路口的Guardian药房，看到在20分钟内至少有5个人购买了一盒N95口罩，只有一个人购买了外科口罩。
During a press conference on Wednesday, Ministry of Health group director of operations Koh Peng Keng said: "For the general public, if they fall sick, our advice is that they should wear a face mask, a normal surgical mask, and not use the N95 masks."
He also urged those who are sick to be socially responsible. They should put on a face mask to capture their respiratory droplets, and go to a healthcare facility quickly to get checked.
在星期三的新闻发布会上，卫生部运营总监Koh Peng Keng表示：“对于普通大众，如果他们生病了，我们的建议是，他们应该戴口罩，正常的手术口罩，并且不要使用 N95口罩。”
他还敦促那些患病的人对社会负责。 他们应该戴上口罩捕捉呼吸道飞沫，并迅速前往医疗机构进行检查。
小尾巴~