not ill? then wearing a mask is 'a poor use of a very limited resource'

healthy people don’t need face masks , say doctors and public health officials. period. they say wearing them is a poor use of a limited resource. they say most people wear them improperly. and they say wearing face masks could lead to a false sense of security.

and yet the run on these masks continues, unabated, in montreal-area pharmacies, propelled by fears about a spread to these parts of the coronavirus that has declared itself in more than 60 countries since december — despite the fact that the pharmaprix website says that “face masks are not recommended for healthy people to protect against coronavirus.”

meanwhile, a  montreal woman who tested positive for the new respiratory infection , known as covid-19, after returning from iran last week was admitted tuesday to the jewish general hospital for a “medical evaluation,” the hospital confirmed tuesday afternoon. neither public health nor hospital officials provided details, but the jewish general is the designated centre in montreal for adult cases of covid-19 considered serious enough to require admission, as reporters were told monday in a tour of the hospital facility intended for these patients.

“they trap some droplets in the air that carry viral particles, but they quickly become saturated and, unless they’re hermetically sealed, they do not provide anywhere near total protection,” dr. jeremy brown, director of the office of emergency care research at the national institutes of health, wrote last week in the online magazine tablet .

wearing a mask when you’re not ill or at risk for developing symptoms may give you a false sense of security , according to the public health agency of canada.

french president emmanuel macron announced tuesday that stocks and production of face masks have been “requisitioned” by the state to be distributed to health professionals and people with covid-19. and the world health organization director warned against “hoarding and misuse” of a depleting stock of masks .

the best protections against them are those prescribed for avoiding flu, common cold and other viruses, according to the public health agency of canada: washing your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; not touching your face with unwashed hands; avoiding close contact with anyone sick; coughing or sneezing into your sleeve; and staying home if you’re sick.