Open J Public Health | Volume 2, Issue 2 | Review Article | Open Access

Making a Statement: Facemask and Its Role in Curbing the Spread of COVID-19 Especially in a Developing Country

Terngu David Moti*

Department of Public Administration, University of Abuja, Nigeria

*Correspondance to: Terngu David Moti 

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Abstract

The use of cloth masks is probably a phenomenon that could only have been thought of in the sense of fashion in most parts of the world. The current Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has made these masks a very important part of living in light of global shortage of medical masks. According to the United States of America Centre for Disease Control (CDC), more than one-third of COVID-19 patients are asymptomatic while the virus, in about 40% of the time, gets transmitted from infected individuals to others before the infected individuals even show symptoms. The Director General of the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) expressed that providing facilities and venues to the many cases recorded in Nigeria consistently is a major challenge particularly in Lagos, Kano and Zamfara states where the quantity of new cases was exceeding the limit. This statement came at a time when the total number of confirmed cases was just 3,526. Various studies have shown the effectiveness of facemasks in curbing the spread of respiratory viruses (including corona viruses) via the droplet and airborne routes. Many countries have advised their citizens to use facemasks (mostly cloth masks) when in public. This is a positive development that may be especially helpful in developing countries where access to basic healthcare is usually a luxury but this should be done with clear and proper guidelines.

Keywords:

Facemask; COVID-19; Developing country; Asymptomatic; Coronavirus

Citation:

Moti TD. Making a Statement: Facemask and Its Role in Curbing the Spread of COVID-19 Especially in a Developing Country. Open J Public Health. 2020;2(2):1014..

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