Use bandanas, scarves if no masks available: US health authoritiesUS health authorities advise medical personnel facing a shortage of protective masks to use bandanas or scarves in an emergencyWASHINGTON - US health authorities on Thursday advised medical personnel facing a shortage of protective masks to use bandanas or scarves in an emergency. The guidance was among a series of recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for federal, state and local health care personnel (HCP) dealing with the coronavirus outbreak in the United States. "In settings where facemasks are not available, HCP might use homemade masks (eg, bandana, scarf) for care of patients with COVID-19 as a last resort," the CDC said. "Homemade masks are not considered PPE (personal protective equipment), since their capability to protect HCP is unknown." Pence told reporters at a daily coronavirus briefing in Washington that Honeywell and 3M had increased their production of N95 protective masks by the "tens of millions."

Source: Bangkok Post March 19, 2020 17:15 UTC