Medical masks for children with comorbidities – Min. Anthony

As children are now more susceptible to contracting the severe form of COVID-19, Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony MP is urging parents and guardians to protect their children, especially those with underlying health issues.

During today’s COVID-19 Update, Dr. Anthony said medical masks are best suited for children with comorbidities.

“Children with medical conditions such as cancers and so forth, it is recommended that they wear the medical types of masks, because it’s trying to protect them from getting these infections. Other children who are relatively healthy should and can wear the cloth mask.

So, we should encourage children to wear masks, especially in the light, right now globally, you have the Delta variant that is currently circulating and with this particular variant, anyone who is unvaccinated would be at risk, which includes children.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines state that children five years and above should wear a mask, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued its guidelines, stipulating that those children two years and over should wear a mask.

Guyana’s COVID-19 guidelines state that everyone over the age of eight years, must wear a mask whenever in public.

Minister Anthony is also advising against using a face shield as an alternative to a mask.

“Face shield is just a physical barrier. When you wear a mask, especially those like the medical mask, they are specially designed, so depending on which type you’re using, they probably would have three layers and they’re specially designed to prevent small particles from getting into your respiratory tract.

With an N95 mask, it has about five layers, so it protects you. So, they’re not the same thing and therefore, if you use a face shield and somebody sneezes, maybe it stops the physical droplet from getting to you. But if you were in a room where aerosols are circulating, you can breathe them in, so it’s not the same thing,” Dr. Anthony explained.

Currently there are seven children in the COVID-19 wards and ten adults in the Intensive Care Unit at the Covid hospital, Liliendaal.

Dr. Anthony is urging parents and guardians to abide by the COVID-19 guidelines established by the Government, to reduce their children’s risk of contracting the deadly disease.

All persons 18 years and older are also encouraged to visit any of the Ministry of Health’s vaccination sites and take the vaccine, to protect themselves from COVID-19.