A public health expert urged the public to consider upgrading to medical-grade masks and to ‘mask up’ in public indoor spaces amid the increase of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections in the country.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Jan. 11, public health expert and former National Task Force (NTF) against COVID-19 special adviser Dr. Anthony “Tony” Leachon enumerated some of his recommendations amid the spike of COVID-19 infections in the Philippines.
“Even if you’re vaccinated and boosted, it’s important to mask up in public indoor spaces to protect yourself and people around you from COVID,” said Leachon.
He likewise reiterated the importance of using medical-grade masks during the rise of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the county.
“In light of Omicron, consider upgrading to N95 or similar medical-grade masks, which do a better job of blocking viral particles for the wearer,” Leachon added.
The recommendations came after the country logged a record-high increase of 33,169 new COVID-19 infections on Jan. 10.
Meanwhile, during the “Talk to the People” public briefing which was aired on Monday evening, Jan. 10, Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III said that Omicron is now the dominant COVID-19 variant in the country.