Amid coronavirus outbreak, the United States' top doctor has said that people should stop buying face masks.
US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams took to Twitter on February 29 and said: "Seriously people- STOP BUYING MASKS! They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!"
He further added: "The best way to protect yourself and your community is with everyday preventive actions, like staying home when you are sick and washing hands with soap and water, to help slow the spread of respiratory illness. Get your #FluShot- fewer flu patients = more resources for #COVID19."
In the meanwhile, China's coronavirus death toll climbed to 2,870 with 35 new deaths, while the confirmed cases increased to 79,824 even as the infections outside the worst-hit Hubei province dropped with only three positive cases reported in a single day, continuing the trend of slowdown in the rest of the country.
COVID-19, which at one time started spreading rapidly all over China, showed a declining trend with three new confirmed cases reported outside Hubei on Saturday.
Outside of China, there have been a total of 86 deaths due to coronavirus, 19 of them occurred in the past 24 hours. According to a report by WHO, Mexico and San Marino reported their first coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours. 53 countries, apart from China, have been affected and over 85,400 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed globally.
(Inputs from Agencies)
