Cloth face masks, plastic face shields? Dr Noor Hisham says three-ply is best

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 10 — Malaysians are advised to wear three-ply face masks as they provide the most effective protection against Covid-19, Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said today.

However, he said any face covering is better than having no protective barrier against the infectious virus.

“The public can use fabric material masks, but it should be three-ply face masks,” he said in his daily briefing on Covid-19 in the country.

Asked about the use of plastic face shields, Dr Noor Hisham said it can be used too, but its efficacy has not been clinically proven against stopping the virus from spreading.

“Face shield is not clinically proven to stop the spread of Covid-19 unlike face masks which have about 50 to 60 per cent chances in stopping the spread of the virus.

“However, we still encourage people to use it rather than not using anything,” he added

He said among medical staff, two kinds of face masks are worn. He explained that those on duty in Covid-19 wards and intensive care wear the N95 face mask, while other frontliners just use three-ply face masks.

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