DOH: Spraying, misting of disinfectants not recommended to combat spread of COVID-19
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health announced on Friday that it does not recommend spraying of surfaces or misting of areas with disinfecting agents to kill the new coronavirus.
The announcement from the health authorities came late as local governments and private companies have been conducting regular misting to help prevent the spread of the new virus. Disinfection booths have been also set up across the archipelago.
“The DOH does not recommend spraying or misting. There is no evidence to support that spraying of surfaces or large-scale misting of areas, indoor or outdoor with disinfecting agents, kills the virus,” the department said.
Spraying or misting may even cause harm as it can cause pathogens to be dispersed further, cause skin irritation or inhalation of chemicals and subsequent development of respiratory side effects and may lead to environmental pollution, DOH added.
Instead of spraying or misting disinfectants, the public is urged to soak objects completely or disinfect surfaces directly to kill the virus.
In a separate post, the World Health Organization Representative Office for the Philippines also said that spraying of surfaces or large-scale misting using alcohol, chlorine or other chemicals does not kill the virus.
It stressed that practicing physical distancing, regular handwashing and avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth are more effective ways to reduce the chances of being infected.
#AlaminAngTotoo: Ang pag-spray o pag-mist ng alkohol, chlorine o iba pang kemikal na pang-disinfect sa buong katawan, gaya ng mga nasa disinfection booth, ay hindi nakapapatay ng mga #coronavirus na nakapasok na sa loob ng iyong katawan.#COVID19PH pic.twitter.com/RhJt0PDBlb
— World Health Organization Philippines (@WHOPhilippines) April 10, 2020
The Philippines has so far reported 4,195 COVID-19 cases—221 of whom have died.
As of Friday, global death total from the novel coronavirus pandemic reached 93,706, according to a tally from AFP.
More than 1,567,590 declared cases have been registered in 192 countries and territories since the epidemic first emerged in China in December. Of these cases, at least 316,800 are now considered recovered. — with AFP
If you believe you have come into possible contact with infected patients, you may be directed to the proper office of the Department of Health for advice through the following lines: (632) 8651-7800 local 1149/1150 or (632) 165-364.
You may also opt to call the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine at (02) 8807-2631/ 8807-2632/ 8807-2637.
Follow this page for updates on a mysterious pneumonia outbreak that has struck dozens of people in China.
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says on Sunday that he had contracted COVID-19, testing positive at a key point in his flailing campaign for re-election.
Hipkins saYS on his official social media feed that he would need to isolate for up to five days -- less than two weeks before his country's general election.
The leader of the centre-left Labour Party said he started to experience cold symptoms on Saturday and had cancelled most of his weekend engagements. — AFP
The World Health Organization and US health authorities say Friday they are closely monitoring a new variant of COVID-19, although the potential impact of BA.2.86 is currently unknown.
The WHO classified the new variant as one under surveillance "due to the large number (more than 30) of spike gene mutations it carries", it wrote in a bulletin about the pandemic late Thursday.
So far, the variant has only been detected in Israel, Denmark and the United States. — AFP
The World Health Organization says on Friday that the number of new COVID-19 cases reported worldwide rose by 80% in the last month, days after designating a new "variant of interest".
The WHO declared in May that Covid is no longer a global health emergency, but has warned that the virus will continue to circulate and mutate, causing occasional spikes in infections, hospitalisations and deaths.
In its weekly update, the UN agency said that nations reported nearly 1.5 million new cases from July 10 to August 6, an 80% increase compared to the previous 28 days. — AFP
The head of US intelligence says that there was no evidence that the COVID-19 virus was created in the Chinese government's Wuhan research lab.
In a declassified report, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) says they had no information backing recent claims that three scientists at the lab were some of the very first infected with COVID-19 and may have created the virus themselves.
Drawing on intelligence collected by various member agencies of the US intelligence community (IC), the ODNI report says some scientists at the Wuhan lab had done genetic engineering of coronaviruses similar to COVID-19. — AFP
Boris Johnson deliberately misled MPs over Covid lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street when he was prime minister, a UK parliament committee ruled on Thursday.
The cross-party Privileges Committee said Johnson, 58, would have been suspended as an MP for 90 days for "repeated contempts (of parliament) and for seeking to undermine the parliamentary process".
But he avoided any formal sanction by his peers in the House of Commons by resigning as an MP last week.
In his resignation statement last Friday, Johnson pre-empted publication of the committee's conclusions, claiming a political stitch-up, even though the body has a majority from his own party.
He was unrepentant again on Thursday, accusing the committee of being "anti-democratic... to bring about what is intended to be the final knife-thrust in a protracted political assassination".
Calling it "beneath contempt", he said it was "for the people of this to decide who sits in parliament, not Harriet Harman", the veteran opposition Labour MP who chaired the seven-person committee. — AFP
- Latest
- Trending
