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Mozambique: Former health minister Hélder Martins calls for calm over COVID-19 | report
1:58 CAT | 23 Mar 2020
Photo: O País
Former Health Minister Hélder Martins says that confirmation of Covid-19 in Mozambique should not make people panic, as panic may be worse than the disease itself.
“Coronavirus is a mild disease,” the former minister says, advising against the dissemination of “fake news”. “Do not panic, there is no reason for that.”
Asked if he was surprised by the announcement of the first patient diagnosed with coronavirus in the country, Martins said no, adding that the pandemic had been spreading around the world and that Mozambique was one of the last countries to confirm a case.
In his view, the important thing at the moment is that the government has been taking measures to contain the spread of the disease, and: “We must respect these measures without panic (…)”.
Martins said the speed at which Covid-19 spreads is such that many people are infected in a short time, hence “one of the important measures”, already announced by the health authorities, was the screening of people suspected of having the disease.
In this context, the former health minister called on society to improve general hygiene and be more careful with children since, during play, they often release the droplets of saliva by which infected people transmit the virus.
Martins recommended stopping children leaving the house and visiting family members until the situation was under control, and advised families to avoid shopping together, with only one person going out to shop at a time.
“We must not wear masks” unless sick, he said. Only in this case do they prevent the spread of infection. The coronavirus can enter the human body through the mouth, eyes and other organs, he explained. “Only health professionals or people suspected of having the disease should wear masks.”
By Emildo Sambo
Source: O País
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