Iloilo First District Representative Janette Garin claimed that wearing surgical masks will not prevent the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus (nCoV).
Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III was asked during the question hour at the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Jan. 29, by Garin about the effectiveness of wearing surgical masks.
Garin, however, failed to get a concrete answer from Duque.
“Since we are running out of time, let me answer the question. Walang epekto against corona ang surgical mask,” she said.
According to Garin, who is a physician by profession, wearing surgical masks might even increase the odds of acquiring the disease, which originated in Wuhan, China.
Meanwhile, some malls and schools in Iloilo City advised their personnel and students, respectively, to wear face masks as a preventive measure.
Several stores in the city and other towns in Iloilo province reportedly running out of face masks because of the high demand.
On Wednesday, Jan. 29, the DOH-6 confirmed that a feverish three-year-old Chinese child was admitted to the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) in Iloilo City.
Dr. Mary Jane Juanico of the DOH-6 said samples from the child were already sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Manila.
The child is being confined in the hospital.IMT
