Anvisa makes the use of masks more flexible in health services – 03/04/2023 – Health

Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency) made the use of masks more flexible by patients and health professionals in health services. The new recommendation focuses on specific situations, and it is no longer necessary to use it for all people.

The recommendation continues for patients with respiratory symptoms or positive for Covid-19 and companions, in addition to patients who had close contact with a confirmed case during the period of transmission of the disease.

The professionals who should continue to use it are those who triage patients, in addition to those who are present in the areas where patients are hospitalized, such as, for example, wards, rooms, intensive care units, urgency and emergency units. .

Anvisa stressed, in a note, that it is important to reinforce the recommendation to continue wearing a mask in health services for companions and visitors of hospitalized patients. The guidance is not to remove the mask while staying inside the health facility, including in the room or ward where the patient is.

The regulatory agency said that the decision to make use more flexible was taken considering technical discussions on the subject, the drop in the number of cases and deaths caused by the disease in the country, in addition to the offer of vaccines against Covid-19 by the Ministry of Health.

The need for the use of masks in health services has existed since the beginning of the pandemic, in 2020. The recommendations are continually being reassessed, in accordance with the epidemiological situation of Covid-19 in the country and based on the analysis of the scenario of outbreaks. and cases of intra-hospital transmission of the disease, among other aspects.

“Anvisa reinforces that the publication of this new version of the Technical Note presents infection prevention and control measures based on scientific publications available up to the time of revision of this document”, he said.

“In addition, this update is based on the opinion and practice of specialists from different scientific societies and regions of the country, with recognized knowledge, and can be updated according to the emergence of new scientific evidence”, he adds.