The National Board of Health has updated the general recommendations on how to prevent the spread of infection with a new coronavirus. The recommendations now also contain information that you can use nose mask briefly in very special situations to protect others from new coronavirus.
In June, WHO published updated recommendations on the use of mouthwash in connection with COVID-19. WHO recommends that individual countries consider the use of mouthwash in selected situations, based on the current knowledge base, knowledge of contagion and the possibility of complying with the other recommendations.
On the basis of WHO recommendations, the National Board of Health has re-evaluated the use of mouthwash. The assessment remains that you can generally move around in the public space without using mouthwash. However, there are some special situations where the general recommendations cannot be adhered to and where mouthwash can be used instead.
“Mouth dressing can be used to protect others in some special situations where the other tools to prevent infection do not go well. Our main recommendation is that if you are infected or could be infected with COVID-19, then you must isolate yourself. When you go to the hospital to be tested, you can’t keep your isolation while. That is why we recommend that you put your mouth on this situation, ”says Deputy Director Helene Probst.
Therefore, it may be a good idea to buy some mouthwashes and have them lying at home, should you find yourself in a situation where you need a mouthwash, for example in connection with tests. At the same time, it is important to know how to use mouthwash properly. Otherwise, they do not have the right effect and may pose an increased risk of infection. The National Board of Health has therefore prepared a new booklet describing how to use mouthwash.
“If and when you use mouthwash, then it is important to use them properly. Otherwise, they lose their function, so you can risk infecting others or yourself, even if the intention is the opposite. Among other things, you have to pay attention to hand hygiene when you put on your mouthpiece, and you have to remember to change it, ”continues Helene Bilsted Probst.
The National Board of Health will continue to assess the use of mouthwash on an ongoing basis. The assessment is dependent on the level of the spread of infection in the community and the general opportunity to comply with the other recommendations, eg opportunities to maintain distance in the public space.
”Mouthwash should be seen as an extra tool in the toolbox. There are other more effective tools in the toolbox, for example, to self-insulate when ill, to keep 1 m away and to maintain good hygiene. But we must constantly assess whether there are situations where mouthwash may be relevant, ”says Helene Probst.
The National Board of Health has prepared a booklet on the special situations where you can use nose mask, and a poster on how to use the mouthwash correctly. Among other things, it is important that the mouthwash is changed frequently and that they are used only once.
