LONDON (AP) – The World Health Organization scrambled on Tuesday to clarify its seemingly contradictory comments in recent days: recommending people wear masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus from people with no symptoms and then describing such transmission as “very rare.”
The communications debacle highlighted WHO’s change to its longstanding mask advice – a revision made months after many other organizations and countries already recommended people don masks.
WHO’s inconsistent comments baffled many scientists who say evidence exists to show COVID-19 can spread from seemingly well people, while others warned the advice may undermine attempts to stop the pandemic.
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