As India keeps confirming an ever-increasing tally of positive cases for the Novel Coronavirus (n-CoV) infection, the panic around the epidemic has reached its zenith worldwide. The global death toll has crossed 3,300, including 3,042 in China, and according to the World Health Organisation (WHO)'s estimates, at least 98,000 global cases have been affected.

In the wake of this outbreak, which is being called the largest such case outside of China, people have resorted to adopting several precautionary measures. Several of them, however, are being counter-productive, taken in a feat of panic, and might end up actually hurting the actual affected, instead of helping.

Considering the need of the hour, we have decided to bust a few myths regarding the steps people are taking to counter the coronavirus.

Firstly, do not buy face masks if you are healthy. Just don't. The World Health Organisation (WHO) strongly advises against healthy individuals from buying masks as firstly, they are not sufficient to stop the virus from steering clear of your body and secondly, that'd qualify as hoarding an important resource, an ethically wrong thing to do in the face of an outbreak.

Why? According to experts, the masks are specifically for use by healthcare professionals who deal with infected individuals for a considerable part of the day. And even then, the professionals do not use regular surgical masks like the ones that the citizens are normally buying. The only face apparel capable of mitigating the chance of a coronavirus infection is known as the N95 respirator, and it's less of a mask and more an apparatus, which is severely unsuitable for regular citizens because they're uncomfortable to wear and are to be used with special care.

The medical health professionals receive special training for wearing this apparatus, which is thicker than a normal mask, properly (avoiding breathing around the edges, etc). Now, it's possible to snag an N95 respirator online, but WHO recommends not doing it because it takes away the resource from the healthcare professionals, who're tending to the sick and the infected on a daily basis.

So no, the regular masks you're fetching from shops to protect yourself aren't actually doing anything (someone even had a genius idea of getting their dog a canine-friendly dog mask).

Does that mean you shouldn't get one? Not really. Health advisories repeatedly mention that if you're healthy you need not get one, because there is no evidence to suggest that they protect people who are not already sick. However, if you're already sick, you should probably get a regular mask (it need not be an advanced N95 respirator) to prevent sneezing, coughing or otherwise transferring a truckload of your infection to the fellow person. Wear a mask if you're coughing or sneezing, it's called etiquette. Also, in the occasion that you are healthy and taking care of a person infected with coronavirus, you should wear a mask when you're in room with that person, but better leave that to medical experts.

Wearing a mask is not enough. It should be coupled with healthy hygiene and washing your hands regularly (preferably with an alcohol rub or soap). It is also important to dispose of a mask properly after use.

The following guidelines have been issued by the WHO for mask use:

When to use a mask

If you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with suspected 2019-nCoV infection.

Wear a mask if you are coughing or sneezing.

Masks are effective only when used in combination with frequent hand-cleaning with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.

If you wear a mask, then you must know how to use it and dispose of it properly.

How to put on, use, take off and dispose of a mask

Before putting on a mask, clean hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.

Cover mouth and nose with mask and make sure there are no gaps between your face and the mask.

Avoid touching the mask while using it; if you do, clean your hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.

Replace the mask with a new one as soon as it is damp and do not re-use single-use masks.

To remove the mask: remove it from behind (do not touch the front of the mask); discard immediately in a closed bin; clean hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.

For more information on mask use, preventive measures, and the new coronavirus, check out the WHO website at who.int