With cases setting a world record for the Omicron mutation, doctors are urging citizens to abandon fabric masks, which they say may not provide enough protection for the new strain.
Instead, they recommend combining a fabric with a surgical mask or replacing them with masks that offer greater protection.
According to infectious disease specialists, cloth masks, which many prefer because of their comfort and style, can block larger droplets that carry the virus, but are not effective in stopping smaller viral aerosols or particles.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that citizens wear multi-layered fabric masks with a dense fiber network, which fit comfortably and have an adjustable wire bridge.
“If you really want to avoid exposure, you have to wear the right type of mask,” says Monica Gaddy, a scientist at the University of California, San Francisco. Ms. Gaddy recommends N95 masks, which are certified in the USA, or KN95, KF94 and FFP2 masks, which are certified in China, South Korea and Europe respectively. If these are not available, the scientist recommends a double cover – a multi-layered fabric mask over a surgical mask.
“If everyone just wears a cloth or a surgical mask, it makes no difference,” notes Monica Gaddy, noting that Omicron is highly contagious.
On the other hand, there are experts who claim that high-quality surgical masks that are worn properly, offer protection.
“Every mask is better than no mask at all. “But fabric and surgery are not as good as N95 masks.”
A WSJ graph shows the time it takes for an infectious dose of virus to be transmitted from a person with covid to a person wearing a cloth mask, surgical mask, N95 mask or no mask at all.
Megan Srinivas, an infectious disease specialist at the University of North Carolina, points out that both she and her family members wear KN95 masks. He would recommend these masks, which are available in children’s sizes, to parents who are preparing to send their children to school. If these are not available, he suggests disposable surgical masks.
“We need to educate people and explain to them that different quality masks offer different protection,” he said.
Graham Snyder, director of the Department of Infection Prevention at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, notes that any quality mask that offers effective sealing and is worn properly – covering the nose and mouth – protects. He also notes that more data is needed from the CDC on how Omicron is spread and whether transmission is related to mask types.
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