CNN medical researcher Dr. Lena Wen, an attending physician and professor of emergency at the George Washington University Milkon Institute School of Health Policy and Management, said: “Cloth masks are little more than facial makeup.
“This is what scientists and public health officials have been saying for months, months, in fact,” Wen said in a separate phone interview.
“We have to wear at least a three-layer surgical mask,” he said, also known as a disposable mask, and can be found at most drugstores and some grocery and retail stores. “On top of that you can wear a cloth mask, but not just a cloth mask.”
Changing guidance
“If we’ve going to say that masks are needed – when we do not come from a culture of wearing masks and people do not want to wear masks – at least we recommend that they wear the most effective. Mask,” Wen said.
CNN has approached the CDC for recommendations regarding N95s and fabric masks, still awaiting feedback.
Another factor contributing to the change in mask recommendations is a better understanding of Covit-19 and how it spreads, said Erin Promaz, an associate professor of biology at Dortmouth University in Massachusetts. “It will take a long time for people to assess the nature of the airborne infection – it’s not a hybrid infection, say the flu, both of which are spread by droplets, inhaled little by little, and spread over surfaces,” he said. “It appears … (corona virus) shared air is the primary driver of infection.”
It is “currently unknown” why the Omigron variant affects so many people so quickly, but it only underscores the role that quality masks can play, Promage said.
“If it requires less virus, or if an infected person expels more virus, what is the role of the mask in this, if you can actually reduce the amount you breathe, you will have more time,” he added. “If you needed 1,000 virus particles to infect you, you’re wearing a 50% reduction product, now it’s twice as long to reach that 1,000. If you were wearing one that was 90% effective, you’re around someone (infected). It takes at least 10 times longer for an infection to occur. “
Change your fabric masks
“If they are standardized and certified by appropriate boards like NIOSH here, they all basically do the same thing,” Bromage said. “But there are a ton of knockoffs that are not certified to the KN95 standard, which may meet the standards, but they are not certified to meet that. And there are others that do not.”
The recommendation of these experts to wear the best masks is not to trash your fabric masks or go “maskless” when a medical quality mask is not available.
“If you have a cloth mask, it’s better than anything,” Wen said. “But you’re not well protected, you need to know that you are not well protected. So if you go to a crowded indoor setting, if you have a cloth mask, do not go.”
If for any reason you can not afford medical quality masks, go where you need the masks and give them away for free – such as at some train stations, grocery stores or businesses – and ask for a surgical mask, Wen suggested. .
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