We adopted the face masks of diapers as part of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. But now that researchers have identified some coronavirus variants that seem to spread even more easily than the original, is it time we swapped our cloth mask for more effective?
Germany, Austria and France are all considering national recommendations to do so, and just as President Biden officially enacted his first federal mask mandate, some experts say the US should do the same. “More infectious strains require better defense. No longer the same, better the same,” said Tom Frieden, MD, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Twitter, which specifically mentions “better masks. Surgical, N95, as available.”
To be clear, cloth masks are not completely useless. In fact, we know that mask mandates are effective in reducing the spread of COVID-19, even when most people are likely to wear cloth masks. But the truth is that experts have known for some time that even multilayer masks are not the most effective masks for distributing COVID-19.
“I agree with Europe. Wearing medical-grade masks is important to slow down the spread of strain B.1.1.7, ‘wrote Atul Gawande, managing director, MPH, and member of President Biden’s COVID-19 advisory board. Twitter “We have consistent evidence that single-layer cloth masks are not as effective as surgical masks, and N95 or KN95 masks are even better.” (N95 and KN95 masks are both respirators that form a seal on the skin. While N95s are regulated by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health in the USA, KN95s are regulated by Chinese authorities and imported into the USA, the CDC explains .)
In one study, published in August 2020, researchers tested 14 common types of face masks in laboratories to see how many particles from a person’s mouth would pass through the masks. Their results showed that N95 masks and surgical masks – no surprise – were the most effective at preventing particles from escaping. After those masks, three-layer cloth masks were the most effective, followed by a few different types of two-layer cloth masks.
This research highlights the fact that there are many variations in cloth masks – and more layers are significantly more effective. It is also important to remember that wearing the mask also works a lot. But this study also drives home the message that, if we want maximum protection, then surgical masks and N95s are the right way to go.
Although we have known that surgical masks and N95s have been more effective for some time, the CDC still recommends that the use of these masks be reserved for health care workers during the pandemic due to shortage concerns. But now that we’re been in the pandemic for a year and are facing new coronavirus variants, experts say it’s worth re-examining our national approach to mask use – and if there really are problems with supply, it has already been resolved.
“To provide people with better protection against infectious variants of Covid, especially Americans at higher risk due to age or weakness, we must try to get them higher quality masks. A year into the crisis, we need to more people can get, “Scott Gottlieb, managing director, former commissioner for the food and drug administration, wrote further Twitter.
“Every American should have received N95 masks months ago,” wrote Seema Yasmin, MD, director of research and education at the Stanford Health Communication Initiative. on Twitter. “Masks should have been a measure of the gap gap.”
One thing that may help is that Biden intends to use the Defense Production Act to order U.S. companies to increase the production of protective equipment (including N95 masks), laboratory equipment, and vaccine supplies. Biden also recently outlined a $ 1.9 billion financing plan, which includes billions of dollars for masks and other supplies.
“Get #BetterMasks to this country,” Abraar Karan, MD, an internal medicine physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, wrote on Twitter, addressing the new administration. As we continue to adapt our strategy to new variants of COVID-19, it will be one of our key measures to stop, he said. “We have to make sure we get the absolute best we can. This is our health. No compromises may be made here!”
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