Face masks were things the medical profession wore before the pandemic, unless air pollution was really bad. We weren’t even quite sure how they worked when the government recommended we wear them. Surgical ones were in short supply after the first lockdown so some of us settled for cloth ones. However, the faster spread of Omicron may mean it is time to consider upgrading our face masks
Are Cloth Masks Little More Than Facial Decorations?
Dr. Leana Wen is an emergency physician and visiting professor at Milken Institute School of Public Health. She did not mince her words on CNN December 21, 2021. ‘Cloth face masks are little more than decorations. There’s no place for them in light of Omicron,’ she insisted.
‘This is what scientists and public health officials have been saying for months, many months, in fact,’ she added later. ‘We need to be wearing at least a three-ply surgical mask,” she explained. ‘These disposable masks are available at most drugstores and some grocery and retail stores.’ However, if we prefer we can still wear a ‘designer’ face mask over them.
Why Consider Upgrading Our Face Masks to KN95 or N95?
KN95 face masks meet the Chinese standard. However, many health institutions recommend complying with U.S. standard N95 instead, according to Popular Mechanics. But both designs offer greater protection than surgical face masks. That’s because they are tighter-fitting, and create a better physical barrier.
Surgical masks are generally-speaking able to help block large-particle droplets, splashes, sprays, or splatter that may contain viruses and bacteria. While also helping protect others from the wearer’s saliva and respiratory secretions.
However, KN95 or N95’s have improved, finer filtration far more likely to catch microscopically-small, air-borne Omicron particles. These are some of the reasons why it is time to consider upgrading our face masks. But that said, any face mask is better than no face covering at all.
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