American female doctors said that cloth masks cannot prevent Omicron variants, and a 3-layer medical mask must be used.
Wearing a mask is one of the effective measures recommended by medical experts to prevent Covid-19. However, due to the contagious nature of the Omicron variant, some experts say it’s time to reconsider your mask choice.
In an interview with CNN, Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency medicine physician and visiting professor of health policy and management at George Washington University, said:
“Cloth masks are just facial decorations. They don’t prevent Omicron variants. This is something that scientists and public health officials have been talking about for months. You should at least wear them. Three-layer surgical masks, also called disposable masks, It can be found in most pharmacies and some grocery and retail stores. Wear that cloth mask.”
“It is best to wear KN95 or N95 masks in crowded places.” Dr. Wen suggested.
She said that these masks fit the face better and are made of certain materials, such as polypropylene fibers, which can act as a mechanical and electrostatic barrier, helping to better block small particles. Say. Into the user’s nose or mouth, we can still breathe or speak normally.
According to Professor Peter Juni, the chief scientific adviser of Ontario, Canada, the virus filtering effect of a single-layer cloth mask is very low. There are many opinions that in addition to 1-layer cloth masks, more medical masks or N95 respiratory protective masks should be worn to ensure safety.
Ordinary cloth masks were effective at the beginning of the pandemic in early 2020, but they are different now. A September 2020 review found that cloth masks may help prevent infections in low-risk public environments, but their protection capabilities are limited elsewhere. Medical care with dense virus density.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Omicron is more contagious than previous variants and is now the main variant in the United States. Everyone should take strict precautions. Instead of stopping it. sick. “This means we should use better masks,” Dr. Wen emphasized.
According to American medical experts, the N95 respirator can filter up to 95% of dust particles in the air. The effectiveness of surgical masks or disposable masks is 5% to 10% lower than that of N95 masks.
