After two years of repeated requests in stores, offices, planes and buses, people across the country are taking off their masks.But alongside the newly relaxed mask-wearing rules are new questions, including whether continuing to wear a mask will help reduce your risk of contracting COVID-19 even if others around you give up wearing them.
The answer: “It’s definitely safer to wear a mask, whether or not the people around you are not wearing a mask,” said Brandon Brown, an associate professor in the Department of Social Medicine, Population and Public Health at UC Riverside.drug.That said, the level of safety and protection depends on the type of mask you wear and how you wear it, experts say.
When keeping the risk low in a mixed mask environment, the best thing to do is to wear a fitted N95 mask or similar respirator (such as a KN95), as these are designed to protect the wearer, M explained.Patricia Fabian is an associate professor in the Department of Environmental Health at the Boston University School of Public Health.”This means that even if you’re in a crowded room with someone who isn’t wearing a mask and the air is contaminated with viral particles, that mask still protects the wearer from whatever they’re breathing because it’s essentially a A filter that cleans the air before it gets into the lungs,” Fabian said.
She stressed that protection isn’t 100%, but as the name suggests, it’s pretty close.”They’re called N95s because they filter out about 95 percent of small particles. But a 95 percent reduction means a huge reduction in exposure,” Fabian added.
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Infectious disease expert Carlos del Rio, MD, pointed to the proof that N95 one-way masks are effective, saying that when he cared for a tuberculosis patient, for example, he would not make the patient wear a mask, but He is wearing one.”And I’ve never gotten TB from doing that,” said Del Rio, a professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine.There is also plenty of research to support the effectiveness of masks, including a recent study published in California by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which found that people who wore N95-style masks in indoor public spaces had 83 percent fewer people wearing masks compared to those who didn’t. , may test positive for COVID-19.
However, fit is key.Even a high-quality mask isn’t much use if unfiltered air seeps in because it’s too loose.You want to make sure the mask completely covers your nose and mouth and there are no gaps around the edges.
To test your fit, inhale.If the mask collapses slightly, “it’s an indication that you have a tight enough seal around your face and that basically all the air you’re breathing in is going through the filter portion of the mask and not through the edges,” Fabian said.
You shouldn’t see any condensation on your glasses when you exhale.(If you don’t wear glasses, you can do this test with a cold scoop that’s been in the fridge for a few minutes.) “Because again, the air should just come out through the filter and not through the crevice around the nose,” Fabian said. Say.
No N95 masks?Check to see if your local pharmacy distributes them for free under federal programs.(The CDC has a free online mask locator; you can also call 800-232-0233.) A word of warning: Beware of counterfeit masks sold online, says UC Riverside’s Brown.The CDC maintains a list of N95 masks approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, along with examples of counterfeit versions.
Surgical masks still offer some protection against the virus, albeit to a lesser extent, experts say.A CDC study showed that knotting and tucking the loop into the side (see an example here) increases its effectiveness.Cloth masks, while better than nothing, are not particularly good at stopping the highly transmissible variant of omicron and its increasingly infectious sibling strains BA.2 and BA.2.12.1, which now make up the majority of infections in the U.S.
Several other factors can affect the effectiveness of a one-way mask fit.A big problem is time.Del Rio explained that the longer you spend with an infected person, the greater your risk of contracting COVID-19.
Ventilation is another variable.Well-ventilated spaces — which can be as simple as opening doors and windows — can reduce the concentration of airborne pollutants, including viruses.Federal data show that while vaccines and boosters are most effective at preventing COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths, they can also reduce the risk of infection.
As restrictions continue to ease during the pandemic, it’s important to consider your risks and feel comfortable making decisions, while also respecting the decisions made by others, Fabian said.”And know there’s something you can do for yourself, no matter what the rest of the world is doing — that’s wearing a mask,” she added.
Rachel Nania writes about healthcare and health policy for AARP.Previously, she was a reporter and editor for WTOP Radio in Washington, D.C., a recipient of the Gracie Award and the Regional Edward Murrow Award, and she participated in the National Journalism Foundation’s Dementia Fellowship.
Post time: May-13-2022