French health reminders urge citizens to say bye on cotton masks because they are simply not effective enough against new, potentially more contagious variants of COVID-19.
Instead, the French Health Advisory Board has recommended wearing single-use surgical masks. Experts agree – and tell The Post it’s an important time to consider upgrading your mask choice.
A native mutation of the virus called 20C-US is believed to be responsible for up to 50 percent of all cases in the US – hitting the Midwest the hardest, researchers said earlier this month. Those findings come a day after Ohio State University scientists said they discovered another strain of the COVID-19 virus – which carries a mutation similar to the British strain.
“As we progress in this pandemic, we come to realize that no, not all masks are the same,” said Dr. Martin Cohen, assistant chair and lecturer in the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Washington. In the spring, he conducted rough aerosol experiments on masking materials to find suitable substitutes in the absence of personal protective equipment (PPE).
So which are the best? Here’s a look at which masks will hold up in 2021 as scientists learn more about the increasingly mutating virus.
N95s
“The gold standard is of course the N95 masks regardless of the COVID strain,” says Dr. Rajesh Mohan, a New Jersey cardiologist and author of “COVIDslayers: How We Can Win! And What Really Went Wrong? The Experiences of a Physician Leader from the Front Line.”
It also turned out to be the best mask in a comprehensive review of masks by Duke University researchers over the summer.
It was the most effective of the bunch on the logarithmic scale of the study.
Surgical masks
Those single-use surgical masks are also a good standby and significantly more comfortable than the face-compliant N95s.
“The second best are surgical masks,” said Mohan. “If people wore them, the infection would decrease by about 70 percent.”
The Duke researchers also found it to be the second most effective variety, ranging from 0 to 0.1 in terms of the particles dispersed by speaking when worn.
KN95s or KF94s
Aaron Collins, a Minnesota mechanical engineer who wrote his master’s thesis on aerosol science and calls himself a “ citizen scientist, ” has been reviewing Masks on his YouTube channel since August.
Collins turned his bathroom into a makeshift lab and used an aerosol generator to pump out tiny particles of salt and water. A condensation particle counter counts how many particles are in the air and how many are in the mask that Collins is currently testing. He compares the number of particles in the mask with the number outside, which helps him determine its effectiveness.
His best bets, he discovered after his research, are protective masks such as KF94s, KN95s or N95s.
“N95’s are clearly the best because it is close to the face, but the downside is that it comes with a headband that can damage your scalp.” In his research, he found that KF94 masks range from 90 to 99% protection, while KN95 masks also perform well, but they have more variation in quality.
He doesn’t recommend buying masks on eBay or Amazon, as there are bootleg versions floating around.
“The market is still a problem. Scammers still have a huge amount of inventory. “
Instead, he suggests buying from two companies: the New Jersey-based importer, Be Healthy USA and Bona Fide Masks.
Double masks
Since November, when New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick wore two masks after his quarterback Cam Newton tested positive for COVID-19, questions have arisen as to whether doubling up is the best course of action.
“If your first layer of protection isn’t significant, like a scarf, you can put on another layer,” Mohan said. Other researchers agree with this feeling, saying that a cloth mask and a surgical mask are an effective combination.
“Obviously, the more layers of fiber you have between one person’s mouth and another’s mouth, the less likely it is to get infected. But it could diminish the benefit, as far as the ability to breathe is concerned, ”said Mohan. “The idea is that it should fit snugly without feeling uncomfortable.”