We have come to accept cloth face masks as part of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. But now that researchers have identified a few coronavirus variants that seem to spread even more easily than the original, is it time we swapped our fabric masks for more effective ones?
Germany, Austria, and France are all considering national recommendations to do just that, 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 defenses. Not more of the same, better of the same,” said Tom Frieden, MD, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Twitter, specifically stating “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 the majority of people are likely wearing cloth masks. But the truth is, experts have known for a while that even multi-layer fabric masks aren’t the most effective masks we have for preventing the spread of COVID-19.
“I agree with Europe. Wearing medical-grade masks will be important to slow the spread of the B.1.1.7 strain, ” wrote Atul Gawande, MD, MPH and COVID-19 advisory board member to President Biden. 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 gas masks that form a seal with the skin. While N95s are regulated by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in the US, KN95s are regulated by the Chinese authorities and imported into the US, CDC out.)
In a study published in August 2020, researchers tested 14 common types of face masks in a lab setting to see how many particles from a person’s mouth the masks would let through. Their results showed that – no surprise – N95 masks and surgical masks 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 underscores the fact that there is a lot of variety in fabric masks – and that more layers are significantly more effective. It’s also important to remember that wearing the mask properly also goes a long way. But this study also conveys the message that if we want maximum protection, surgical masks and N95s are the way to go.
While we’ve known for a while that surgical masks and N95s are more effective, the CDC still advises that the use of those masks during the pandemic should be reserved for health professionals due to concerns about supply shortages. But now that we’ve been in the pandemic for a year and we’re dealing with new coronavirus variants, experts say it’s worth rethinking our national approach to mask use – and if supply issues are really to blame, they should have been by now solved.
“To give people better protection against contagious variants of Covid, especially Americans who are at higher risk due to age or disability, we should try to get higher quality masks. A year after the crisis, we should be able to do these for more people. Scott Gottlieb, MD, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, further wrote 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. “Cloth masks should have been an emergency measure.”
One thing that can help is that Biden plans to use the Defense Production Act to instruct US companies to ramp up the production of protective equipment (including N95 masks), laboratory equipment and vaccine supplies. Biden also recently worked out a $ 1.9 trillion financing plan that includes billions of dollars for masks and other supplies.
“Get #BetterMasks to this country,” wrote Abraar Karan, MD, an internal medicine physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. on Twitter, aimed at the new administration. As we continue to adapt our strategy to new variants of COVID-19, masks will be one of our important backstop measures, he said. “We have to make sure we get the very best we can. This is our health. No compromises should be made here!”
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