Amid the rising cases of Omicron across the country, ‘Mask Up and Get Vaccinated’ has been the sentence that we have been hearing for a while now. Masking up and getting vaccinated is the only way to end this pandemic.
The end of 2021 has marked the advent of a new variant called Omicron which is said to be a highly infectious one and is also responsible for driving the third wave in the country currently.
Meanwhile, the question arises that why there is a cloud of doubt regarding masks? While people are quite clear and decisive about getting vaccines. Though masking up is the most important thing that one must do to protect themselves from contracting the virus. However, masking up would not work as expected if one is wearing the wrong masks. So, which mask would work against the new Omicron variant?
So, lets us look at the types of masks that are presently common among people before coming to any conclusion.
Currently, we generally see people wearing the most sophisticated N95 masks, the surgical masks, and the masks made by clothing material but now when the transmissibility of the variant is high, it is important to note down a few important things.
- The N95 masks are generally made by PPE manufacturers by keeping in mind the quality medical standards.
- As well as in a similar way the surgical masks, too, are made by PPE manufacturers; however, these masks only provide a single layer of protection, while the N95 masks give three-layer protection, which is what is also suggested by health experts and the World Health Organization.
- Thirdly comes the cloth masks, which are equally popular as the first two masks but are not manufactured by keeping medical standards under consideration and are usually made by fashion retailers rather than medical equipment manufacturers.
Not all masks are the same. @WHO‘s @mvankerkhove explains why wearing a well-fitting, appropriately made mask is important. pic.twitter.com/LAfr6hNjFr
— Mrigank Shail, MD (@mrigankshail) January 8, 2022
Being said that, choosing a type of mask all depends on the surroundings you are in. If you are in a crowded place, an N95 mask is highly recommended by the health experts as it offers the best protection against the virus. However, N95 masks can be problematic during energetic physical activities or lengthy wearing. Cloth masks can be coupled with surgical masks to offer increased protection with more comfortability than the N95 masks.
