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N95 The US CDC proposes to use surgical masks to prevent Omicron liters. Is it really necessary?

2022-01-11T13:21:40.908Z


The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) plans to update mask guidelines to require people to switch to N95 masks or equivalent


The novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) variant virus strain Omicron is spreading rapidly, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) plans to update the mask guidelines, requiring people to switch to N95 masks or products with the same level of protection to effectively filter the Omicron virus .

But is "mask upgrade" really necessary?


U.S. officials have seen "mask escalation" wearing higher-level masks when they attended a news conference recently, which was accused of reflecting the severity of the country's situation.

During the regular press conference on the epidemic held on December 27, 2021, senior officials such as White House Chief Epidemic Adviser Anthony Fauci and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky who were present at the same event were no longer wearing ordinary surgical masks. It is an N95 mask that can effectively filter particles.

Rick Bright, a former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), described the officers still wearing N95s in settings where they had received two full doses of the vaccine and frequent testing, which seemed to tell Prow Volkswagen: Omicron is highly airborne, and general masks are not enough.

New crown pneumonia epidemic in the United States: The picture shows that during the regular press conference held on December 27, 2021, senior officials such as White House chief epidemic adviser Fauci (left) and CDC director Varensky (right) are no longer wearing ordinary surgical masks. , but N95 masks.

This is seen as a reflection of how severe the U.S. outbreak is.

(AP)

Will it become the "new standard" for the public?

It is reported that some medical centers or clinics in the United States have required visitors to wear N95 masks.

If internal staff see someone wearing a cloth mask, or only covering their mouth and nose with a headscarf, neck scarf, etc., they will be provided with surgical masks for medical use.

(Editor's note: Standard refers to general or basic equipment, standard equipment, or compliance with minimum standards.)

Some state governments have adopted expert opinions and have asked the public to wear N95s instead.

Connecticut Health Commissioner Manisha Juthani even announced on December 27, 2021, that N95s will be supplied to residents across the state.

New Coronary Pneumonia Epidemic in the United States: The picture shows an eighth class teacher in California, the United States on January 7, 2022, participating in a demonstration, demanding that the school district fully provide N95 masks, provide weekly virus testing, and implement distance learning for two weeks to stop the virus spread.

(AP)

What do the experts think?

Linsey Marr, a virus researcher at Virginia State University of Science and Technology, cited a study in Hong Kong as saying that Omicron replicates 70 times faster in the human respiratory tract than Delta, and the viral load surges 48 hours after infection. Take a breath of air and you're inhaling the Omicron." Wearing a cloth mask or a single-layer mask alone isn't enough to stop it.

Ideally, when people are in crowded places, "you should wear a KN95 or N95 mask,"

said Leana Wen, an emergency physician and professor of public health at George Washington University

.

She said mask veneers and certain materials, such as polypropylene fibers, act as physical and electrostatic barriers, which are more helpful in preventing tiny particles from entering the nose or mouth; they must fit a person's face to function properly.

Wen Linyan said: "In the face of this airborne infectious variant virus,

at least three layers of surgical masks should be worn

, but for many people, such disposable masks are not suitable for the face shape, so they can be used in Wear an additional cloth mask outside to improve the fit.”

She added that "everyone should really use N95 or KN95 masks."

The new crown pneumonia epidemic in the United States: The picture shows students from a school in Chicago, the United States, on January 10.

It can be seen in the picture that the students are not wearing masks.

(AP)

Canada's Chief Health Officer Theresa Tam also urged people not to wear cloth masks.

"You can't just wear a one-layer cloth mask," she said. "Medical masks are better at filtering viruses," but she added, "Even a surgical mask with three layers may not be enough (to filter viruses). ."

She said that N95 masks are more suitable for people's faces.

Source: hk1

All news articles on 2022-01-11

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