Covid-19 cases are increasing rapidly all over the world again, which has renewed the debate over cloth masks and N95 masks. People switched to cloth masks after the second Covid-19 outbreak due to their comfort. However, a large segment of people still opt for surgical masks or N95 since they provide better protection from droplets/aerosols that contain the virus. People in India are looking for effective masks now that they are battling the third Coronavirus outbreak. Recent studies show that people using cloth masks can catch the disease in as little as 20 minutes.
Observations by experts and scientists indicate that, at this time, N95 masks provide the most effective protection against Covid-19 spread. A person infected without a mask can infect other people within 15 minutes if they are within 6 feet of each other, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Wearing cloth masks increases the time to 27 minutes; if neither infected person is wearing a mask, the time reduces to 20 minutes. In the same way, if the infected person is not wearing a mask and the second person is wearing one, the infection can spread within 30 minutes. It will however take 25 hours for the virus to spread if the affected and uninfected individuals don N95 masks.
American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) recommends using surgical masks as a method of source control. It doesn’t guarantee adequate protection against droplets/aerosols containing the virus, but does limit its transmission. When you spend time in an indoor environment and you are in close proximity to others, you should always use a cloth face covering as a source of control. Now, if you wonder what to do if you are wearing an N95 mask but another person is not, experts say it takes at least 2.5 hours for the infection to be transmitted if the other person is not wearing a mask.
In comparison to N95 masks, the surgical mask provides better protection against Coronavirus transmission. Scientists and experts recommend using a cloth mask only when paired with surgical models for better results. The aerosols containing the Covid-19 virus do not get blocked by a cloth shield, which is why it is recommended to wear N95 masks with 4-5 layers. Omicron is spreading faster than the Delta variant of SARs-CoV-2, and even after receiving two doses of vaccination, people are contracting it. Therefore, it is advisable to use a mask that provides the appropriate protection.
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