I hope you read this op-ed from @erictopol.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-12-06/covid-wave-winter-infections-immunity-bivalent-vaccine
Please wear a mask!
Make sure your respirator is NIOSH approved, rated N95, N100, or P100. (FFP2 or FFP3 under the European standard.)
Cloth masks and KN95 masks are not effective enough to stop COVID-19.
@Pat @kristinmbranson @erictopol
I'm going to dissent (only a bit) here.
Your mask must fully seal against your face, so you must shave any facial hair you have, and have your mask appropriately fitted by OSHA (or eu equivalent) members. Alternatively, you should procure a PAPR, with HEPA or P100 equivalent filters.
These two requirements and the expense (and bulkiness) of "user friendly" alternatives really limits the effectiveness of high filtration efficiency masks: if there's a leak, it's easier for the fluid to go through that opening than through the filter media, hence the wearer is still either spewing crap, or inhaling it.
Not to say cloth masks are superior when both are worn **correctly**, but since cloth masks have lower resistance, you **may** get better droplet filtration than a P100 mask that is worn incorrectly, and it's much easier to wear a P100 mask incorrectly. (I believe there was a study on this, but I can't find it atm).
Just my 2 cents, not dissing masks, but a lot of people are unaware of what goes into wearing high efficiency masks correctly.
Thank you for your input. Yes, "properly worn" is important.
Make sure you do a seal check each time you don your respirator, and check it periodically while you wear it.
Even an improperly worn N95 is better than a typical cloth mask, much better. The California study showed this. (Cloth masks usually create more air resistance than N95s because the size of fibers in cloth is so much larger than the melt-blown fibers in respirator filter media. N100 resistance depend on the specific model, I think.
It's really foolish to wear cloth masks at this point, when respirators are widely available, are more comfortable to wear, and they actually work.
If folks want to know more, I've done dozens toots during the pandemic under #respirators.
