CNN Medical Expert: Cloth Masks Are ‘Little More than Facial Decorations’
CNN’s medical expert has declared that cloth face masks are ineffective against COVID-19, warning that they “are little more than facial decorations.” The “news” network’s medical analyst Leana Wen said Monday that cloth face masks will not protect people against the Omicron variant, urging the public to wear surgical masks instead.
She made the remarks while speaking about the upcoming New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square. Wen said that those attending the outdoor event should get vaccine booster shots and make sure they wear a mask.
“Make sure that you’re vaccinated and boosted,” she said on CNN. “Make sure that you’re wearing a mask even though it’s outdoors.
“There are lots of people packed around you, wearing a three-ply surgical mask.” “Don’t wear a cloth mask,” Wen continued.
“Cloth masks are little more than facial decorations. “There’s no place for them in light of Omicron.”
Wen said the New Year’s Eve celebration should not be canceled since it takes place outdoors and everyone there is required to be vaccinated.
“We should be keeping the events that are safe and also the events that have fun for people, too,” she said. “We can’t be canceling everything especially if we’re going to be living with COVID for the foreseeable future.”
Later on Twitter, Wen clarified her comments, saying she meant people should wear the most effective type of face mask. “My point isn’t that we don’t need masks, but rather that we should require masks that are most effective to prevent disease transmission,” Wen wrote in a tweet.
“Everyone, including children, should be wearing at least a 3-ply surgical mask when indoors & around others of unknown vaccination status.”
Source
Still using cloth masks? It’s time to switch to surgical — here’s why
Your trusty cloth masks have gotten you through more than a year of pandemic. Heading into the winter, you might want an upgrade.
That’s because some disposable masks — like surgical masks and KN95 masks — just plain work better, experts say. And plenty of them are available now, a turnaround from the beginning of the pandemic when the highest-quality masks needed to be reserved for healthcare professionals.
In an August study, currently under peer review, a group of researchers from universities including Yale and Stanford found that surgical masks are 95% effective at filtering out virus particles — compared to just 37% for cloth masks.
That held true even after the surgical masks were washed with soap and water 10 times, though the CDC and the FDA both say you shouldn’t reuse disposable surgical masks under any circumstances.
Public health officials in European countries like France, Germany and Austria are currently urging people to wear medical or surgical masks instead of homemade cloth masks — but it’s not quite as simple as tossing out your cloth masks and buying a replacement stockpile of disposables.
Assuming they fit properly, cloth masks can do a decent job removing most of the droplets people generate from talking, breathing, coughing or sneezing, says Yang Wang, an assistant professor at the Missouri University of Science and Technology who runs the Particle Measurement & Technology Laboratory.
But, Wang says, you’ll be significantly more protected by wearing a higher caliber of disposable mask. Your strongest option is the KN95 mask, which is commonly made in China and filters up to 95% of particles in the air.
If you can’t find KN95s, go with surgical masks made from a non-woven plastic material called polypropylene. The material is capable of holding an electric charge, which can attract, intercept and remove foreign particles that might otherwise slip through the cracks of a cloth mask, Wang says.
Source
Canada’s transgender “Doctor” gives medical advice! – No more cloth masks
Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam says people need to be wearing three-ply surgical masks at the very least, and N95-type respirators if possible.
Source