Recently, Omicron has spread rapidly in countries around the world, and how to properly wear masks to reduce infection has once again become a topic of concern.
It took months for the CDC and the World Health Organization to admit that COVID-19 is transmitted through droplets, and droplets from coughs and sneezes can be suspended in cities for hours. When recommending masks, it also emphasized that cloth masks can be worn, and now it is finally clear that cloth masks are not as good as medical masks.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently stated its position on various masks and finally recognized that the cloth masks most commonly worn by the American people are not as protective as surgical masks, and urged the wearing of N95 or KN95 masks to reduce COVID-19 spread.
Some medical experts pointed out that although everyone wears masks, the masks will not completely fit everyone’s face, resulting in 6 leaks. When the leaks of the masks increase by 2%, the filtration rate will drop to 33%.
Japanese research shows that because each of us has a different face shape, the bridge of the nose, the sunken cheeks, and the opening and closing of the lips are also different, so the size of the contact surface of different masks is different, resulting in gaps in the masks. For every 1% increase in the gap of the masks, for 10 microns particles, the mask has only nearly 70% filtration rate, and for particles smaller than 2.5 microns, the mask has only nearly 50% filtration rate. If the gap on the surface of the mask increases by 2%, then only a filtration rate of nearly 33% remains to filter aerosols of less than 2.5 microns. Therefore, the tightness of the mask is very important.
The following 4 ways can effectively change the gap of the mask:
1. Wear a double mask
It takes a medical mask and a cloth mask, and both medical masks with 3 layers and cloth masks with 3 layers can effectively reduce the exposure risk of infectious aerosols and effectively reduce 96.4% of infectious aerosols.
2. Tie knots on both sides of the mask
The corners on both sides of the mask are knotted together next to the ears, where they are fixed on the mask, and then the mask is put on and flattened to minimize the side gap and increase the fit of the medical mask. If two people use it to tie a knot on both sides of the medical mask, it can effectively reduce 95.9% of infectious aerosols.
3. Use the mask holder
Installing a mask holder on a medical mask can effectively reduce ≥90% infectious aerosols.
4. Use nylon socks
The sleeve made of pure nylon stocking material on the neck can be pulled up and fastened to the medical mask, which can reduce the side gap and increase the tightness of the medical mask. It can effectively reduce 86~90% of infectious aerosols.
The correct way to wear a mask is:
1. A mask that covers the mouth and nose.
2. Avoid touching the surface of the mask.
3. Take off the mask properly.
4. Wash your hands immediately after taking off your mask.
5. The mask needs to be changed when it gets wet.
6. Masks are not reusable.
7. Discard the mask immediately after use.
If you have to talk all the time at work, the mask is easy to crook and slide down the nasal cavity, which means that the mask is loose. You can use the above methods to increase the tightness of the mask.
