Covid-19: Is it time to upgrade from cloth and surgical masks to respirators?
Skip to main content
  • Home
  • Economy
    • Aviation
    • Bazaar
    • Budget
    • Industry
    • NBR
    • RMG
    • Corporates
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Features
    • Book Review
    • Brands
    • Earth
    • Explorer
    • Fact Check
    • Family
    • Food
    • Game Reviews
    • Good Practices
    • Habitat
    • Humour
    • In Focus
    • Luxury
    • Mode
    • Panorama
    • Pursuit
    • Wealth
    • Wellbeing
    • Wheels
  • Epaper
  • More
    • Subscribe
    • Videos
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • COVID-19
    • Games
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard

Sunday
February 05, 2023

Sign In
Subscribe
  • Home
  • Economy
    • Aviation
    • Bazaar
    • Budget
    • Industry
    • NBR
    • RMG
    • Corporates
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Features
    • Book Review
    • Brands
    • Earth
    • Explorer
    • Fact Check
    • Family
    • Food
    • Game Reviews
    • Good Practices
    • Habitat
    • Humour
    • In Focus
    • Luxury
    • Mode
    • Panorama
    • Pursuit
    • Wealth
    • Wellbeing
    • Wheels
  • Epaper
  • More
    • Subscribe
    • Videos
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • COVID-19
    • Games
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
  • বাংলা
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 05, 2023
Covid-19: Is it time to upgrade from cloth and surgical masks to respirators?

Coronavirus chronicle

Hindustan Times
18 January, 2022, 10:10 am
Last modified: 18 January, 2022, 10:23 am

Related News

  • Cervical cancer 100% preventable: Speakers
  • Covid remains a public health emergency, says WHO
  • Twin shocks call for stronger domestic policy response
  • China rings in Lunar New Year with most Covid rules lifted
  • WHO recommends that China monitor excess Covid-19 mortality

Covid-19: Is it time to upgrade from cloth and surgical masks to respirators?

It’s hard to show evidence to support respirator use in the community, but lack of randomised controlled trials does not mean they are not effective

Hindustan Times
18 January, 2022, 10:10 am
Last modified: 18 January, 2022, 10:23 am
Masks are produced at United Safety Tech, a startup that is poised to open a new N95 mask factory in La Verne, California, US, January 27, 2021. Photo: Reuters
Masks are produced at United Safety Tech, a startup that is poised to open a new N95 mask factory in La Verne, California, US, January 27, 2021. Photo: Reuters

With the rapid spread of Omicron, many countries are rethinking their COVID mask advice for the community.

Respirators have been mandatory in public places in Austria for a year. Now, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests respirators be considered for greater protection, for instance, on public transport or in enclosed crowded spaces.

It's time to rethink and upgrade masks for you and your family.

Respirators, often wrongly called "masks" because of their appearance, are personal protective equipment made to a particular standard and designed to prevent inhalation of hazardous airborne contaminants.

In the US, respirator standards are managed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and cover three things: filter efficiency, breathing resistance and fit.

A filter that meets the N95 standard (equivalent to Europe's FFP2) must capture at least 95 per cent of particles in the most penetrating size range at a high flow rate. In Australia, a respirator must meet TGA standards.

A respirator that consists entirely of filtering material – rather than having layers, say for waterproofing – is called a filtering facepiece respirator (FFR). An FFR can be worn multiple times but must eventually be thrown away.

Research suggests FFRs lose their ability to fit well after 20 wears – due to stretching of straps or failure of the nose clip or edge components.

The filter material is usually a non-woven polypropylene electret, which means the fibres carry an electrical charge to enhance particle collection while ensuring low breathing resistance.

It was initially assumed SARS-CoV-2 spread via droplets (in coughs and sneezes) which caused infection when they landed on the mouth, nose or eyes.

For such particles, a cloth or surgical mask is an efficient form of source control to protect others from virus emitted by the wearer.

Now it's understood the virus is airborne. Virus-laden particles build up in the air over time indoors because of breathing and speaking.

It depends on the type of exposure and how long you are exposed. It is important to consider your risk depending on where you are, what you're doing, with whom and how long you're there.

The safest situation, especially for prolonged contact in crowded settings, is when everyone is wearing well-fitting N95 respirators.

It's hard to show evidence to support respirator use in the community – but lack of randomised controlled trials (RCT) does not mean they are not effective.

Studying masks or respirators at a population level is complex and involves many variables.

There is strong evidence from RCTs in health workers and laboratory studies showing respirators are effective for source control and personal protection.

Probably not. Cloth masks are not made to any particular standard, so their properties and quality vary considerably.

In general, they are poor filters of small airborne particles.

Not really. While some surgical masks may have better filtration capacity than cloth masks, they were designed primarily to prevent the emission of large droplets. Some medical-grade surgical masks may also offer protection from body fluid splashes or sprays. No surgical mask will prevent the emission or inhalation of small infectious particles, however.

A key deficiency of surgical and cloth masks is their loose fit compared to respirators.

While some older, hard-cup style respirators may be uncomfortable, newer styles are better tolerated. This may be due to their greater surface area, which could contribute to lower breathing resistance.

No. When respirators are used to protect workers from airborne hazards such as dust or pollution, employers are legally required to undertake fit-testing (see for example the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration fit-testing standard). But even non-fit tested respirators will provide superior protection over cloth or surgical masks.

A respirator should rest against your face with no gaps, especially around the nose and chin. To create a tight seal, form the nose clip and place both straps around your head, adjusting them if necessary.

If the facepiece collapses a small amount when you inhale, the respirator probably fits well. Get in the habit of doing a "self seal-check" before each wear.

No. Early in the pandemic, the public were discouraged from buying respirators because of a global shortage of personal protective equipment and the assumption healthcare workers were at higher risk of catching COVID from so-called "aerosol-generating procedures" such as intubation.

We now know everyday activities like talking and singing are more likely to generate infectious aerosols than medical procedures.

As with vaccines, there are global equity issues and we need to expand manufacturing capacity to ensure sufficient supply for everyone.

Compared to cloth masks, respirators (which are not washable) cost more and have a greater environmental impact.

But disposable respirators can be used for extended periods if they are not wet or damaged, and there are re-usable options such as elastometric respirators. A respirator should be thrown away when it gets dirty or the straps, nose clip or other components lose their integrity.

Costs and environmental concerns need to be weighed against the costs and waste produced by a single COVID hospital admission. In Australia, the average daily cost of an Intensive Care Unit stay has been estimated at USD 4375.

The Korean KF94 and Chinese KN95s are cheaper alternatives that provide better protection than a surgical or cloth mask. Beware counterfeits, such as those without a GN stamp to show they meet manufacturing standards.

If you can't get hold of a respirator, you can improve protection of a surgical or cloth mask.

Options include "double masking" by wearing a tight-fitting cloth mask over a surgical mask. You can also "knot and tuck" a surgical mask by tying the sides and tucking the remainder inside.

Finally, a well-designed cloth mask (with three layers) can perform as well as a good quality surgical mask.

It's still true that something is better than nothing.

But don't count on these types of masks to provide the same level of protection for the same amount of time as an N95 respirator.

The World Health Organisation has stressed the importance of a "vaccines-plus" approach.

There is a strong case, when prevalence of COVID is high, for governments to both mandate and fund the provision of respirators for the public, as some parts of the US are now doing.


Leyla Asadi, University of Alberta, C Raina MacIntyre, Kirby Institute, UNSW, Lisa M Brosseau, University of Minnesota and Trish Greenhalgh from University of Oxford

Top News

Covid -19 / Coronavirus / Prevention / masks / Sars-CoV-2 / N95

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • Master plan for futuristic Chattogram city in the making
    Master plan for futuristic Chattogram city in the making
  • Consumers should pay the actual costs to get gas and electricity: PM
    Consumers should pay the actual costs to get gas and electricity: PM
  • Pakistan's former president Pervez Musharraf dies in Dubai after prolonged illness
    Pakistan's former president Pervez Musharraf dies in Dubai after prolonged illness

MOST VIEWED

  • Tourists ride a tour bus in Hong Kong, China October 25, 2019. REUTERS/Ammar Awad
    Hong Kong says 'hello' to woo back visitors after Covid
  • People wearing face masks following the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak are seen at Beijing Daxing International Airport in Beijing, China July 23, 2020. Photo:Reuters
    Pandemic to paradise: Chinese tourists return to Bali after three years
  • People walk outside wearing masks during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the Harlem area of the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., February 10, 2022. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri
    US to end Covid-19 emergency declarations on 11 May
  • A nurse prepares a shot for Jonathan Halter as the German embassy begins its roll out of BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines for German expatriates at a Beijing United Family hospital in Beijing, China January 5, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo
    Covid remains a public health emergency, says WHO
  • FIKE PHOTO: Medical staff moves a patient into a fever clinic at a hospital, as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreaks continue in Shanghai, China, December 19, 2022. REUTERS/Aly Song
    China approves two domestically developed Covid drugs
  • People walk with their luggage at a railway station during the annual Spring Festival travel rush ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year, as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak continues, in Shanghai, China January 16, 2023. REUTERS/Aly Song
    Holiday trips within China surge after lifting of Covid curbs

Related News

  • Cervical cancer 100% preventable: Speakers
  • Covid remains a public health emergency, says WHO
  • Twin shocks call for stronger domestic policy response
  • China rings in Lunar New Year with most Covid rules lifted
  • WHO recommends that China monitor excess Covid-19 mortality

Features

Aarong never ceases to surprise with their vibrant ensemble perfect for Fagun looks. Photo: Courtesy

Say it with Colours

6h | Mode
Photo: Courtesy

From 'Made in Bangladesh' to 'Designed in Bangladesh'

8h | Panorama
Google must adjust to a world where content is increasingly generated by AI. Photo: Bloomberg

Google will join the AI wars, pitting LaMDA against ChatGPT

5h | Panorama
The megaproject Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant has a debt of Tk90,474 crore. Photo: Courtesy

Projects funded with debt need to be selected prudently, and implemented timely

6h | Panorama

More Videos from TBS

Lack of coordination, policy biggest problems

Lack of coordination, policy biggest problems

2h | TBS Round Table
Industries panicked about continuing stresses on profitability

Industries panicked about continuing stresses on profitability

3h | TBS Round Table
One meal at Tk 20

One meal at Tk 20

3h | TBS Stories
International award at the age of 23

International award at the age of 23

3h | TBS Entertainment

Most Read

1
Leepu realised his love for cars from a young age and for the last 40 years, he has transformed, designed and customised hundreds of cars. Photo: Collected
Panorama

'I am not crazy about cars anymore': Nizamuddin Awlia Leepu

2
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/File Photo
Economy

IMF approves $4.7 billion loan for Bangladesh, calls for ambitious reforms

3
Fund cut as Dhaka's fast-track transit projects on slow spending lane
Infrastructure

Fund cut as Dhaka's fast-track transit projects on slow spending lane

4
Photo: Collected
Court

Japanese mother gets guardianship of daughters, free to leave country

5
Belal Ahmed new acting chairman of SIBL
Banking

Belal Ahmed new acting chairman of SIBL

6
Photo: Collected
Startups

ShopUp secures $30m debt financing to boost expansion, supply chain

EMAIL US
contact@tbsnews.net
FOLLOW US
WHATSAPP
+880 1847416158
The Business Standard
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
Copyright © 2023
The Business Standard All rights reserved
Technical Partner: RSI Lab

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - oped.tbs@gmail.com

For advertisement- sales@tbsnews.net