Masks

Last update: Saturday 9/4/21

Editor's note: This page provides information that readers may find useful in helping them to decide which kinds of face masks to wear in the far more infectious environments in which most of us will be living and working throughout 2021. It will be updated from time to time as more information becomes known to the editor.

... under continuing reconstruction ...

Introduction
The sudden emergence of mutations to the coronavirus since December 2020 that are significantly more infectious and sometimes more lethal than previous versions implies that the U.S. should vaccinate as many people as possible as quickly as possible. This will slow the spread of the virus and thereby reduce its opportunities to produce mutations that are even more dangerous, including the most dreaded possibilities: mutations that completely evade the capacity of our current vaccines to block their spread.

The new mutations also underscore the need for stronger mitigation procedures that will afford greater protection to those of us who have not yet been vaccinated. Among our small arsenal of mitigation procedures -- distancing, avoiding large crowds, washing our hands frequently, and wearing face masks -- only face masks can be upgraded. 

Four types of masks are in common use: surgical, cloth, face shields, and unfitted K95 masks. The K95 mask, available via Amazon's online store and elsewhere, is the Chinese equivalent of the N95 mask. In China, government regulations require that this mask must be fitted to the wearer; in the U.S., hospitals and other medical operations usually fit new N95 masks for their wearers. (Note: most N95 masks are made in China.) The most commonly discussed pairs of masks: surgical + cloth, face shield + surgical, and face shield + cloth

B. Data from research 

1) Overviews of the literature + CDC guide

• "Face masks: what the data say", Lynne Peeples, Nature, 10/6/20
  
• "Scientific Brief: Community Use of Cloth Masks to Control the Spread of SARS-CoV-2", CDC, 11/20/20
  
• "An evidence review of face masks against COVID-19", Jeremy Howard et al., PNAS, 1/28/21
• "Your Guide to Masks", CDC, 1/31/21

2) Single masks ... materials, layers, filters, nose clips, fitters, braces, etc.

• "N95 Mask Re-use Strategies", SAGES, 4/17/20 
• "The Defense Production Act Won’t Fix America’s Mask Shortage", Wired, 4/8/20 
• "3M Awarded Department of Defense Contracts to Further Expand U.S. Production of N95 Respirators", 3M, 5/7/20 
• "We Need Better Masks", Ranu S. Dhillon, Abraar Karan, David Beier, and Devabhaktuni Srikrishna, Harvard Business Review, 6/18/20
• "Virus Surge Brings Calls for Trump to Invoke Defense Production Act", Aishvarya Kavi, NY Times, 7/22/20
• "Viral Filtration Efficiency of Fabric Masks Compared with Surgical and N95 Masks", Harriet Whiley, Thilini Piushani Keerthirathne , Muhammad Atif Nisar, Mae A F White, Kirstin E Ross, National Library of Medicine (NIH), 9/17/20
• "N95 vs. KN95 Masks for Sale: Differences, Where to Buy", Josh Smith, Newsweek, 12/18/20
• "Experts Call for Better Masks As Pandemic Rolls On", Jennifer Clopton, WebMD, 1/19/21
• "President Biden to use Defense Production Act for masks, vaccines", Nicole Wetsman, The Verge, 1/21/21
• "What’s the Difference Between N95 Masks and KN95 Masks?", Tim Chan, Rolling Stone, 2/1/21
• "How to Buy a Real N95 Mask Online", Brian X. Chen, NY Times, 2/17/21
• "Why Are Millions Of N95 Masks Sitting In A Factory Without A Buyer?", Darian Woods, NPR, 4/7/21
• "One Year Later, America’s Mask Supply Chain Is Still Vulnerable", Shira Stein, Bloomberg, 7/27/21 
• "Finding reliable masks online can be tricky. Here are tips that can help.", Chris Velazco, Washington Post, 8/21/21
• "Are Amherst’s COVID Policies Too Strict, or Just Smart?", Elizabeth Redden, Inside Higher Ed, 9/1/21 ... Note: Amherst is requiring K95 masks or double masking
• "Why cloth masks are on some airlines’ no-fly lists", Hannah Sampson, Washington Post, 9/4/21

3) Double masks

• "Types of Masks", CDC, updated on 2/10/21 
  "For better fit and extra protection wear two masks: Disposable mask underneath AND cloth mask on top ... OR ... A cloth mask can be combined with a fitter or brace"
  
  
• "Masks should fit better, or be doubled up to protect against coronavirus variants, CDC says", Lena H. Sun and Fenit Nirappil, Washington Post, 2/10/21
  
  
• "Time to double or upgrade masks as coronavirus variants emerge, experts say", Fenit Nirappil, Washington Post, 1/28/21
  
  
• "One Mask Is Good. Would Two Be Better?", Katherine J. Wu, NY Times, 1/12/21" ... Layering two less specialized masks on top of each other can provide comparable protection.[to N95, masks]."

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Related posts on this blog:

• "N95 masks for everyone!!! ... Groundhog Day mutations", Last update: 1/29/21