# Expert: Against Omicron, Most Single Layer Cloth Masks Are Just ‘Fashion Accessories’



## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

Omicron is once again making people think twice before reaching out for their colorful, reusable cloth face masks. 

“They can be really good or really terrible,” depending on what fabric is used, said Trish Greenhalgh, professor of primary health care services at the University of Oxford. 

Double or triple-layer masks made of a mix of materials can be more effective, but most cloth coverings are just “fashion accessories,” according to Greenhalgh. 


As the highly infectious omicron causes Covid infections to surge worldwide, governments around the world are tightening restrictions to try and stop its spread. Earlier this month Britain reintroduced compulsory mask wearing on public transport, shops and in some indoor venues, having previously relaxed the rules in the summer. Throughout the pandemic, authorities in different places have said different things about when and where healthy people should wear face masks and what type of coverings they should choose. 

The main issue with a cloth covering is they don’t have to meet any kind of health standard, says Greenhalgh. In contrast, those manufacturing N95 respirator masks, for example, have to make sure they filter out 95% of particles.

Still, good filtration is useless if the mask doesn’t cover your nose and mouth properly. You also need to be able to breathe easily through the mask, Greenhalgh said. Environmentally or money-worried consumers used to reach out for cloth masks because they could be washed but there are reusable coverings that meet filtration standards available now.



Canadians are already being advised to ditch single-layercloths masks in favor of tighter fitted ones. 

“The issue here is if you have a single-layer, the ability to filtrate is absolutely minimal and doesn’t make a difference whatsoever,” said Peter Juni, head of Ontario’s Science Advisory Table in an interview with CTV news last week. 

Bloomberg news link


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## Lunkan (Aug 28, 2020)

Most masks dont protect yourself but protect others from you...


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## amcan13 (Sep 28, 2021)

I came from California which is now the fire capital of the country. So to protect from the ash in the air I got cloth masks, with two layers. There is a slot to accept an n-95 filter between the layers. This work well for me. 
Then came covid and now I have an n-95 mask.
I find the fit of the cloth masks give me a better seal to my face. 
I kind of have to agree that the mask protects others from me more then me from them, if people are wearing masks. If no one is wearing a mask, my mask is protecting me


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

Those masks with the valve on the side stop you sucking covid in but don't stop you blowing it out.


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## Lunkan (Aug 28, 2020)

There are extra tight medical type masks which protect against breading in virus,
but the common ones arent tight enough to do that, but are tight enough to protect OTHERS against the airdrop spreading FROM you.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

amcan13 said:


> I came from California which is now the fire capital of the country. So to protect from the ash in the air I got cloth masks, with two layers. There is a slot to accept an n-95 filter between the layers. This work well for me.
> Then came covid and now I have an n-95 mask.
> I find the fit of the cloth masks give me a better seal to my face.
> I kind of have to agree that the mask protects others from me more then me from them, if people are wearing masks. If no one is wearing a mask, my mask is protecting me


I was stationed in San Diego from 1984 - 1988, and then again from 1994 - 1997 California from that point until I left and until now it has also been somewhat of a fire pit, it's primarily a desert environment that was developed incorrectly.


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## KatanaDV20 (Mar 27, 2020)

I read an effective method is to wear a surgical mask and then a multi-layer cloth mask on top of that. 









COVID-19 and Your Health


Symptoms, testing, what to do if sick, daily activities, and more.




www.cdc.gov


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## Zep (Jun 8, 2017)

How about we just get the vaccine and don't wear any mask. When is that day coming?


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## KatanaDV20 (Mar 27, 2020)

Zep said:


> How about we just get the vaccine and don't wear any mask. When is that day coming?


We all eagerly await that day. The frustrating thing with this virus is that it is mainly transmitted thru droplets via coughs, sneezes, talking & even just breathing (if the people are sitting very close together). Yet another factor is that some people remain completely asymptomatic and so go out and mingle maskless dishing out the virus.

It will be a long time before global masking rules are relaxed. The huge road block now is the disparity in vaccine distribution. Western countries have stockpiled vast numbers of vaccines while in the rest of the world (mainly developing countries) have people yet to even see a needle for the first shot.

The whole planet needs to be together on this so I hope 2022 will see more aggressive vaccine distribution. Another great breakthrough is the C19 pill, I think that one is still undergoing testing.

Masks May Reduce Viral Dose, Some Experts Say


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## Zep (Jun 8, 2017)

Interesting stats I found from the PSA.
The Philippines averages 60,000 deaths per year from the flu/pneumonia (avg from 2015-2020). They are currently averaging 24,000 deaths from Covid 19 (looking at current daily avg)
In 2020 about 33,000 died from flu/pneumonia and 28,000 died from Covid 19. So everyone who died from Covid 19 in the year 2020 probably would have died from the flu or pneumonia.


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## yakc130 (Apr 27, 2012)

I am a front-liner.

I've been in EMS for over 30 years. I dealt with SARS in the US, MERS when I worked in Saudi, and now I've been dealing with covid every day since it started. I also trained on fit-testing people for N-95 masks.

I just shake my head and laugh at most people anymore. I see all manor of people doing the stupidest things with masks. The important thing to realize is that most masks don't filter out the virus. They stop the big globs from coming/going through the masks. Such as when you sneeze. The size of the covid germs easily pass through all but the N-95 masks. It is aerosolized. Think of spraying a mist into the breeze. Layering masks doesn't help one bit. It merely delays the germs from reaching you. They will make it through.

And don't think that any N-95 mask is going to help you. The mask has to be fit-tested to _your_ face. The greatest leak areas are at the sides of the nostrils, and the chin. Movement will cause the mask to move and leak. This is why you have to move your head in different directions during fit-testing. And if you have any hair on your face, you will never get a safe, secure fit. Each time that you apply the mask, you need to make sure that you follow the same pattern. This way, you make sure that you have shaped the nose piece around your nose. One way to know if you are leaking or not is to try and smell stuff. If you can smell odors, you have a leak.

In addition, DO NOT LET YOUR MASKS GET WET. Moisture will transmit the germs through the mask. N-95 and P-100 masks are not waterproof. They are water resistant. Water will get through. Hydrophilic. Mixes with water.

Every day, I transport positive covid patients from ER's to units in other hospitals. All have been vaccinated except for three last weekend. All of them could not believe that they caught the virus. They were convinced that because they got the shot, they were protected. All had boosters, as well. The sad thing is that many of these patients that I have been transporting went to the ER for something else. They were going to get admitted for say, belly pain. But because everyone gets tested now in the ER, their test came back positive. So, I have a patient that I'm transferring who has gallstones, but they also happen to have covid, even if they don't have any symptoms.

The current vaccines are not effective against Omicron. They were made for the Delta variant. New formulas are now coming out that supposedly are good against Omicron. But these shots are not true vaccines. The polio shot is a true vaccine. It prevents you from getting polio. These are similar to the seasonal flu shot. A guess is made which variant of the flu will dominate the upcoming flu season, and the serum is made to fight that variant. Unfortunately, the majority of the time it is a different variant. So the shot is minimally effective. Just like what is happening now.

I got the virus from a patient last December who wasn't listed as having the virus. He had no symptoms when we took him for whatever he was being admitted to the hospital for. I also had "the flu" in February of 2020, two weeks after the wife and I visited the local Chinatown for the Chinese New Year. I was sicker then than when I had the actual covid. As of November, I still had antibodies.

From my experience in dealing with this, covid exists. _In my opinion, _it is a super flu. Many people get sick, very sick, and die from it. Just like the seasonal flu, people get the flu, get sick, very sick, and also die from it. My stress level is through the roof with this. My greatest hope and prayer is that Omicron is weak and contagious enough to turn this into the same thing as the seasonal flu.


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