For folks going out to get groceries, will covering the face with any old piece of fabric make a difference? What makes N95 masks CDC approved?
In: Engineering
As other people have stated, it’s about particle size. According to studies, a scarf or bandana does not have the ability to filter out covid-19 for the person wearing it because the virus is very small and those materials are too loosely woven.
The cloth masks people are making, if made of 2 layers of high thread-count cotton (tightly woven cotton), can filter about 70% of covid-19 particles which is pretty good. It’s even better if you use an inner layer of flannel.
An N95 mask filters about 95% of covid-19 particles.
However, they also found that almost any material (as long as it seals around the nose and mouth properly) works well for keeping spit or mucus droplets/covid-19 particles IN if an infected person wears it. This is why they want everyone to wear a mask. Many people are asymptomatic carriers and can be spreading the virus without knowing it.
Further new information has shown that if a covid carrier without a mask interacts with someone who is wearing a mask, there’s still a 70% chance of the mask wearer being infected. Even if you’re wearing an N95, the droplets from the infected person will still settle on your face and clothes where you may unknowingly transfer them.
If the infected person is wearing a mask, and you are not, the risk of you being infected drops to 5%.
If both of you are wearing masks, the risk of infection drops to 1.5%.
Again this is only if the masks are properly fitted to the face with little or no gapping and you still follow all the hand washing guidelines.
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