I don’t actually have a strong opinion on mask mandates, but one point that IMO is under discussed:
When this all got started there was a shortage of good (n95 or better) masks! Source control matters more when people can’t unilaterally block most aerosols, right?
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So when people say, “mask up indoors even if vaccinated to protect the immunocompromised since sterilizing immunity isn’t perfect”… I’ll do it, but I hope the vulnerable people are wearing at least n95s! And I have seen zero public health messaging so far on that point.
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A few months ago, I was advising someone who had some proximity to official-ish decision makers on the subject of recommending (K)N95 respirators. Apparently public health people were (are?) still worried that the general public will divert supply from healthcare workers.
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Mask sensitivity to fit is a function of filter quality. Masks that actually work have to have basically zero gaps. They then need proper doffing, and for reuse need to be sterilized.
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I agree, but the perfect should not be the enemy of the good? I trust microCOVIDs numbers and I am pretty sure that normal people can get a fit that gives a 3x reduction in aerosol inhalation and 6x reduction in aerosol production in a typical (K)N95.
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I don't think I agree on the reuse thing. My typical use of a respirator was for 15 minutes while I walked through a grocery store, but if I remember correctly NIOSH standards are for 8 hours of use. I think sterilization is really important for reuse in medical settings, though!
I would think sterilization and doffing carefully matter a lot more for things that are primarily transmitted via fomites, and for anything bacterial?
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Yes, agreed! When I looked into the sterilization procedures for re-using respirators in hospitals, it looked like a significant concern was discouraging bacterial growth on the mask from skin/mouth bacteria.
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