Ómicron vs. surgical masks: masks have not changed, what have changed are some situations

In the last 14 days, Spain has reported more than a million new cases of COVID-19. In other words, in a few weeks Spain has gone from “brushing against group immunity with the tips of its fingers” to finding itself in the middle of a huge wave of infections that is breaking all the records we have seen so far.

It is clear that the arrival of the cold, changes in social behavior and Christmas gatherings have a lot to do with this wave; however, some experts have been pointing out for weeks an extra factor that could be behind part of this rally: surgical masks. Or rather, its incorrect use.

And as usual, the technical debate has been overstated and the idea that “surgical masks do not work with Omicron” has gone viral, creating an unjustified alarm. What really happens with surgical masks? What can we do to protect ourselves (better) from Ómicron?


Surgical masks not working?

Nothing of that. Surgical masks work exactly the same as they did before. That has not changed. No need to remember that no matter how little this type of mask leaks, it will always be better than going without it. What has changed, in any case, is the situation. Ómicron is proving to be a much more contagious variant than the previous ones and that means that, in a context like the current one (with so many infected) surgical masks may not be enough.

Above all because, as Jose Luis Jiménez pointed out, a professor at the University of Colorado aerosol expert, something that has remained the same despite the two years of the pandemic is the terrible state of ventilation schools, offices or means of public transport. Poorly ventilated social environments and a more infectious variant generate a greater risk of contagion. Something that can be minimized with FFP2 masks (or, in the worst case, influence the recommendations that have been on the table for months).

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Deep down, despite all the fanfare and scaremongering, the recommendations regarding the use of masks remain the same in practice: be aware that this is not a magical protection. The use we make of them (the way we put it on, the type we use or the frequency with which we change it) has to be adapted to the situations in which we find ourselves. Often, routine and fatigue take over our decisions in the face of the pandemic and that ends up exposing us to the virus without even realizing it.

Imagen | Waldemar Brandt



Reference-www.xataka.com