SHAKEELA ANDRABI
SRINAGAR: COVID-19 is an airborne disease and omicron is the most contagious variant of SARS-CoV-2 virus so far. All of us emit tiny droplets while breathing, talking, singing, coughing and sneezing. When a person infected with COVID-19 interacts with another person who is uninfected, the virus gets transmitted through micro-particles and droplets exhaled by infected person. According to health experts, if an infected person wears a good-quality mask, it would reduce the risk of spreading infection among others around them to a great extent. If an uninfected person wears a mask, that also enhances his protection against the virus. Masks should be used in indoor spaces you share with other people such office, hospitals or doctors’ clinics. One should also wear mask in crowded outdoor locations like market or mall, and especially while travelling in bus, taxi, airplane or train.
Over last two years, most of us have worn masks of various types. Cloth masks reduce some emissions but the best masks are only those manufactured as per American N95 standard or similar global standards. When fitted properly, they filter out at least 95 per cent (N95, KN95) or 94 per cent (FFP2, KF94) of particles. It is best to avoid masks that have valves on them as they don’t filter exhaled air, which is very necessary. High-filtration masks give everyone more protection from omicron variant than cloth or surgical masks. Everyone who can use these masks should use them, especially healthcare workers and others who are at risk of COVID-19 infection (elderly, people with diabetes, heart disease, etc.)
The major concern people facing with high-filtration mask is its cost. 3M VFlex is currently priced very high and a common man cannot afford the same in present scenario. While these masks can be used for a week with care, double-masking or a tight-fitted cloth mask over a three-ply surgical mask can be a good low-cost alternative. Providing Government subsidies to ensure that everyone can afford high-filtration masks would be the ideal solution.
But only high-filtration masks by themselves are not enough. You need to make sure that mask fits your face properly. In occupational health settings, an N95 mask is usually fit-tested, but it is not feasible for most people. The most common mask failure (other than not covering your nose or wearing it as a chin guard) is a loose or ill-fitting mask that lets virus-carrying particles escape outwards (for an infected person) or inwards (for uninfected person). Cloth and surgical masks that are used repeatedly become loose and ineffective. The mask should cover your mouth and nose.
It should fit your face tightly at the edges, so the air you exhale or inhale only passes through filtering material. According to experts, if we had followed COVID Appropriate Behaviour properly, third wave could have been averted but unfortunately none of us acted responsibly resulting in present scenario, when we are heading towards another lockdown.