More Americans Need to Use N95 Masks to Slow the Spread of COVID-19, ICU Specialists Say

The seriousness of the illness and likelihood death of COVID-19 needs to be re-emphasized as the pandemic does not spare anyone.

To prevent the disastrous repeat of the illness's initial upwelling, New York City Intensive Care Unit specialists Dr. Pierre Kory and Dr. Paul H. Mayo said in a USA Today article that they "recommend a population-wide intervention." This intervention, in particular, would a considerable increase in the use of N95 masks that may provide a safer reopening of the U.S. economy.

Initially, COVID-I9 was perceived to be considerably contagious through large droplets produced by sneezing and coughing. Typically, the droplets move only short distances before falling.

Droplets are less likely to reach a person who practices social distancing and also have difficulty infiltrating surgical masks.

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COVID-19 Transmission via Aerosol Droplets

Despite earlier findings of droplets not entering regular masks, studies present that "it has recently been identified that COVID-19 transmission through droplets that pre-symptomatic, asymptomatic, and of course symptomatic people exhale.

These tiny particles of aerosol stay airborne indoors for more extended periods and can pass on the disease to other people nearby, who inhale the said droplets into their lungs.

The ICU specialists said they believe that "lack of emphasis placed on the avoidance of the transmission of aerosol droplet" is a primary contributor to the increased number of cases in a lot of areas across the nation. 

Consequently, there comes a problem with the prevention of "inhalation of the aerosol droplets" and the reduction of the spread of the virus. The two specialists referred to N95 as the only mask that can stop inhalation of aerosol droplets.

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N95 Masks Highly Recommended but Not Necessary

According to research, in countries like South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Germany, the pandemic "was brought under control" because they used standard masks, whether cloth or surgical, more often than not, homemade.

This was a strategy that depended on the fact that almost a hundred percent of citizens from the countries mentioned wore them "in closed-quartered public areas."

Here's an important thing to note, according to experts. Standard masks, even though they are partly effective in preventing aerosol droplet inhalation, compared to medical-grade N95 masks offer "almost perfect blocking performance," are said to be highly effective in terms of catching and trapping droplets.

For an individual to protect himself from infection in locations where "near-universal indoor mask-wearing is not a norm," the best choice, medical experts recommend, is the wearing of an N95 mask, designed for the prevention of over 99 percent of all droplets regardless of their size. 

And, for those living in a place where there is a high level of use of masks, the threat of contagion or contracting of COVID-19 is considerably lessened.

And, for people living in an area with a low level of regular mask-wearing, the best strategy for those opting to put on a mask is to wear an N95 mask to shield themselves from inhaling the aerosol droplets exhaled by their neighbors not wearing masks.

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