Almost two years have passed and the Omicron variant It has turned everything upside down again. Also the masks we use. And it is that nobody wants to be infected. The Dr. Leana Wen, CNN medical analyst and professor of health policy and administration at the Milken Institute School at George Washington University, claimed the other day that A minimum of a mask with three layers is what we should all use, eliminating the fabric masks before the new variant.
Before the doubts that may arise aboutWhat mask should we use now?, it is important to emphasize the times of use, and what we are going to use it for. It is not the same to work in an office, to go shopping, to work in front of the public …
The most protective masks
Surgical They are the ones that protect the most, but it is essential to respect their maximum time of use and put it on properly. It should cover the nose, mouth and chin completely. Only touch the outer part of the mask and the ear strips.
The maximum recommended use time is 4 hours. If it gets wet, stains, breaks a strip trying to put it on, throw it away. Its use will no longer be the same and the function it has will not be the same either. They are the most recommended for healthy people.
The FFP2 masks they fit much better to the face, they are more resistant, they are recommended for healthcare work environments where exposure to all kinds of viruses and diseases is constant.
In Spain its use is very widespread, but it is possible that before Ómicron the measures of use should be extreme. The maximum time is 8 hours, as long as it is properly adjusted. If you have been in places with a lot of people, they recommend eliminating it even if the maximum exposure time has not passed.
According to the Ministry of Labor, FFP3 masks they are indicated for “when in the development of the activity there are operations that can generate bioaerosols in high concentrations, for example if the patient coughs during bronchoscopy, intubation or suction”.
FFP3s have a 98% filtration. It is important to make sure that they comply with all the protection guarantees and are certified. It also has a maximum utility of 8 hours.
The Biology Professor Erin Bromage, from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, says that the most effective masks, such as the N95, can filter large droplets or the smallest aerosols or potentially virus-laden particles in the air if there are infected people.
Differences between KN95, FFP2 and N95 masks
The KN95, N95 and FFP2 masks are distinguished by eThe different procedure that certifies its filtering efficiency. This procedure changes depending on the place of production of the masks, since it follows the certification standards established by the country where the correct operation of the devices was tested.
According to filtration efficiency, the first would be more than 94% effective; the second more than 95%, the same data as the third. FFP2 masks are European certified. The N95 masks, with American certificate. KN95 masks, with Chinese certificate.
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