The face mask that could end the pandemic

The face mask that could end the pandemic

 

President Joe Biden’s very first executive action was to ask Americans to wear masks for the first 100 days of his administration. The executive order also requires mask use on all federal property. But keep in mind, not all masks are created equal.   The N95 is the gold standard in personal protective equipment because it blocks 95% of large and small particles utilizing a unique electrostatic filter that traps neutral particles such as bacteria and viruses before they pass through the mask, protecting the wearer and those around them. Think of it how socks might get stuck to a blanket in the dryer.   Experts including Dr. Abraar Karan, a physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, have told me that if we all wore N95 masks for four weeks, we could put an end to the pandemic.   But N95s can be hard to get ahold of – and should go to doctors and nurses first. If you aren’t able to use an N95, Dr. Anthony Fauci says, consider double masking. “If you have a physical covering with one layer, you put another layer on, it just makes common sense that it likely would be more effective,” Fauci told NBC Monday.