Well, I had my wedding last week, just in the nick of time since apparently the venue or town the venue started mandating masks again on Monday. One of guest’s wife (both are doctors, both obviously vaccinated) tested positive the day before the wedding, so of course both were unable to attend. Today, one of my employees (vaccinated as well) tested positive after developing symptoms, thankfully he has been on vacation for the past week and his scenario very unlikely he passed it to other staff or patients.
I ordered a few cases (#120) of the Abbott rapid tests just to be safe and have a little extra stockpile in case they become more difficult to obtain. We of course also can send out nasal samples for PCR testing, but having a rapid result can be quite helpful in a residential medical facility.
I'd skip the surgical masks. The experts are saying for Delta you should stick purely with N95. Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel was on the news today with a graphic showing surgical masks were about 40% effective, cloth masks 20% and real NIOSH-approved N95 masks about 95% effective against Delta:
View attachment 1817562
They're also easy to get now. I was ordering them for friends all through the peak season in the winter. Two good sources:
DemeTECH manufactures Surgical Masks (ASTM Level 3), and N95 respirators (Cup and Fold Styles) using only American Made materials. All of DemeTECH's products are proudly manufactured in the USA.
demetech-corporation.myshopify.com
accumed.com
Another thing in addition to the proper fit (incl. N95’s don’t fit children) and the fact facial hair inhibits their protection, one should also remember there is a specific protocol to take the N95 on and off so as not to contaminate the mask or inhale all the previously filtered germs.
Even with the surgical masks, you see people wear them, then shove them into their pocket, then pull them out again, get their hands all over it, and then put it on their face. They literally cost like $0.10-0.20 at this point. Throw it away and put on a new one. Personally, I spent an extra few dollars and buy the individually rapped ones.
The other big factor is disposing of the respirators/masks when necessary as they are intended to be *disposable*. N95’s can be reused 2-3 days in a clinical setting (presumably 8-12hrs straight?) before they loose their integrity. If they get wet or dirty or obviously damaged they have to be tossed. They can be reused but the recommendation is to have several masks and rotate them daily so any germs die.
I’ve seen some pretty nasty disposable masks worn and N95’s caked with dirt. And I’ve never liked the idea of cloth masks 1. Because there are huge differences between materials and 2. I’m willing to be 95% of people never wash them. They just seem like the perfect germ collector.
I wouldn’t say it’s practical to make a blanket statement like “skip surgical masks”. 40% is an extremely significant number. A lot of pharmaceutical companies would love a 40% efficacy rate in their drugs.
N95’s aren’t great for people with breathing difficulties- asthma, COPD, old age, obesity, people in hot weather, etc. I’m perfectly healthy, in shape, and in my early 30’s, and after a couple hours into a 8hr shift of wearing an N95 I’m about to pass out. I’m not sure it’s even so much the partially restricted airflow as it is having to work harder to breath continuously.
N95’s are also substantially more expensive than surgical masks and I suspect they cost far more in store than online. A lot of people don’t have flexibility in their budget. N95’s are reasonably priced these days, but earlier on they were $10-12+ each. If things ramp up again prices likely will too.
I think there’s an argument for sensible decisions making here. If you’re young, healthy, and taking your dog for a walk alone in the woods but the park requires masks, an N95 is completely superfluous. If you’re 85 years old or severely immunocompromised and around a bunch of people in close quarters, then a N95 makes sense (or better yet avoiding the situation, but you get my point). If I go to the store and no one’s around, I’m not going to waste an N95. If I have to take an airplane somewhere or visiting my 95 YO grandfather, that’s a different story.
Obviously if you fall into a category or situation where extra precautions are necessary, by all means take them. If you wish to wear an N95 constantly, that’s your decision, it’s just probably not a great source of resources.
I didn’t look at the study where those numbers came from, but I suspect they’re under idealized, laboratory conditions that don’t really reflect the real world. To do such a test in the real world would basically be impossible/unreliable because there’s too many variables that simply cannot be controlled.
And to whoever made that graphic, N95’s are technically respirators, not masks.
