Which Mask Protects the Best Against the Delta Variant

The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to guide the completely vaccinated Americans to continue wearing the masks while indoors in specific public settings, among a rise in Covid-19 cases mainly due to the Delta Variant of the Coronavirus.

The Delta Variant, which originated in India, is considered highly infectious and now accounts for upwards of 83% of cases in the United States. The director of CDC, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, lately began to refer to the surge in the cases as a pandemic amid the unvaccinated, but for those who are returning to wear the masks, a former FDA official suggested that certain types of face masks may offer better protection against the Delta Variant.

Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former FDA Commissioner, told CBS’s “Face the Nation” that it is not more airborne and it is not more expected to be permeable to a mask. However, the quality of the mask does matter in such cases. So, if one gets a KN95 or N95 mask, he will likely have a lot more protection against the variant.Both masks are designed to filter 95% of the air particles entering through the mask. KN95 masks have been manufactured in China.

At present, the CDC suggests that the N95 respirators are being prioritized for protection against the Covid-19 complexes in health care settings. The agency also recommends the essential workers and the workers who regularly wore the respirators before the pandemic continued to wear the N95 respirators and that as they have become available and they can be worn in non-healthcare settings.