CDC Weighs Recommending Better Masks For Omicron Variant; *Masks, Health Supplies, Info. Sources

[appalachiablue]

Last edited Tue Jan 11, 2022, 11:13 PM - Edit history (3)

- 'CDC weighs recommending better masks against omicron variant.' Washington Post, Jan. 10, '22. -Ed. Agency is likely to say that people who can consistently wear N95 or KN95 masks, rather than cloth masks, should do so.

The CDC is considering updating its mask guidance to recommend that people opt for the highly protective N95 or KN95 masks worn by health-care personnel, if they can do so consistently, said an official close to the deliberations who was not authorized to speak publicly. With the highly transmissible omicron variant spurring record levels of infections and hospitalizations, experts have repeatedly urged the Biden administration to recommend the better-quality masks rather than cloth coverings to protect against an airborne virus, and to underscore the importance of masking.

“The agency is currently actively looking to update its recommendations for KN95 & N95 in light of omicron,” the official said. “We know these masks provide better filtration.” When the CDC issued its initial mask guidance in 2020, health officials did not urge the use of the more protective face coverings out of concern that health workers might be unable to get them. But health officials said there are no longer serious shortages of N95 masks... “That note of trying to save N95s for health-care workers is just grossly out of date,” said Michael Osterholm, who leads the Univ. of Minn. Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy and advised President Biden’s transition team on the coronavirus response.

N95 masks are approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (*NIOSH) and are designed to filter up to 95% of particles, according to the CDC.

KN95s are supposed to meet a comparable Chinese standard, but there is no Chinese regulatory agency ensuring that, said Anne Miller, exec. director of Project N95, a nonprofit organization that distributes free N95s & children’s masks in the U.S. *The CDC has warned that about 60% of KN95s in the U.S. are counterfeit. However, there are U.S. firms that make KN95s that are of high quality, Miller said. “Omicron is very transmissible through shared air,” said Julia Raifman, an asst. prof. at Boston Univ. School of Public Health. “Mask policies that ensure people with covid & people around them are wearing high-quality masks do the most to reduce covid spread,” she said, adding that other countries, such as South Korea & Japan, have done much more to make the masks widely available.

- The government should not only recommend high-quality masks, she added, but also make them available and required in workplaces. -

Last week, following a spate of breakthrough cases among vaccinated staff & lawmakers in the U.S. Capitol, congressional staff were told KN95 masks would be provided to House staff.. Some state & local officials have also recently encouraged people to upgrade their masks. The Milwaukee health department just started handing out a half-million free N95 masks at testing & vaccination sites & public libraries...Miller said there are many U.S. manufacturers of N95 masks & an ample supply. Project N95 sells the masks at low prices & has also distributed more than 2.5 million N95s and quality children’s masks to people in need...

More, https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/01/10/cdc-weighs-n95-kn95-masks-guidance-omicron/
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*Project N95 is the National Clearinghouse for personal protective equipment and COVID-19 tests. We protect communities and the people who live and work in them by providing equitable access to the resources they need to stay safe through the COVID-19 pandemic.

- Masks for Communities: We believe that highly protective masks should be readily available in all communities. Masks for Communities is a coalition of corporations, suppliers, nonprofits, and key opinion leaders and citizens working together to distribute high-filtration masks for free to people who cannot afford them to help limit the spread of COVID. The coalition’s objective is to quickly distribute 10 million high-quality, high filtration masks on a rolling basis throughout the US where the need is greatest. Click here to learn more and donate.

*Equipment Available:

Respirators
Isolation Gowns
Isolation gowns
Tests
Diagnostic test kits
Faceshields
Face shields
Masks
Wipes
Disinfecting wipes
Sanitizers
Hand sanitizer
Gloves
Gloves
Thermometers
Swabs

More, https://www.projectn95.org/
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-*Rolling Stone, Dec. 31, 2021.*'N95 Masks vs. KN95 Masks: Which Ones Work Best to Protect You Against Covid?' Vaccinations may be going up but don’t drop that mask just yet. Researchers say an N95 mask is still the most effective form of protection as Delta variant and Omicron concerns linger...
More, https://www.rollingstone.com/product-recommendations/lifestyle/n95-vs-kn95-masks-1044184/
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*New York Magazine, Jan. 6, 2022. *'The Best KN95 Masks for COVID Protection.' As the highly contagious Omicron variant continues to infect record nos. of people across the US, finding the best mask to help stop the spread is more important now than ever. Any mask is still better than none, but doctors and public-health experts now recommend putting aside fabric masks in favor of ones that offer higher filtration like KN95s, KF94s, and N95s.
“Even though this variant may be milder, it spreads much more easily (replicating 70 x faster in our airways) and in unvaccinated and high-risk individuals can still be very dangerous,” says Dr. Purvi Parikh, an immunologist with NYU Langone Health.. *Adult & Kid's Masks pictured with info., source, pricing...
More, https://nymag.com/strategist/article/best-kn95-masks-for-covid-protection.html


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- Do masks protect against new COVID-19 variants like omicron? ABC 10 News, Dec. 20, 2021.
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- How to tell if your respirator and N95-style mask is counterfeit or poor quality (Marketplace). April 2, 2021. CBC News (*CANADA). CBC Marketplace tested KN95 and KF94 masks sold online and at big box stores. Half of them didn’t offer the level of protection they’re supposed to, according to the lab test results.
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*CDC N-95, NIOSH Mask Approval* Before purchasing an N95 Respirator/Mask, check that it's NIOSH approved on this CDC website. *Have info. on the mask's Supplier/Manufacturer, Model Number/Product Line, and Approval Number. (*Do the research, your life could depend on it).
-------
> *CDC: NIOSHApproved N95 Particulate Filtering Facepiece Respirators:

(For information about Coronavirus Disease 2019, visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.)

- This list is reviewed and updated weekly.

- Manufacturers Listed from A to Z – 3M: The N95 respirator is the most common of the seven types of particulate filtering facepiece respirators. This product filters at least 95% of airborne particles but is not resistant to oil-based particles. This web page provides a table of NIOSH-approved N95 respirators listed by manufacturer from A-Z. You can find a specific manufacturer by clicking on the first letter of their name on the index below. Web links in the table go to the NIOSH Approval Holder’s website. See the Notes section for information about private labels...

(Disclaimer: The links in this section go to websites outside of CDC/NIOSH. These links do not constitute an endorsement of their content, or a statement of NIOSH policy. Nor does the inclusion of the donning procedure or user instructions included on the website and PDF versions).

- Index: 3M A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Notes

Manufacturers Listed Alphabetically – 3M
Supplier/Manufacturer and Contact Information Model Number/Product Line Approval Number Valve
Yes/No Manufacturer’s Donning Procedure User Instructions

- CDC Webpage: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/topics/respirators/disp_part/n95list1.html

[onecaliberal]

1. It's sad but IDGAF what the CDC says now.

They’ve also basically said they won’t do anything to stop the spread, that’s what the fuck I want to hear.

[Bev54]

2. Our schools in Alberta have now received rapid test kits for each student to take

a box home every week so they can test twice a week (5 tests in each kit) and will be providing all students with N95 masks. I was expecting this to get worse and so before Christmas went to a local medical supply store and bought a bunch of N95s. My d-i-l has been taking care of two of her children who tested positive, she had them confined to their bedrooms, wearing N95s and she would bring them meals etc. She wore her N95 and we are day 9 and the kids are better and she has been testing and she has remained negative so I would say they work much better than the other masks.

[appalachiablue]

6. Schools in Alberta are doing it right, the way it should

be done here. There's no reason the US can't provide kits and masks like that, we have an abundance of financial resources to do the same just not the will. A few American cities and communities are providing this kind of service in schools as I've just learned and that's good.

In the last several decades we've moved in a very different direction in terms of social policy and other critical spheres as the world knows.

All the best to you and your children; with the N95 masks, important support systems and living in a solid democracy you're in good hands. Thinking of the accomplishments of Tommy Douglas as well.

[Bev54]

7. Yes Tommy Douglas is our hero in Canada, we just need current governments

to keep updating the health system. We were hoping to have some of that done by now but the pandemic has raised a little hell on the finances.

[SharonAnn]

11. I'd buy them if I knew which ones to buy, which ones were not counterfeit, etc. ID approved vendors

[SharonAnn]

12. I'd buy them if I knew which ones to buy, which ones were not counterfeit, etc. ID approved vendors

[empedocles]

3. I see far too many, light masks - and chin masks

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. Thanks for this

I shudder to think of the people who may have got the virus when they thought they were protected.

[appalachiablue]

5. YW. It shouldn't be so hard, chaos w/fakes, etc. Another source:

*New York Magazine, Jan. 6, 2022. *'The Best KN95 Masks for COVID Protection.' As the highly contagious Omicron variant continues to infect record nos. of people across the US, finding the best mask to help stop the spread is more important now than ever. Any mask is still better than none, but doctors and public-health experts now recommend putting aside fabric masks in favor of ones that offer higher filtration like KN95s, KF94s, and N95s.
“Even though this variant may be milder, it spreads much more easily (replicating 70 x faster in our airways) and in unvaccinated and high-risk individuals can still be very dangerous,” says Dr. Purvi Parikh, an immunologist with NYU Langone Health.. *Adult & Kid's Masks pictured with info., source, pricing...
More, https://nymag.com/strategist/article/best-kn95-masks-for-covid-protection.html

[ZonkerHarris]

8. N95 for everyone is going to cause a shortage for medical personnel

[appalachiablue]

9. There's also approved K94s and K95s. Concern

about a lack of N95s for health care workers ended months ago. Manufacture of quality face coverings has increased in the last year as well.

[CountAllVotes]

10. K&R

& recommend !!!!!