With three highly contagious respiratory viruses sickening adults and children across the country, and with holiday gatherings just a few weeks away, public health officials are starting to talk about face masks again.
While mask mandates are unlikely in most parts of the country, health professionals recommend wearing high-quality medical masks on public transport, at airports, on planes, while shopping and in other crowded public spaces. It is recommended that
It’s worth noting that mask recommendations aren’t just about avoiding infection. coronavirusMasks are recommended to protect against what is called the “triple infection,” the confluence of influenza, coronavirus, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). parents leave work in record numbers.
As the country heads into its third pandemic winter, covid-19 cases are on the rise, and the 2022-2023 flu season is on the horizon. worst in ten years — The flu has already killed 4,500 people, 14 of them children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
With the burden of disease weighing so heavily on the health care system, it may be hard to believe that something as simple as a face mask would make a meaningful difference. states that high-quality medical masks such as N95, KN95 and KF94 remain a highly effective defense, especially when combined with vaccination, hand washing, improved ventilation and avoidance of crowds.
“Masks help reduce the risk of all respiratory viruses, not just covid,” said Jay K. Varma, an internist, epidemiologist and professor of population health sciences at Weill Cornell Medical School. I was. “It has to be the right quality mask that you wear consistently and correctly. ”
We spoke to a few public health experts about why face masks are the best holiday accessory this winter.
