As the CDC has recommended all Americans, regardless of coronavirus vaccination status, return to wearing face coverings in indoor public places to help thwart the spread of the highly contagious delta variant, the mask debate is in the spotlight once again.
But some experts say the recommendations should specify the kind of masks people use.
"Delta is so contagious that when we talk about masks, I don't think we should just talk about masks," Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, said during a recent appearance on CBS's "Face the Nation."
Gottlieb said specifically we should be talking about high-quality masks such as N95 and KN95 masks.
Experts still emphasize that vaccinations remain the first line of defense against the coronavirus. "Far and away the best prevention we have are still the vaccines," Paul Sax, clinical director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, told Yahoo News.
Amid concerns about the rapid spread of the delta variant, experts have offered the following advice to consider about the use of N95 masks
- Not all masks are created equal. The efficacy of a mask is based on its material and fit. Medical-grade respirators, such as N95 masks, can provide greater protection from infectious coronavirus particles than surgical masks or cloth masks, said Linsey Marr, an aerosol expert at Virginia Tech who studies airborne virus transmission.
And because the delta variant is much more easily transmissible than previously circulating strains of the coronavirus, "we really need highly protective masks along with everything else," Marr said. "Where a simple cloth mask was helpful before, it's not helpful enough now," particularly for people who remain unvaccinated.
The CDC says the move to its updated recommendations is part of a bid to "maximize protection" from the highly contagious delta variant, which experts have linked to the massive second wave of deadly COVID-19 cases in India, among other countries.
As of July 20, the delta variant now accounts for up to 83 percent of sequenced COVID-19 cases in the U.S.; in regions with lower vaccination rates, that figure could be as high as 90 percent.
As of July 27, 2021, the CDC has released the following updated guidance:
- Updated information for fully vaccinated people given new evidence on the B.1.617.2 (delta) variant currently circulating in the United States.
- Added a recommendation for fully vaccinated people to wear a mask in public indoor settings in areas of substantial or high transmission.
- Added information that fully vaccinated people might choose to wear a mask regardless of the level of transmission, particularly if they are immunocompromised or at increased risk for severe disease from COVID-19, or if they have someone in their household who is immunocompromised, at increased risk of severe disease or not fully vaccinated.
- Added a recommendation for fully vaccinated people who have a known exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 to be tested 3-5 days after exposure, and to wear a mask in public indoor settings for 14 days or until they receive a negative test result.
- CDC recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to schools, regardless of vaccination status.