N95 masks better option to protect against spread of delta variant

Sep 21, 2021 News

Kaieteur News – Masks help to prevent the spread of infection both with the original COVID-19 virus and the highly contagious Delta Variant.

N95 masks better option to protect against spread of SAR-COV-2 delta variant.

However, the delta variant is undoubtedly challenging the mask mandate as it continues to spread rapidly throughout the population. According to some experts, given its high viral load, the delta variant has proven that it is able to penetrate even certain types of masks.
Speaking on Kaieteur Radio recently, Emergency Medicine Specialist attached to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), Dr. Zulfikar Bux, explained that while cloth masks were helpful in the past against the original coronavirus variants, health experts now have differing opinions.
Dr. Bux said that the experts are recommending stronger alternatives such as N95 masks as a much better option due to the delta variant’s high transmission rate — especially for those who are not vaccinated.
According to Dr. Bux, an N95 mask “is a respiratory protective device designed to achieve a very close facial fit and very efficient filtration of airborne particles.”
He noted that while N95 masks were once difficult to find, since they were in high-demand at the start of the pandemic, they are now currently available.
Additionally, it is recommended that KN95 masks are a cheaper alternative to N95 masks, as long as they meet requirements similar to those set by N95 respirators.
Dr. Bux, who is also a Kaieteur News columnist, recently described the delta version of the coronavirus as a “beast”. According to the Emergency Medicine Specialist, it “runs through populations like a wildfire leaving trails of the dead in its tracks.”
“We have seen what this efficient beast did in countries like India, and the US Hospitals become overwhelmed, and death rates increase further because some infected patients did not have effective access to appropriate medical care. If we are not careful and we let our guards down, the beast can repeat such devastations in Guyana,” Dr. Bux had warned.