Wear medical grade or double masks vs. Omicron — Magalong

Mayor Benjamin Magalong has appealed to residents, regardless of vaccination status, to use medical-grade face masks like quality surgical types instead of cloth masks for better protection amid the threat of omicron variant community transmission.

“People may also opt for double masks using cloth masks over surgical ones for added layer of defense against the new variant said to be far more contagious than the previous ones,” the mayor said Jan. 5.

As omicron spreads much more easily, health experts in the US and other countries currently experiencing surges now recommend upgrading from reusable cloth masks to more protective medical-grade disposable masks.

The N95 masks are said to be the gold-standard pandemic masks able to filter out 95 percent of airborne particles as approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in the US.

Disposable surgical masks that are at least 3-ply are said to be next to N95 in terms of efficiency.

The mayor said even though omicron is proving to be milder, its high transmissibility remains a concern as it can cause asymptomatic to mild cases to rise exponentially and can still upend the city’s health care system.

“This is why we should not take the omicron threat lightly and do everything to prepare through tightened restrictions, enhanced all-around control measures and strict adherence to minimum public health standards including the proper wearing of appropriate personal protective equipment like face masks,” the mayor said. – Aileen P. Refuerzo