B.C. mask mandate extended without a mention of how some face coverings protect better than others

Before this 12 months, I asked the Ministry of Health why the governing administration won’t make greater efforts to advise the general public about the worth of better confront masks.

The inquiry was prompted by two things:

1. A review by University of Waterloo mechanical-engineering researchers revealing extremely severe variances in the ability of masks to block the transmission of aerosols. A little a lot more highly-priced K95 and N95 masks give considerably greater protection than surgical and cloth masks.

2. Incontrovertible proof that COVID-19 is transmitted as a result of aerosols. You can find a expanding record of scientific papers on this, together with this a single, which appeared in the Lancet last April.

The Ministry of Overall health responded to my problem by not answering my query. That was roundly criticized by the direct writer of the Lancet posting, Dr. Trisha Greenhalgh from Oxford University, as well as another author, College of Colorado Boulder atmospheric chemist Jose-Luis Jimenez.

They every single insisted that better-top quality masks can offer you bigger safety from the virus.

But their words and phrases nevertheless really don’t appear to be to have had any effect on the Ministry of Overall health.

On Oct 29, Dr. Bonnie Henry prolonged the mask mandate in all public areas in the course of B.C. It was set to expire on Oct 31.

But at the time all over again, there was no mention in the information launch that surgical and fabric mask—so often worn in B.C., including by cupboard ministers—are not going to do as perfectly as KN95 or N95 masks in protecting towards airborne COVID-19.

As vaccinations slowly turn into considerably less ready to ward off breakthrough infections over time, it can be a little something to keep in intellect. Primarily now that Henry has lifted all capacity limits at indoor general public activities, such as Vancouver Canucks game titles at Rogers Arena.

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