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New Covid wave has begun and masks should be worn again, scientists warn
(www.independent.co.uk)
this post was submitted on 17 Aug 2023
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How often are you changing masks? N95s aren't cheap, I imagine this would get a bit pricy.
In the US they're a lot cheaper now than they used to be. You can pick up 3M Aurora N95 masks for about $1/ea in store in many areas. Still not nearly as cheap as surgical masks, but also clearly better than surgical masks.
Once you have to start importing them, the price seems to rapidly increase.
I'm mostly using Moldex 2600. I'd use them for a week or two, but I don't go out every day and I don't wear them for hours on end. If I were going to the office 9-5 I'd probably change them weekly. They're very robust and have structural protection in front.
You don't need to change masks after one wear, unless you work in a medical setting.
When the strap breaks
You'll only be getting symbolic protection long before the strap breaks.
It's not symbolic. It's less than 95 percent of particles at the threshold size, but dont pretend like it's the same as nothing.
I mean to say that a second-, third-, or fourth-day N95, snapped strap or no, will no longer be filtering 95% of the particles, giving a false sense of confidence.
Did not mean to say that N95s are just symbolic, but I understand how it could be read that way.
It doesn't stop working because you wear it. Why should it? Have some masks on rotation and leave the ones you aren't wearing in the sun or in a UV-C decontamination box.