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Explainer | N95, surgical or cloth: which face mask offers the best protection against Covid-19 and the Omicron variant?
- How much more contagious is Omicron compared to earlier strains?
- N95 masks are used by health care workers in high-risk environments or procedures – should I get one?
Reading Time:5 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
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As the highly transmissible Omicron variant is set to become the dominant Covid-19 variant globally, some experts have called for the public to wear well fitted face respirators such as N95 masks amid concerns that the commonly used cloth and surgical masks might not offer enough protection.
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N95 masks are usually used by health care workers in high-risk environments or procedures. They are also more expensive, stuffy, and may be more difficult to get in some countries. Are they necessary? What do scientists say?
How much more contagious is Omicron compared to earlier strains?
Scientists who urge the public to upgrade the masks they wear, or even consider using N95 masks and their equivalent, argue that the Omicron variant is a lot more transmissible than the Delta variant.
A study by the University of Hong Kong found that Omicron could replicate 70 times faster in human respiratory tissue than Delta, which may help the variant spread more rapidly between people.
A recent study by the University of California also suggests that Omicron virus particles floating in the air in aerosols may stay viable longer than Delta particles, meaning the risk of airborne transmission is higher.
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One alarming example cited is an Omicron infection in a Hong Kong hotel. A person in a room across the hall from an infected guest in another room was infected with the Omicron variant even though he had no contact with the Covid-infected guest.
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