!["Omicron is such an incredibly infectious agent, probably the most contagious pathogen on Earth," said Lawrence Gostin, professor of global health law at Georgetown University and the director of the World Health Organization Center on Global Health Law. "A cloth mask is doing virtually nothing at this stage." "Against Delta, it was only about 20 to 30 per cent effective, if that. And certainly, with Omicron, it has negligible effectiveness." Professor Gostin said people need to ditch their cloth masks now in favour of a more-effective face covering." "[They are] virtually useless against this kind of airborne aerosolised pathogen. And even surgical masks aren't as effective as they need to be."](https://api.photon.aremedia.net.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/media/44600/n95-mask.jpg?resize=720%2C405)
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Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit Aussie shores in 2020, we’ve all been wearing and buying masks. But now that the variant has changed, are the same cotton masks providing enough protection?
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“Omicron is such an incredibly infectious agent, probably the most contagious pathogen on Earth,” said Lawrence Gostin, professor of global health law at Georgetown University and the director of the World Health Organization Center on Global Health Law.
“A cloth mask is doing virtually nothing at this stage.”
“Against Delta, it was only about 20 to 30 per cent effective, if that. And certainly, with Omicron, it has negligible effectiveness.”
Professor Gostin said people need to ditch their cloth masks now in favour of a more-effective face covering.”
“[They are] virtually useless against this kind of airborne aerosolised pathogen. And even surgical masks aren’t as effective as they need to be.”
Currently, the best mask on the Australian market is the N95 mask, also referred to as the P2 mask.
When worn correctly, they are able to filter out very fine particles from the air. To be effective, these masks must be fitted according to the manufacturer’s instructions and form a tight seal around the face.
But for those with beards, it’s recommended that they shave before using a P2 mask as a good seal between the mask and the wearer’s face cannot be guaranteed if they have facial hair.
However, as we’ve seen previously, with the stockpiling of hand sanitiser and toilet roll, it’s also getting harder to get your hands on some N95 masks.
Here’s a round-up of where you can get N95 masks in Australia:
1. Catzon 10 Pcs KN95 dust mask, $24.75, Catch.com.au
2. ALTSA Medical N95 filtering mask 400PCS, $506, Catch.com.au
3. Softmed N95 Particulate Cup Respirator 20 Pack, $39.99, Chemist Warehouse
4. Softmed N95 face masks 10 Pack, $19.95, Chemist Warehouse
5. Badger Australia P2 Unvalved Respirator Pk20, $46.75, Medcart
6. N95 respirator and surgical face mask box of 10, $27.45, Vital Medical Supplies
7. Australian made P2 4-Layer face mask with earloops 25 pack, $59.95, PPETECH
8. AlphaProTech N95 face masks x 35, $208.95, Chemist Direct
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