they knew any masks below N or KN95, rated were not going to hold back the spread of covid, but they did not want to cause panic buying of KN N 95 masks, so that they would be available for first responders and medical staff.
Some public health experts said the guidance was long overdue and doesn't go far enough.
"We really need to go a step further and say this is the standard we should be aiming for," said Dr. Ranu Dhillon, a global health physician at the Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital.
He said it should be easy for most people to find comfortable "N95-caliber" masks so they can wear them in high-risk indoor settings, such as crowded shops and hospitals.
"CDC should have come out in front of this two years ago," he said. "The science was clear two years ago."
"We really need to go a step further and say this is the standard we should be aiming for," said Dr. Ranu Dhillon, a global health physician at the Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital.
He said it should be easy for most people to find comfortable "N95-caliber" masks so they can wear them in high-risk indoor settings, such as crowded shops and hospitals.
"CDC should have come out in front of this two years ago," he said. "The science was clear two years ago."
Tara Smith, a professor of epidemiology at the Kent State University College of Public Health in Ohio, said that while the CDC guidance is welcome, she has concerns about how people who need high-quality masks such as N95s would have access to them.
"Is there a plan to distribute them, especially for folks who can't afford them or can't easily find them? This was something I hoped would be done earlier this year, but still nothing," she wrote in an email. "Recommendations are great, but without access, especially for those at highest risk, it's not enough."
"Is there a plan to distribute them, especially for folks who can't afford them or can't easily find them? This was something I hoped would be done earlier this year, but still nothing," she wrote in an email. "Recommendations are great, but without access, especially for those at highest risk, it's not enough."
Edited by
Richard
on Mon 01/24/22 08:32 PM