OMICRON.Faced with new variants, are fabric masks effective?

"Are fabric masks really effective?"We see a lot of it, but my doctor says it’s useless.This is the question asked Frédéric, from Cesson-Sévigné (Ille-et-Vilaine).

Masks in dominant fabric in France

Faced with the progression of the Omicron variant, even more contagious than its competitors, the question of the effectiveness of the masks becomes central.This is one of the reasons why some of our European neighbors recommend wearing an FFP2 mask.However, their use remains very limited in France, and surgical or fabric masks remain dominant in common stores and transport.But are fabric masks effective in fighting contaminations?To answer roughly, it all depends on the mask.

READ ALSO: COVID-19.Who can benefit from free masks and in what quantities?

The artisanal masks put on the sidelines

At the beginning of 2020, the coronavirus pandemic began to surge on the world.France, and more generally Europe, is sorely lacking in surgical masks, which pushes many French people to manufacture their own protective equipment with old fabrics gleaned here and there.

has been here a year and i'm just now trying to figure out how to bear a soap note.Failing ...

— Lydia Stuemke Wed Sep 30 22:48:09 +0000 2009

If they were useful at the start of the crisis, these craft masks are now widely advised: in January 2021, the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, estimated that faced with the arrival of the new variants of Sars-Cov-2, "The mask made at home does not offer all the necessary guarantees ”."The High Council of Public Health recommends that French people no longer use the craft mask that has been made at home," continued Olivier Véran.A decree prohibiting wearing a "homemade" mask in public space was published on January 29, 2021.

Some fabric masks always recommended

Today, only the category "Mask for the general public filtration greater than 90 %" is recommended to limit the transmission of COVID-19, according to the information note of the Ministries of Health, the Economy and Finance, and ofWork of March 29, 2020, modified on January 28, 2021. Formerly called "Category 1 masks", they are approved and easy to recognize, thanks to the Logo Ornée Bleu Blanc Rouge.A list of approved producers is available on this site.

An economical solution, but less effective

The advantage of these fabric masks is that they are economical: most can be washed 50 times, sometimes 100, before losing their efficiency, which avoids having to buy several masks per month.On the other hand, it is also the most ecological solution, since surgical masks are partly composed of plastics, not to mention their packaging.

On the other hand, they remain less effective than surgical masks and FFP2 in the filtration of microparticles and droplets.Indeed, given their elasticity, the carrier's morphology or speaking can lead to a spacing of the meshes of these woven or knitted masks, which generates preferential air passages, which allows microparticles responsible forThe contamination of better infiltrating inside the mask.This stretch effectively allows better breathability than inside a surgical mask, but this is done at the expense of the efficiency of the mask.

Read also: why surgical masks are preferable to fabric masks in front of the coronavirus

The FFP2 is more efficient, but difficult to use

As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, FFP2 masks are the most effective in limiting the spread of the coronavirus.These "duck becs" masks filter almost 94 % of inspired aerosols, according to the French union of mask manufacturers.

But for them to be truly effective, these masks must be properly adjusted, to allow good sealing.The scientific council recommended this for "the most fragile or non -vaccinated people as soon as possible", in his opinion of December 8, 2021. But Bruno Lina, virologist and member of the scientific council, estimated at a conferencePress Thursday, December 23, that it was worth a "classic) well -placed mask than a poorly worn FFP2".

You will understand, Frédéric, fabric masks remain relatively effective to limit the transmission, provided that they belong to category 1. Surgicals remain to be favored to limit the risks of contamination, although they are not expensivefinancially and ecologically.Finally, the FFP2 provides optimal protection against the omicron variant, provided you wear it well.