As the Omicron variant continues to drive rapid spread in Canada, experts and public health officials are once again driving home the importance of wearing a properly fitted medical-grade mask to prevent transmission of COVID-19. When shopping online and in stores, consumers are most likely to find the international equivalents of the coveted N95, as these masks are still generally not available in stores. KF94 masks are an excellent high-filtration option for a wide range of the general population. Because the KF94 standard was meant for public use, the masks are consumer friendly and available in many different sizes (including for very young children), styles, patterns, and colors. The imported equivalents include the KN95 respirator, which meets the Chinese standard of 95 per cent filtration efficiency and the KF94, which meets the Korean standard of 94 per cent filtration efficiency.

As Stephen Morse, an epidemiology professor at Columbia University, puts it, a KF94 is essentially the South Korean equivalent of the N95. They're "pretty comparable," he says. For a visual image, you can think of a mash between an N95 and a typical cloth mask. The KF94 comes with side flaps, which mold to the contour of your face, and an adjustable band around the bridge of your nose. American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology. Your COVID-19 facemask may also be protecting you from allergies. Patients hospitalised with SARS-CoV-2 infection were instructed to cough five times each while wearing (1) no mask, (2) surgical mask, (3) KF94 mask, and (4) N95 mask. The coughs were separated by 20-second intervals, and the patients were rested for at least 5 min between each setting. SARS-CoV-2 viral loads in patient samples (i.e. nasopharyngeal swabs and saliva), petri dishes placed in front of the patients during coughing, and swabs from the outer and inner surfaces of the masks were analysed with PCR. While masks are most effective at the community level, the health experts we spoke to stress that one-way masking is still an important tool in lowering your personal risk of infection. “Even if you are the only person wearing a mask or a respirator, you will still have protection that is pretty good,” says Michael Chang, an M.D. and assistant professor of pediatrics with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, Houston, adding that indoor public spaces with poor ventilation pose the greatest risk. And though more than half of the U.S. population is technically “fully vaccinated” against COVID-19, Lee says that less than 10 percent of the population has gotten the bivalent booster shot. “That’s way below the levels that we would want at this stage,” he says, noting that immunity from previous vaccines will have waned by now and the bivalent booster gives you the best protection against all new variants. In light of all this, every health official we talked to recommends choosing disposable masks that offer high filtration, such as KN95, KF94, and N95 masks, over less effective reusable fabric masks.I think we should be putting the emphasis on other prevention measures: sitting outside, density limits, being very careful in your own household with inviting people around,” Sim said.

KF94s are manufactured in South Korea to meet a regulated standard. The respirator stands for “Korean filter” with a 94% filtration rate. Should everyone use respirators? Respirators sold in Australia must meet minimum protective standards. The P2 class of respirators is certified in Australia as filtering 95% of small airborne particles, and is essentially equivalent to the N95 standard set by NIOSH, the US’s occupational safety body. These companies, he said, are more likely to have a relationship with a reputable supplier. Some manufacturers also sell directly to consumers, including Canadian companies that have recently been ramping up production of N95-style respirators. At this point, mask mandates and other COVID-19 mitigation policies in the United States are more or less nonexistent. But it’s also clear that COVID-19 itself isn’t going anywhere — as of late February, an average of 3,000 people were dying of COVID each week in the U.S. According to Dr. Bruce Y. Lee, professor of health policy and management at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health, no significant scientific organization has declared the pandemic over. “Things are getting better, but we’re definitely not out of the pandemic yet. We’re in a transition period,” he says.

What do the test results tell you? 

Very few of those are accepted for use here in the industrial environment, because they don’t quite meet the Australian standard that we have for P2 respirators,” Sim said. Vally agrees that the protection of P2 respirators is only useful if properly worn. “There’s no point in having that increased cost … if they’re not worn properly and they don’t actually work in the way they’re supposed to.” But Sim believes P2 class respirators are less useful for the general public than in specific workplace settings such as hospitals. “They’re not designed for general use out in the community,” he said. “You need to be trained in how to use them, they need to be fit tested for them to perform at their proper level of protection, and they’re not really designed for taking on … [and] off.” As for the masks that came in just a percentage point or two below the standard, he said they can still be used.

And, of course, there's the ever-ubiquitous pastel blue surgical mask – a fan favorite, I daresay, based on how many are seen lying around on city streets. There’s no branding. You should see the name of the company or logo right on the mask, whether it’s an N95, KN95, or a KF94. “Commercially speaking, companies are in the mask business to build brand loyalty and generate sales,” said Anne Miller, executive director of Project N95, a nonprofit clearinghouse that vets and sells masks. A blank mask runs counter to that goal. (Athough the vast majority of masks we tested included branding right on the mask, there can always be exceptions, particularly on masks for kids.) U.S. Food and Drug Administration. N95 respirators, surgical masks, face masks, and barrier face coverings. U.S. Food & Drug Administration. N95 respirators, surgical masks, face masks, and barrier face coverings. Peter Tsai, the inventor of the N95, has previously recommended buying seven of the respirators and rotating them daily, so that virus particles have time to become inactivated in the week between a mask being used twice.

What are some tips to avoid poor-quality or counterfeit respirator masks?

Hoption Cann says it should be noted that many masks that are sold as KN95 or KF94, when tested, fail to meet their advertised filtration efficacy. Duration 6:28 Featured VideoCBC Marketplace tested KN95 and KF94 masks sold online and at big box stores. Half of them didn’t offer the level of protection they’re supposed to. If you walk into a coffee shop for two minutes on your way to work with a brand-new N95 on, do you need to throw it out and use a new one when you arrive? Not exactly. Three masks from each brand were tested at a lab at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health to see if they meet their filtration efficiency claims. Half failed.