I really wish I did not have to do this post. But a new Omicron subvariant (BA.2.12.1) is starting to surge, and is MORE contagious than the original; it is now as contagious as the measles virus, which really represents the zenith for efficient airborne viral transmission. One can hope this is about as transmissible as this virus can get, but who knows now? Cloth masks will not protect you with a virus this contagious, especially with a good percentage of the population not masking. One thing to be aware of: people who have never been infected before are probably most at risk for catching the virus now. So if you have never been infected and want to keep it that way, you are going to have to make sure you are wearing the right masks, and wearing them as consistently as possible. So, without further ado, here are some options.
I’m really pleased to have discovered some American-made KN95 masks for adults and kids – these get great reviews, and will most definitely filter out the virus. They are $40 pretax for a 20-pack after the discount code friends-of-Armbrust-20 at checkout. There is also a 5-pack available in adult sizes only.
The same company also makes much cheaper surgical masks ($19.92 for a 50-pack after code friends-of-Armbrust-20 at checkout) – if you combine them with this brace for a tight fit (which is pretty necessary), protection will apparently actually be better than a KN95.
If you have a tiny face and need an option with adjustable earloops, here is another vetted option, but these end up being more expensive per mask; the Posh KF94s: I’ve used these in the past, and they are pretty comfy – see the kid’s options here, and the adult options here. They work out to $26.25 for 10 masks after code CONGRATS2022 at checkout, making them more expensive than the Armbrust options.
Whatever you pick, just be aware that a cloth mask will not give you enough protection against this extremely transmissible variant that needs a much lower viral load to produce infection. So if you want to make the effort to protect yourself, go with an option that has held up to mask testing. I would advice against blindly spending your money on non-vetted KN95s/KF94s – there are a lot of fakes out there.
