MASKING COVID
Trying to predict the impact of the COVID pandemic on the upcoming ski season is a fool’s game. Nevertheless, face-mask wearing will likely be a controversial topic on ski lifts and inside chalets.
I’ve spent almost every waking hour since March wearing a mask. Now, as we head into a ski season like no other, a lot of people are wondering if they should wear one when they’re on the hill or in the lodge. And if so, which one?
Cloth and disposable surgical masks are without question effective tools for reducing COVID transmission. A COVID-positive—and symptomatic—hairdresser in the U.S., the CDC reported, saw more than a hundred clients while wearing a mask before the scissors were taken away, and not a single case of COVID transmission occurred.
How much better are disposable surgical masks than reusable cloth masks? The relevant studies here are older and looked specifically at influenza, but they showed that surgical masks have a modest advantage over cloth. How much better are cloth masks versus a typical skiers’s neckwarmer? No one knows for sure.
Then there’s the N95 mask. Since many skiers pride themselves on having the best gear available, I anticipate that some will splurge on N95s because they are most effective at blocking aerosolized virus particles. But there’s a catch: N95s are no better than a regular mask unless they have been properly fitted.
Formal mask fit testing should be done by a professional using a specialized helmet. A technician sprays a bitter aerosol into your helmet while the wearer tries a variety of mask sizes. If you can smell any of the pungent bitter odour while wearing the helmet, the seal of your mask is not sufficient to block inhaled virus droplets/aerosols and you move to the next model/size until the fit is perfect. Hospital employees must carry ID badges with their specific mask brand and size with them on shift.
It’s worth noting that hospital employees only use N95 masks when performing high-risk procedures, like placing COVID-positive patients on a ventilator. For 99 per cent of my clinical interactions—even with COVID patients—I only use a simple surgical mask. Similar masks are widely available to the public and are relatively affordable. The bottom line is don’t waste your après-ski money on N95 masks.
And what of those mask-wearers who wear them below their noses—and likely go backwards down one-way aisles? It’s a bit like wearing new underpants but leaving your willy hanging out.