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Jul 01, 2023

Is it Time to Start Wearing a Mask Again?

If your mask supply has dwindled in the past several months and you need to restock, Siegel says they’re still relatively easy to find at pharmacies and major retailers. It’s also likely your doctor’s

If your mask supply has dwindled in the past several months and you need to restock, Siegel says they’re still relatively easy to find at pharmacies and major retailers. It’s also likely your doctor’s office or nearby hospital or health clinic has some on hand for patients and visitors.

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As a refresher: Fit is important when it comes to the level of protection the mask will afford. That’s because “the mask is a filter that is supposed to hold back these viruses and catch them either on the way in or the way out,” Schaffner says.

You want the mask to fit snugly around your mouth and nose — not under. When you put it on, “make sure you’re breathing through the mask, not around it,” Schaffner says.

Masks labeled N95 and KN95 are the best options, experts say. Looser fitting surgical masks are less effective but can still lower your risk of catching COVID and other respiratory viruses. Just remember: These masks are not washable, and getting soap and water on them can actually hamper their effectiveness.

While you’re checking your mask supply, take a look at your COVID-19 test inventory too. Running low? Consider picking up a few boxes amid this current COVID swell, which Siegel says will likely repeat every six months or so. If you come down with symptoms, a positive test could help you gain access to treatments designed to keep those symptoms from progressing.

“This is a great time to sort of just refresh your memory and see what you would do in terms of being able to [put together a plan] to get yourself tested and get your COVID antivirals should you test COVID-19 positive,” says Andrew Pekosz, a professor of microbiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Masks and treatments are just two tools that can help you lower your odds of getting sick. A new batch of COVID-19 vaccines designed to target many of the variants that are currently circulating are expected in mid-September, health officials have said. That’s about the same time many doctors urge patients to get their flu shots, and both vaccines will help cut your risk of falling ill this fall and winter. A new vaccine for RSV is also available for adults 60 and older.

Rachel Nania writes about health care and health policy for AARP. Previously she was a reporter and editor for WTOP Radio in Washington, D.C. A recipient of a Gracie Award and a regional Edward R. Murrow Award, she also participated in a dementia fellowship with the National Press Foundation.

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