The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday clarified its stance on various kinds of masks, acknowledging that the cloth masks frequently worn by Americans do not offer as much protection as surgical masks or respirators. While this disparity is widely known to the general public, the update marks the first time the C.D.C. The change comes as infections with the highly contagious Omicron variant continue to soar. Some experts have said that cloth masks are inadequate to protect from the variant, and have urged the C.D.C. Its updated language now says that “a respirator may be considered in certain situations and by certain people when greater protection is needed or desired.”

Source: New York Times January 16, 2022 04:20 UTC