Wear N-95 masks without valve to beat pollution, Covid: Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain

With N-95 masks designed to keep out 95% of airborne particles, most come with an exhalation valve, which could act as an easy passage for germs and endanger those in close proximity if the user has an infection.

With pollution levels on the rise in the city, Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain urged people to wear N-95 masks without valves to protect against Covid-19 as well as pollution.

People, some wearing face masks jog at Lodhi Garden in New Delhi, India, on Sunday, October 11, 2020. (Photo by Biplov Bhuyan/ Hindustan Times)

“The best way to fight Covid-19 is to wear masks, maintain social distance, and practice proper hand hygiene. Wearing N-95 masks will protect people against both Covid-19 and pollution. Surgical masks are good enough to prevent Covid-19 and are also somewhat effective against pollution,” said Jain.

However, caution against wearing masks with valves.

With N-95 masks designed to keep out 95% of airborne particles, most come with an exhalation valve, which could act as an easy passage for germs and endanger those in close proximity if the user has an infection. The Union health ministry warns against the masks with the valves for Covid-19, as it will let out the viral particles breathed out by a person.

Experts, however, said that wearing an N-95 mask may not be practical. “The minister is absolutely right technically; N95 masks are very good at keeping most airborne particles out, thereby preventing exposure to both the Sars-CoV-2 virus and pollution. But this may not be practical. One, these masks are very hard to wear for long durations: the small pore size means people have to make an effort to breathe. Two, they are expensive. These are meant for health care workers in areas with high viral load,” said Dr Neeraj Gupta, a professor of pulmonary medicine at Safdarjung hospital.

The dip in Delhi’s air quality has the experts worried, with several studies showing that increase in pollution levels can lead to increasing Covid-19 mortality.

“There might be an increase in the number of deaths due to Covid-19 when the pollution levels go up; that’s what the current evidence suggests. It is well known that pollution exposure compromises lung function and immunity that can lead to complications in respiratory infections,” said Dr GC Khilnani, former head of the department of pulmonology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

Currently, India’s case fatality ratio – fraction of deaths among those who test positive – stands at 1.53% as compared to the global average of 2.8%.