Still using cloth masks? It’s time to switch to surgical — here’s why

Your trusty cloth masks have gotten you through more than a year of pandemic. Heading into the winter, you might want an upgrade.
That’s because some disposable masks — like surgical masks and KN95 masks — just plain work better, experts say. And plenty of them are available now, a turnaround from the beginning of the pandemic when the highest-quality masks needed to be reserved for healthcare professionals.
In an August study, currently under peer review, a group of researchers from universities including Yale and Stanford found that surgical masks are 95% effective at filtering out virus particles — compared to just 37% for cloth masks.
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