Omicron's transmissibility is driving calls for better masks. Should kids be wearing N95s, too?
CBC
In November, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) suggested that people may want to look at upgrading their masks to protect themselves and help prevent the transmission of COVID-19.
"In general, while non-medical masks can help prevent the spread of COVID-19, medical masks and respirators provide better protection," PHAC said on its COVID-19 mask information webpage.
Respirators (such as N95 and KN95 masks) are considered the highest level of mask protection and were previously recommended only for health-care workers coming into direct contact with infectious patients.
But the updated mask guidance has raised some questions as to whether children should be wearing respirators — especially given that so many kids ages five to 11 are only partially vaccinated against COVID-19, or, if under age five, not yet eligible for a shot.
And, if so, what should parents keep in mind before purchasing such devices for kids?
Yes. Although the PHAC website acknowledges that it "may be hard to find smaller sizes for children."
"There is is nothing against kids wearing respirators, and it's the same rule that applies for kids as it does for adults," said Dr. Faria Sakhia, a Toronto-based doctor and volunteer with Masks4Canada, a group that advocates for masking, vaccines, and rapid tests.
"We really need masks that are good for the three Fs: ... fit, filter and function."
All three medical experts CBC spoke with agreed with PHAC's guidance that medical masks and respirators provide better protection, and agree the same is true for children, too.
But — and it's a big but — that's only if they actually wear the respirator properly. If a child is having trouble keeping on a respirator, or keeps fiddling with it, it may not be the best device for them, said Toronto pediatric infectious diseases specialist Dr. Anna Banerji.
"The main thing is you want to keep the mask on the kid's face," Banerji said.
It may be better to have multiple layers, for example, using a surgical mask with a cloth mask on top, that fits snug to the face and is comfortable, instead of a respirator, she said.
"If you have a [respirator] on a kid and it's hanging off the nose, if they take it off because it's uncomfortable most of the time, and it's supposed to be a tight fit, then it defeats its purpose."
Experts say that respirators for adults and children should be approved by Health Canada. On the PHAC website, those include NIOSH N95, CSA certified CA-N95 and CA-N99 type respirators, and KN95 and KF94 respirators that meet specific standards.