Is Neck Gaiter really the “worst” COVID-19 Face Covering?

From Men’s Health

Sympathy for the gaiters on the neck. BFF for outdoor exercise with easy up, easy down, flexible and convenient to carry. I hate this week and squeezed it with a flexible face cover when runners and other exercisers reported in a Duke University survey under the heading “Gaitles on the neck are worse than wearing a mask.”

We like gaiters. We also love science. So I investigated whether the study really meant throwing gaiters and needing to adopt another type of mask for exercise. Here’s what the experts said.

Studies are not designed to test which mask is better

of Research published in Science Advances, Investigated what happened to the water droplets that erupted when the subject said “Keep me healthy.” Droplets appear when the speaker wears different types of face coverings, from N95 to surgical masks, different types of cloth masks, bandanas, neck gaiters (one of the circular cloths like neck), It was measured. Turtleneck, remaining sweater)

Researchers were looking for a low-cost way to measure the effectiveness of face masks, testing setups to make box, lights, and cell phone cameras a bit simpler.

The setup test measured the lowest nausea when a person was speaking and wearing an N95 mask. The 3-layer surgical mask prevented more gushing than most fabric masks. However, the takeover of social media is that scientists measured 110% of the droplets measured without a mask when the subject wore a gaiter.

In fact, this study is not intended to draw any conclusions about masks. Was to test the setup. “The Duke study was a proof-of-principle study to support a low-cost, simple method for future mask performance studies,” says DrPH, professor and human performance director of the Appalachian State University Biology Department Says David Niemann. Laboratory at North Carolina Research Campus. He is a leading researcher in the fields of exercise and nutritional immunology. “Therefore, the results of this study cannot be broadly applied to motor states,” he says.

The story continues

How effective a gaiter may depend on what it is made of

Researchers suspect Gaitor may have broken respiratory droplets into smaller particles. And small particles can generally travel long distances. “This is a concern,” says Dr. Kirsten Hawkness, immunological researcher, professor of science and technology at Bryant University, and chairman. “But not all gaiters are made of the same material. The gaiters in this study were described as “fleece” gaiters made of polyester spandex material.” This type of material is breathable and porous. “So it makes sense that the particles passed through it, she says. “Some gaiters are made of layered material and fit a bit snugly around the mouth and nose. Before deciding whether a gaiter is effective, another gaiter is more It’s wise to see if the gaiters work better and more closely along what we’ve seen in the mask,” she says.

Another issue with small particles is whether small droplets are more likely to transmit the virus. And the answer so far (we know — annoyed) is “I don’t know yet”.

How effective a mask is depends on who is wearing it

Dr. Stefan Flores, an associate professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine in Colombia, said: “We can’t make any conclusions about this because there are differences in fit, individual size, speed, individual physiology, etc. with any mask.” University Irving Medical Center. “In most tests, one man is wearing a mask, and this man may have a particular facial structure or speak in a particular way.” Tested by multiple people For some masks, the margin of error is much larger, suggesting that there are significant differences in particle ejection depending on who is behind the mask.

So the neck gaiters aren’t completely out of use or useless at all. There is no way to know that from previous studies. “The mask is probably better, but it’s probably wrong to conclude that Gaiters are worse than no mask,” says Dr. Flores. “I need to do more research.”

Consider using this mantra

Dr. Matthew Ferrari of the Center for Infectious Diseases Dynamics at the State University of Pennsylvania says the poor performance of the gaiters in his neck is “impressive.” Multi-layer cover. “

And until we can do more confident research, “we stick to the true advice of trial and error.” That is his memorable word, “get away.” Stay outside If possible, wear a multilayer mask. Wear anything with a pinch. “

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