Don’t use masks for children aged five years or below, says health ministry

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In the 'Revised Comprehensive Guidelines for Management of COVID-19 in Children and Adolescents (below 18 years)', the health ministry has said that masks are not recommended for children aged five years and below.</p>
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Those aged 6-11 years may wear it depending on the ability of the child to use a mask safely and appropriately under direct supervision of parents, it said.</p>
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Those aged 12 and above should wear a mask under the same conditions as adults, the ministry said.</p>
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The guidelines were reviewed by a group of experts in view of the current surge that is mainly attributed to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, which is also a variant of concern.</p>
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<strong>Which mask should you use?</strong></p>
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AIIMS chief Dr Randeep Guleria has said on several occasions that <strong>N95 </strong>masks provide the best protection.</p>
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There are the <strong>cloth </strong>masks, which are the least protective, owing to their larger pores and some offering only one layer of material for protection from particles of COVID-19. Then there are the readily available <strong>surgical </strong>masks, which are two-ply and reasonably protective, as they have two layers of protection.</p>
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But the gold standard of protection is the N95 mask.</p>
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(KN95 and KF94 masks can be used interchangeably with N95s and are designed to filter out a minimum of 94% of particles. The masks only differ in country of origin and design differences, like ear loops vs. straps.)</p>
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Top doctors point out that the crucial difference is over the size of the pores in the mask. The N95 has very small pores. They retain 95% of droplets that come their way. That is why they are called N95.</p>
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The fibres in N95 masks are pressed closer together than in cloth masks and have an electrostatic charge that makes molecules stick to the mask instead of passing through.</p>
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<strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.indianarrative.com/health-news/way-being-paved-for-easier-access-to-booster-shots-of-covid-vaccine-144166.html">Way being paved for easier access to booster shots of COVID vaccine</a></strong></p>