Experts doubt the effectiveness of cloth masks in preventing infection

Public health experts believe that simple cloth masks worn by many people in public places might not be an effective tool to keep the virus at bay.

Omicron is a highly infective variant of Sars_Cov_2 and it is spreading three to five times faster than all over previous variants such as Alpha, Beta, Delta etc.

Experts believe that it is highly unlikely that people can get protection from this variant using a cloth mask. The spike protein of the virus attaches to the ACE2 receptor present in the nose and mouth of people and that’s how they enter into our bodies.

If masks are worn properly, they will stop the virus from coming in contact with these receptors in our nose and mouth and hence protect a person from infection.

Many experts are of the view that if a person is wearing a double or triple layered mask, it might help in protecting him or her from the infection but a cloth mask has no use.

The concern has grown further after the detection of Omicron which is highly infectious. In a span of almost 45 days, it has gone to several countries across the globe and has become a bigger threat today.

Before this, the Delta variant was causing infection and death and this variant is still prevalent in many European countries. However, Omicron is a new threat for everyone.

A great sense of relief is the recent researches that have shown slow growth of Omicron inside the body and due to this, the infection is quite mild and not severe.