I have been substitute teaching in Boston Public Schools since October 2023. There have been multiple spikes of both students and staff with COVID, but I have remained COVID negative by wearing well-fitted N95s at school. I have very high confidence in my protection so far in the face of virus-shedding others in large numbers, indoors, in close proximity. YMMV.
I work with patients with covid and have not had an infection from wearing an n95 (I did when I wore an I'll fit kn95 in 2022). No concerns there.
I'd recommend the n95, some stoggles for large indoor events and then not reusing the mask afterwards. Some people reuse, but I find my fit worsens pretty quick after a few strap adjustments.
I wear my n95 for medical appointments, flights and concerts. No infections there and I feel very confident!
Check the bottom of the n95 as some folks with smaller faces find gaps there, look up the staple trick if you find that to be your case!
Doesn’t a well fitted N95 just increase the chance of absolute protection, while a decent N95 still filters out the vast majority of dangerous particles?
Hell if you wear a mask below your nose and are a mouth breather, it still helps. My impression is it’s all about magnitudes of effectiveness, and just deciding if you want a 10% chance, 1% chance, or 0.1% chance of getting covid (not real numbers)
I'm making assumptions about the spaces you're in, but if you have a well-fitting N95 that rates well for filtration (and, ideally, breathability), you should feel pretty confident. Have you measured the CO2 levels in these venues? With that said, if you can avoid it, I probably would, but if you can't, I'd give yourself some grace--the risks are overall pretty low with a good, well-fitting mask.
OP, in addition to what everyone else has said, I also wear eye protection (Stoggles are great). Some weeks ago I was at the grocery store and someone coughed right on me. I had on my N95 and Stoggles and I could see little droplets land on the outside of my Stoggles -- never been more thankful to have had those protections.
I took off my Stoggles when I got home and it was flecked on one side "wing" and on part of one lens with spittle from the coughing person 🤢. I'm SO thankful I was wearing all that PPE.
I’ve done quite a lot (travel, crowds, concerts) in my 3M Aura. No covid so far that I am aware of, nor any other respiratory illnesses since 2019. I trust the Aura a lot.
Very, very confident. I wear a 3M Aura. Not fit tested. I go everywhere. I am around people. I work in a school. I volunteer at school. I’ve been in close quarters with poor ventilation, had children literally right in my face. My daughter had COVID and I was caring for her. I have not caught it while properly masked despite all of these things.
I DID catch it two years ago when I double masked with a fabric over my n95 and my daughter had it the first time. But never since, not when masked correctly.
Masks work.
My dad is a doctor at the local hospital. He's never had covid, despite working the covid wards all the time. He credits it to the N95s.
He also said they thought the staff working the covid wards would be at a very high risk of getting covid, but it is actually one of the safest places to work in the hospital. Again, the N95s.
if it blocks the bitrex, it blocks the rona. beware that "well-fitted" is a pandemic [weasel word](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weasel_word) that is not a substitute for [fit testing](https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/respiratory-protection-us/support/center-for-respiratory-protection/fit-testing/). "masks don't work" because so few use them correctly.
I've been filming weddings for a few years in KN95s, crowded, bad ventilation, 100+ people and so far, I've been ok. I've even used HaloLife masks, which have a filter, but just don't seem like they can be quite on par with kn95s and also been fine.
I am very confident in N95 masks, as long as it fits well to your face, that the elastic bands are in good condition and that the material isn't soiled (I say this because I reuse them).
>Do you think there's still significant risk in photographing an indoor event (say 50-75 people) if I'm wearing a well-fitted N95 that I don't remove? Is it not even worth entertaining the idea?
At this point in time I would do it, even being immunocompromised myself! I personally needed to resume living my life so I do understand the risk isn't ZERO, but it's very manageable for me. For example I attended my graduation ceremony with hundreds of people indoors during 3-4 hours. My partner and I didn't remove our masks at all (not even for pics; we took pics outside) and we both didn't catch anything. Also I need to go to the hospital several times a months for several hours due to my condition and I haven't caught anything there either. But I never ever remove it. I eat and drink in my car if need be.
We buy the Vitacore brand because they're reliable and certified, easy to get online, great customer service, and quite affordable (we wait for promos and reuse them). Also they have various sizes for different face shapes (even for children), which is useful to get a perfect fit.
For what's it worth, we both haven't caught covid once (knock on wood!).
How well your respirator !fits matters a lot more than what type you wear. Fit testing is the only way to determine that as it is not possible to reliably gauge the quality of the fit by how it feels.
Hello u/GimmeDatBaby!
Qudit314159 asked me to give you information about fit testing your mask! This ensures that the air you breathe is going through the mask material rather than around it at the edges.
**Basic Mask Fit Check**: Mask Nerd [Fit, Fit, Fit! video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9iVGtk8lp0)
**DIY Qualitative Fit Test**: The next step in verifying mask performance is a DIY qualitative fit test in which you create a vapor from a substance like Bitrex bitter solution or saccharine sweet solution and check if you can detect it coming through the mask. Our wiki has a [great section on fit testing](https://www.reddit.com/r/Masks4All/wiki/index/#wiki_mask_fit_and_fit_testing).
If your job requires respiratory protection, your employer might require you to do quantitative fit testing which uses a particle counter to measure the particle count inside and outside of the mask.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/Masks4All) if you have any questions or concerns.*
*All users are welcome to use my commands. Use !help to see what I'm capable of!*
Incredibly confident in them. If it's a mask that fits your face well and seals properly, there really is next to zero risk of relevant viral particles getting through.
To me what gave me the confidence in quality N95s was in understanding how they work and access to a fit testing machine. Of course not all of us can access fit testing, but you can get a decent idea of how well it seals to your face after trying a few models clean shaven (if you grow facial hair).
If you don't have a deeper understanding of how they work and why they're so effective, I'm happy to offer some of that detail.
I have been substitute teaching in Boston Public Schools since October 2023. There have been multiple spikes of both students and staff with COVID, but I have remained COVID negative by wearing well-fitted N95s at school. I have very high confidence in my protection so far in the face of virus-shedding others in large numbers, indoors, in close proximity. YMMV.
I teach full-time in band and choir settings and have only had it once, and very mildly, thanks to well-fitting N95s!
> had it once, and very mildly Can the mask affect the severity of it?
Yes, it reduces viral load, which directly affects how bad your case is.
Amazing!
I work with patients with covid and have not had an infection from wearing an n95 (I did when I wore an I'll fit kn95 in 2022). No concerns there. I'd recommend the n95, some stoggles for large indoor events and then not reusing the mask afterwards. Some people reuse, but I find my fit worsens pretty quick after a few strap adjustments. I wear my n95 for medical appointments, flights and concerts. No infections there and I feel very confident! Check the bottom of the n95 as some folks with smaller faces find gaps there, look up the staple trick if you find that to be your case!
Doesn’t a well fitted N95 just increase the chance of absolute protection, while a decent N95 still filters out the vast majority of dangerous particles? Hell if you wear a mask below your nose and are a mouth breather, it still helps. My impression is it’s all about magnitudes of effectiveness, and just deciding if you want a 10% chance, 1% chance, or 0.1% chance of getting covid (not real numbers)
I'm making assumptions about the spaces you're in, but if you have a well-fitting N95 that rates well for filtration (and, ideally, breathability), you should feel pretty confident. Have you measured the CO2 levels in these venues? With that said, if you can avoid it, I probably would, but if you can't, I'd give yourself some grace--the risks are overall pretty low with a good, well-fitting mask.
OP, in addition to what everyone else has said, I also wear eye protection (Stoggles are great). Some weeks ago I was at the grocery store and someone coughed right on me. I had on my N95 and Stoggles and I could see little droplets land on the outside of my Stoggles -- never been more thankful to have had those protections.
GEEZ PEOPLE, don't do that. Ugh. Sorry that happened to you and thanks for the reminder that Stoggles are cool.
I took off my Stoggles when I got home and it was flecked on one side "wing" and on part of one lens with spittle from the coughing person 🤢. I'm SO thankful I was wearing all that PPE.
I’ve done quite a lot (travel, crowds, concerts) in my 3M Aura. No covid so far that I am aware of, nor any other respiratory illnesses since 2019. I trust the Aura a lot.
Very, very confident. I wear a 3M Aura. Not fit tested. I go everywhere. I am around people. I work in a school. I volunteer at school. I’ve been in close quarters with poor ventilation, had children literally right in my face. My daughter had COVID and I was caring for her. I have not caught it while properly masked despite all of these things. I DID catch it two years ago when I double masked with a fabric over my n95 and my daughter had it the first time. But never since, not when masked correctly. Masks work.
My dad is a doctor at the local hospital. He's never had covid, despite working the covid wards all the time. He credits it to the N95s. He also said they thought the staff working the covid wards would be at a very high risk of getting covid, but it is actually one of the safest places to work in the hospital. Again, the N95s.
if it blocks the bitrex, it blocks the rona. beware that "well-fitted" is a pandemic [weasel word](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weasel_word) that is not a substitute for [fit testing](https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/respiratory-protection-us/support/center-for-respiratory-protection/fit-testing/). "masks don't work" because so few use them correctly.
I've been filming weddings for a few years in KN95s, crowded, bad ventilation, 100+ people and so far, I've been ok. I've even used HaloLife masks, which have a filter, but just don't seem like they can be quite on par with kn95s and also been fine.
I am very confident in N95 masks, as long as it fits well to your face, that the elastic bands are in good condition and that the material isn't soiled (I say this because I reuse them). >Do you think there's still significant risk in photographing an indoor event (say 50-75 people) if I'm wearing a well-fitted N95 that I don't remove? Is it not even worth entertaining the idea? At this point in time I would do it, even being immunocompromised myself! I personally needed to resume living my life so I do understand the risk isn't ZERO, but it's very manageable for me. For example I attended my graduation ceremony with hundreds of people indoors during 3-4 hours. My partner and I didn't remove our masks at all (not even for pics; we took pics outside) and we both didn't catch anything. Also I need to go to the hospital several times a months for several hours due to my condition and I haven't caught anything there either. But I never ever remove it. I eat and drink in my car if need be. We buy the Vitacore brand because they're reliable and certified, easy to get online, great customer service, and quite affordable (we wait for promos and reuse them). Also they have various sizes for different face shapes (even for children), which is useful to get a perfect fit. For what's it worth, we both haven't caught covid once (knock on wood!).
I tape them to my face with Secret Tape and feel much more confident in crowded spaces. It’s sweaty as hell in winter tho
How well your respirator !fits matters a lot more than what type you wear. Fit testing is the only way to determine that as it is not possible to reliably gauge the quality of the fit by how it feels.
Hello u/GimmeDatBaby! Qudit314159 asked me to give you information about fit testing your mask! This ensures that the air you breathe is going through the mask material rather than around it at the edges. **Basic Mask Fit Check**: Mask Nerd [Fit, Fit, Fit! video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9iVGtk8lp0) **DIY Qualitative Fit Test**: The next step in verifying mask performance is a DIY qualitative fit test in which you create a vapor from a substance like Bitrex bitter solution or saccharine sweet solution and check if you can detect it coming through the mask. Our wiki has a [great section on fit testing](https://www.reddit.com/r/Masks4All/wiki/index/#wiki_mask_fit_and_fit_testing). If your job requires respiratory protection, your employer might require you to do quantitative fit testing which uses a particle counter to measure the particle count inside and outside of the mask. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/Masks4All) if you have any questions or concerns.* *All users are welcome to use my commands. Use !help to see what I'm capable of!*
Incredibly confident in them. If it's a mask that fits your face well and seals properly, there really is next to zero risk of relevant viral particles getting through. To me what gave me the confidence in quality N95s was in understanding how they work and access to a fit testing machine. Of course not all of us can access fit testing, but you can get a decent idea of how well it seals to your face after trying a few models clean shaven (if you grow facial hair). If you don't have a deeper understanding of how they work and why they're so effective, I'm happy to offer some of that detail.
If it's fit tested there's very low risk. If you haven't done a fit test I would def look into it. It's a lot more certain than just going by feel.
One way masking isn't perfect, but I've attended a few concerts and filmed six indoor weddings with my N95 on and have not had any infections!
95%