Is it better to wear an N95 or cloth mask right now?

NEW YORK — Is it better to wear an N95 or cloth mask right now?

AP reported that health experts suggest stepping up protection against the highly contagious omicron variant with stronger masks such as N95s or KN95s.

It’s especially important now with health care systems under strain, and with people in higher-risk situations such as crowded, indoor settings for extended periods, says Linsey Marr, who studies viruses at Virginia Tech.

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention recently updated its guidance to recommend the kinds of masks used by health care workers, but also noted it’s important to pick a mask that fits well and that you’ll wear consistently.

“Our main message continues to be that any mask is better than no mask,” CDC spokeswoman Kristen Nordlund said in a statement.

Previously, the CDC had said N95 masks should be reserved for health care workers because of supply shortages. There’s a special category of “surgical N95” masks that are generally not available for sale to the public that the CDC says should continued to be reserved for health care settings.