Omicron Covid variant poses very high global risk says WHO
Protect yourself from the Omicron Covid variant with KN95 masks. With about one quarter of the American population still unvaccinated and the Omicron Covid variant threatening, all Americans, whether they are vaccinated or not, should wear masks indoors in public spaces and in places where the coronavirus is still spreading. New cases of the COVID delta variant are still rising in many states, especially those with low vaccination rates. Wearing a KN95 mask regardless of vaccination status can protect everyone.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that the Omicron Covid variant poses very high global risk and is currently advising all people, vaccinated or not, to continue wearing masks when around others as long as there is community spread. The facts are in and masks protect against COVID.
The CDC is now advising all students and staff to wear masks during in-person learning, regardless of their vaccination status. The guidance could serve to reassure educators nervous about coming back into the classroom and give comfort to working mothers looking to re-enter the workplace. Meanwhile, the debate over face masks rages on, divided largely along partisan lines, and has spurred more discussion about mandatory vaccinations in government, higher education, and workplaces.
Which Masks Protect Against COVID best?
Experts say that masking up again is essential and the quality of the mask does matter. A KN95 or N95 mask is going to give a lot more protection since both masks are designed to filter 95% of particles. We know that masks are effective against every variant that this virus has produced when they are tight fitting and used properly to cover the nose and mouth. Some health care experts are now questioning the effectiveness of cloth masks which are reusable after laundering and disposable surgical masks which are cheaper and recommend double masking. That could lead to renewed interest in N95 and KN95 masks that fit much tighter. A well-fitted N95 or KN95 mask is extremely effective in stopping the virus, more so than a cloth or disposable surgical masks.
COVID Delta Variant Is Spreading Quickly In The United States
With more than ¼ of the American population still unvaccinated and the COVID delta variant causing surging infections in the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reversed their previous guidance this week and is now recommending once more that all Americans, whether they are vaccinated or not, wear masks indoors in public spaces in places where the coronavirus is spreading. The fact show that cases are now rising in most every state with hospitalizations surging in states with low vaccination rates. Over 80% of the new cases are the COVID delta variant. While most of the outbreaks are happening among unvaccinated individuals, wearing a mask regardless of vaccination status can protect everyone.
In May when the CDC suggested that vaccinated people no longer needed to wear masks, indoors or out, the US joined a few other western countries to move away from mask usage before the end of the pandemic. Now, less than three months later, the CDC announced it had again changed its guidance on masks based on data showing that vaccinated people infected with the highly infectious delta variant carry the same viral load as unvaccinated people who are infected. The World Health Organization (WHO) is also currently advising all people, vaccinated or not, to continue wearing masks when around others as long as there is community spread. The facts are in and masks protect against the COVID delta variant.
In addition, the CDC also provided new guidance on face masks in schools and is now advising all students and staff to wear masks during in-person learning, regardless of their vaccination status. The guidance could serve to reassure educators nervous about coming back into the classroom and give comfort to working mothers looking to re-enter the workplace. Meanwhile, the debate over face masks rages on, divided largely along partisan lines, and has spurred more discussion about mandatory vaccinations in government, higher education, and workplaces.
Which Masks Protect Against the COVID Delta Variant?
Experts say that masking up again is essential to combat the highly contagious delta variant. It’s reported to have similar levels of concentrations in the air and permeability as the original COVID strains, but the quality of the mask does matter. A KN95 or N95 mask is going to give a lot more protection since both masks are designed to filter 95% of particles. We know that masks are effective against every variant that this virus has produced when they are tight fitting and used properly to cover the nose and mouth. And, wearing masks can prevent us from shutting down our economy again. Because the delta variant is so contagious, some health care experts are now questioning the effectiveness of cloth masks which are reusable after laundering and disposable surgical masks which are cheaper. That could lead to renewed interest in N95 and KN95 masks that fit much tighter. A well-fitted N95 or KN95 mask is extremely effective in stopping the virus, more so than a cloth or disposable surgical masks.
The CDC warns that about 60% of KN95 masks in the U.S. are counterfeit, and do not meet US standards. VexStar Medical has FDA approved KN95 masks in stock and ready for immediate delivery. Contact us today at 502-589-7900 to protect yourself, your family, and your staff.
What’s the difference between N95 and KN95 Masks?
Simply put, N95 masks are the US standard for respirator masks (United States NIOSH-42CFR84) while KN95 masks are the China standard (China GB2626-2006). The US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), a division of the CDC, requires manufacturers to meet the NIOSH standards in order to label their masks as N95s but, despite differences, the two masks are nearly equivalent on many critical features. One advantage of KN95 over N95 mask is that to be certified, the China government requires the manufacturer to run mask fit tests on humans while the N95 mask standard does not require manufacturers to run fit tests. Check out all the details of the differences between N95 and KN95 in this comparison chart.
Do you know someone who has been having a hard time finding a reliable supplier of PPE to protect medical professionals?
Lets face it, finding a reliable supplier of PPE is no easy task for large health care organizations and is especially difficult for smaller clinics, doctors, and other medical offices. Shortages of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the USA have reached crisis proportions and everyone is scrambling to buy direct from China’s mature market where up to 85% of the world’s suppliers are located including the basic raw material, nonwoven polypropylene fabric. With health professionals facing shortages and the CDC recommending the voluntary use of face coverings, do you wonder where and how to fill your supply lines reliably?
In today’s market it is “buyer beware” like never before. It seems that whenever there is a strong market driven by fear there are also plenty of scammers and marginal suppliers ready to take your money by telling you exactly what you want to hear. For example, Canadian health officials reported recently that “around 1 million KN95 respirators acquired from China have failed to meet federal Covid-19 standards for use by front-line health professionals.” If you want to protect your organization from a “PPE Nightmare” it is imperative that you find a reliable supplier of PPE and leverage their experience, network, and infrastructure to your advantage.
WHAT TO DO?
Mitigating PPE Quality Risks
You should know that due to the rush of getting as much product out the door as possible in the least amount of time, some PPE manufacturers are not making quality product that consistently meets the specifications that it is rated for. Hospitals and medical facilities in Europe, the United States, and Australia have all recently discovered defective and counterfeit N95 and KN95 face masks from China.
Given the tight market and rising costs of PPE, it is highly recommended to conduct a pre-shipment inspection at the factory before allowing any PPE to ship. While inspections are not a 100% guarantee, the use of a statistical, random sampling and auditing the lot of goods at the factory that produced them is standard protocol and mitigates your risk significantly, raising your confidence that there will not be any issues when the goods arrive. In addition, when manufacturers know that a buyer is going to do a physical pre-shipment inspection, just knowing it can make them act more diligently.
Performing a professional pre-shipment inspection allows a visual check of appearance, quantity, labeling, packaging verifications and on-the-spot tests including flammability, colorfastness, airflow, dampness, mold, and odor to further mitigate your risk. Independent lab tests can provide the maximum level of verification but may take up to a week or longer and cost several thousand dollars. However, independent testing may make sense for large orders depending on the urgency of the goods but when independent lab tests are required it is recommended to have a third-party select random samples from the shipping lot, not rely on the factory to do it themselves.
Five Easy Steps To Avoid Getting Burned on PPE
According to current regulations, which have been tightened recently, the manufacturer that produces the product, the exporter, and the importer all need to be registered with their respective governments. You can qualify a reliable supplier of PPE in China by making sure the factory and importer are registered with the FDA for the specific product that you are buying and that the exporter is registered with the China government to export the specific product that you are buying. If you are using a broker, take an extra step to make sure that they can provide proof of their relationship with the manufacturer. And, in addition to verifying that their registrations are legitimate, make sure that you have proper documentation that the production also meets the international standards that it is supposed to meet. In summary, there are five easy steps to avoid getting burned when you buy PPE in China:
Verify the Manufacturer
Verify the Raw Materials
Verify the Exporter of Record
Inspect the Finished Product Pre- Shipment
Verify the Importer of Record
In short, due diligence is more important than ever when trying to qualify a reliable supplier of PPE.
Source International is a Reliable Supplier of PPE
We invite you to share your experiences in finding a reliable supplier of PPE and what unmet PPE needs you have that we can help you solve. Supplying PPE that protect our medical workers is a job that requires attention to detail and a professional team.
TheSource International PPE Team in the USA, China, and Vietnam serves customers large and small for high quality, on-time PPE at a fair price. As a registered FDA importer, we sell specific FDA registered products such as surgical masks, face shields, disposable isolation gowns, FFP2 respiratory masks, KN95 masks and other PPE products.
Our team of on-the-ground supply chain professionals perform inspections and testing of randomly selected samples from every shipment on-site at our FDA certified manufacturers. Years of experience in supplying OSHA first aid kits and other disposable medical devices and a 3-decade long track record of excellence are your assurances that Source International is a reliable supplier of PPE.
Contact our USA offices to speak with one of our PPE professionals on your time zone (east and west) for the most up-to-date product offerings, cost, and availability.
