Use rubber band over surgical mask to get N95-level protection, says study; Indian docs not so sure

It added this could overcome N95 respirator shortages worldwide and help healthcare workers and people residing in under-resourced regions as a practical means for increased personal respiratory protection.

What do Indian doctors say?

While doctors from India agreed that surgical masks are not foolproof protection as they do not fit well around the wearer’s face — allowing airborne particles to bypass the mask — they said if people don’t know the proper technique of wearing rubber bands, more complications may ensue.

How to wear a rubber band over a surgical mask. (Creative commons)

Dr P Rohith Rathode, an orthopaedic at Osmania Hospital in Hyderabad, said: “Rubber-band-for-mask technique may mean… easy affordability, though it may increase the sealing effect of the mask. If people don’t know the proper technique to use it, then there are even chances of infection.”

“It is better to pay for an N95 than spend money on an ICU after getting infected with Covid. A simple surgical mask also can protect people from infections, and they should continue to wear it,” Dr Rathode told South First.

Meanwhile, Dr Ravi Mehta, a pulmonologist who sees several Covid-19 and other respiratory infection patients on daily basis at Apollo Hospitals in Bengaluru, said: “It is a very interesting innovation and would have been very useful during early days of Covid-19 when (N95s) were in short supply as against now, when they are in abundance. But there could be practical difficulties.”

He explained that there could be the problem of rubber bands fitting too tightly; sometimes they could constrict much more than needed. Also, it wouldn’t be easy to put on and take off often. Some people may have rubber band allergies too.

However, he told South First: “This is an interesting innovation which can be archived in our minds, but not to be commonly implemented as of now.”