How Masks Became a Habit - An Overview

November 2022

How Masks Became a Habit – An Overview

Wearing a face mask was earlier considered like wearing a seatbelt while driving. It took a lot of time to see everyone driving with a seat belt worn – seven complete years for 90% seatbelt compliance, worldwide. However, face masks have a different story to tell. While masks have been covering human faces for quite a long time (precisely, since the time humans exist), it was the global COVID-19 pandemic that offered face masks a powerful thrust, overnight. The novel coronavirus came in to write a fascinating chapter in the cultural history of face masks. Within no time, masks became the highest coveted commodity across the globe. The otherwise questionable efficacy of masks to restrict the spread of respiratory infections prior to 2019 suddenly started catching eyes the same year in December – with the first suspectable COVID-19 cases identified in Wuhan, China.

To Mask or not to Mask

Masks were hardly a central area of discussions as there was no noticeable relevant data around the potential role of community mask wearing when it came to studying the possible prevention of the various respiratory infections. A sea of information however emerged rapidly after the growing recommendation from health experts, of community mask wearing as an effective non-pharmacological means of intervention for limiting the infection spread. A face mask has been touted to play a dual role, as a source control that prevents the spread from an already infected patient, and as a protective tool that minimizes the exposure of a wearer to the infection. Today, while we enter the fourth consecutive year of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, no object can be thought of to symbolize the pandemic but a mask. When consumers were bewildered with announcements of complete lockdowns, and social distancing norms, face masks appeared as a response to the consumeristic impulse. Every nook and corner of the world was flooded with masks. Masks became a necessity. More than just a regulatory norm, masks became a habit. With gradually evolved understanding of the viral outbreak, wearing masks became more ubiquitous. A wealth of ecological studies emerged amidst the pandemic that have presented the persuasive evidence about the significant action of masks that plays an indispensable role in reducing the rate of infections, as well as of deaths.

Diving Deep into the Efficacy, and Effectiveness

When it comes to blocking the exhaled small particles, and droplets, multi-layered cloth masks naturally won over their single-layered counterparts, with the capability to achieve around 50-70% blocking. Cloth masks briskly emerged as an efficient means of source control but their effectiveness in protecting the wearer falls short when compared with other types of masks that are available on the market. Thousands of cloth mask makers mushroomed around every corner, especially across the developing nations. The desire for convenient, comfortable, washable, and affordable face masks amped up with the prolonging pandemic tenure. This particular shift in consumer preference however spawned a culture of buying face masks made from silk or designer cloth. Improvised procedure masks, both commercial and homemade, soon gained the status of a fashion statement for cloth masks and breathed a new life into several businesses.

A lot of research was afoot with an objective to determine the fitted filtration of efficiency (FFE) of the most popular modified medical procedure masks, and consumer-grade masks. The various studies subjected sought-after mask types to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Fit Test. From the material used in making of cloth masks to their design, and fit, it became imperative for consumers to set certain standards before they purchase, to ensure the desired efficacy, and effectiveness.

Among all these, surgical masks, and N95 medical protective masks were recommended as the best face masks for both medical and non-medical consumers. However, the latter encountered a severe supply shortage during the initial months of the pandemic itself, which then positioned it as the most suitable face covering exclusively for medical professionals. The scenario prevailed till the COVID-19 cases began to see a consistent drop and the supply shortage subsided. N95 protective masks are touted today as the most appropriate face mask for both medical and non-medical consumers when it comes to ensuring protection from the advanced variant of Novel Coronavirus, i.e., Omicron.

The Flipside

Despite a pile of research studies advocating the effectiveness of using face masks, there has been a disagreement over some of the findings, and practices. There are opinions like masks create a feeling of anxiety among many, wearing masks promotes a sense of discomfort and breathlessness due to multiple ergonomic issues, or even any kind of masks are absolutely ineffective and thus, unnecessary. Moreover, there are findings about how face masks may lead to inhibited verbal as well as non-verbal communication, especially among children, frail elders, and those with hearing impairment(s). Masks seem to be delaying the processing of speech to a considerable level. However, the number of those in favor of using masks perhaps remained higher – rather polarizing the worldwide population into two distinct groups, viz. sceptics, and believers.

Surviving the Predictable Demand-supply Crisis

The pandemic set the momentum for respiratory protective equipment. Soon, catering to the titanic demand growth became a prime concern for the governments from all over the world. The demand-supply dynamics distorted, highlighting the bottlenecks in the entire value chain and distribution network of face masks. Manufacturers faced a considerable delay due to constant shortage in raw material, whereas participants of domestic as well as international supply chains also faced a heavy setback due to export restrictions. China, the world’s largest mask manufacturing nation, itself realized the need for importing through 2020 even after scaling up mask production by manifold. Even the top mask manufacturers like Honeywell, and 3M were struggling with the exploding demand surge during the initial period of the pandemic. As both the surgical and N95 respirators fall in the disposable category, it is certain that the demand continued to be high, and recurrent. Reusing or manipulating these masks straightaway alters their filtering abilities, in turn raising the risk of contamination. The fundamental supply shortage was thus quite obvious but at the same time, mask manufacturers realized the need to emphasize the affordability of these masks in addition to the safe disposal requisites. Demand especially remained on a higher side across those regions that were in que to receive their stocks of COVID-19 vaccines. The global production scaled up and situation improved gradually, and the sales regained momentum during the end of 2021 for combating another, more transmissible variant of COVID-19, i.e., Omicron.

Masks are here to Stay

The emergency of mask manufacturing observed a sharp drop after the Omicron wave subsided and the regulatory mandates eased to a large extent. Today, the world has abundant mask supplies. However, no study has stated so far that the Omicron is the last affecting variant of the Novel Coronavirus. Manufacturers, governments, regulatory bodies, and researchers that are a keen nose for newer opportunities must in fact look at this buffer time as a fresh window to ideate their innovations. Masks will continue to be the most vital line of defense to counter infections and present a wide scope for improvement in terms of affordability, efficacy, and ergonomic perfection. Worldwide face masks market value anticipates revenue beyond the US$50 Bn mark by 2025. Masks are here to stay.