McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Ale

CDC Listing of Masks Which Meet ASTM Standards

New Virus Variant in South Africa

Philippines, Vietnam, Japan Battle Record Levels

Over the last year and a half, there’s been an influx of face masks on the market from large retailers and small businesses alike, all in varying styles and sizes. We now have more choices when it comes to which face mask to buy, but not all masks are created equal. For example, experts previously told NBC that KN95 masks offer the most non-medical grade protection for kids and adults, while neck gaiters should really only be considered for outdoor use or in a pinch.

If you want to be sure that your mask performs at a consistent level to prevent the spread of Covid, the CDC recommends buying one that’s designed, tested and labeled to meet a specific standard. KN95 and N95 masks fall into this category, as do surgical masks. And reusable cloth masks can, too. In February, ASTM International, a voluntary standard-setting organization, released the F3502 Standard Specification for Barrier Face Coverings, which helps establish specific requirements for mask design and performance. Brands and manufacturers can take their face masks to a lab to be tested against ASTM’s standards. If a mask passes the tests, it can be labeled with the ASTM standard, which signals to shoppers that it meets high levels of efficacy.

To help you evaluate masks while shopping, the CDC has created a list of face mask features to look for in general. It suggests you buy masks that:

Because we now have access to so many different types of masks, the CDC also provides dos and don’ts for buying specific face coverings. It provides suggestions for how to improve the fit and performance of your mask, too.

As for gaiters, the CDC says they can be used as an adequate face covering so long as they have two layers or can be folded to make two layers. Face shields, however, are currently not recommended as standalone protection — evaluation of face shields is ongoing and their effectiveness against Covid particles is unknown, the CDC says. For people with facial hair, which the CDC says can impact how a mask fits, the organization recommends using a mask fitter or brace, or double masking.

The CDC also includes specific considerations for children. The organization says kids masks should be made specifically for children to help ensure a proper fit. A good mask will fit snugly over the nose and mouth and under the chin so there are no gaps. According to the organization, kids face masks should not be worn by children under the age of two.

Aries is one of the first companies to be listed on the CDC site for Barrier Face Coverings (Face Masks) and NIOSH Performance/Performance Plus Masks conforming to the ASTM 3502-21 standard; https://wwwn.cdc.gov/PPEInfo/RG/FaceCoverings. As of publication, Aries is the only mask on the list that conforms to level 2 for both Filtration and Breathability for the ASTM 3502 standard and is also the only product 100% sourced and manufactured in the USA.

The ASTM F3502-21 standard establishes a national standard baseline for design, performance, and testing requirements for Barrier Face Coverings (BFCs) to allow comparison of products by end users. To meet the standard, products must report and exceed minimum performance for protection (particulate filtration efficiency), as well as comfort and breathability (air flow resistance). It was created in a joint effort by ASTM International, the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL), as well as industry and academic experts.

"The unique combination of fabrics in the Aries face coverings allowed for us to meet Level 2 for both filtration and breathability, with test results that are more than 2 times greater than other products currently listed," said Chris Evans, CEO of Aries. "In contrast to cloth face masks that typically have a filtration efficiency of less than 30%, Aries offers not only the comfort and breathability of a cloth face mask but superior protection against viruses and bacteria like a medical mask. Our masks carry the ‘meets ASTM 3502’ label on each product, guaranteeing that users are getting the performance they expect."

Aries worked with NC State University’s Nonwovens Institute to add proprietary features to a novel spun bond non-woven fabric made from two different polymers, which combine to make a single fiber, branded Captur™. The fabric includes Ingeo™, a bioplastic with a smaller carbon footprint than petroleum-based polymers, making it one of the most sustainable face coverings on the market. Each face covering is designed to last for 40-hours, or a typical 5-day work week. All components are sourced and manufactured in the United States.

The Table below lists BFCs and Workplace Performance/Performance Plus masks that conform to the ASTM F3502-21 and NIOSH recommendations, respectively. The quantitative test results were provided to NIOSH by the manufacturers. Contact information is provided so you can contact the manufacturer directly for test reports and other inquiries. These products were not tested by NIOSH. Mention of any company or product does not constitute endorsement by the NIOSH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition, citations to websites external to NIOSH do not constitute NIOSH endorsement of the sponsoring organizations or their programs or products. Furthermore, NIOSH is not responsible for the content of these websites. All web addresses referenced in this document were accessible as of the publication date.

¹ Quantitative leakage testing is optional for ASTM F3502-21. Leakage is reported as a ratio of the particle concentration outside the face covering over particle concentration inside the face covering. Higher leakage ratios indicate less leakage.

² See Making Masks for the Workplace for requirements for Workplace Performance and Workplace Performance Plus masks. Quantitative leakage criteria are required in addition to the ASTM F3502-21 requirements for particulate filtration efficiency and breathability.

Relevant Resources

Centers for Disease Control/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health resources

ASTM International

F3502-21 Standard Specification for Barrier Face Coverings
F3050-17 Standard Guide for Conformity Assessment of Personal Protective Clothing and Equipment

South African scientists have detected a new coronavirus variant with multiple mutations but are yet to establish whether it is more contagious or able to overcome the immunity provided by vaccines or prior infection, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has said.

The variant, known as C.1.2, was flagged last week by the KwaZulu-Natal Research and Innovation and Sequencing Platform in a preprint study that has yet to be peer-reviewed. NICD scientists said on Monday C.1.2 was only “present at very low levels” and that it was too early to predict how it might evolve.

While the majority of South Africa’s coronavirus cases are currently caused by the Delta variant – first detected in India – C.1.2 caught scientists’ attention because its mutation is almost twice as fast as observed in other global variants.

Its frequency remains relatively low, however, and it has so far been detected in less than 3 percent of genomes sequenced since it was first picked up in May – although this has increased from 0.2 percent to 2 percent last month.

“At this stage, we do not have experimental data to confirm how it reacts in terms of sensitivity to antibodies,” NICD researcher Penny Moore said during a virtual press briefing.

“[But] we have considerable confidence that the vaccines that are being rolled out in South Africa will continue to protect us against severe illness and death,” she added.

So far C.1.2 has been detected in all nine provinces of South Africa, as well as in other parts of the world including China, Mauritius, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. It is however not frequent enough to qualify as a “variant of interest” or a “variant of concern” such as the highly transmissible Delta and Beta variants, which emerged in South Africa late last year.

South Africa is the continent’s hardest-hit country with more than 2.7 million COVID-19 cases reported to date, of which at least 81,830 have been fatal. The Beta variant drove a second wave of infections in December and January, and the country is now grappling with a persistent third Delta-dominated wave predicted to overlap with a looming fourth.

The Philippines, which is experiencing a third surge that began early this month, on Aug 28 reported a record high of more than 19,000 cases, according to Reuters. The country's president, Rodrigo Duterte, extended restrictions in the Manila area and some hot spot provinces.

About one third of the latest cases are from the area around Manila, but high numbers were reported form nine provinces and six cities.

Meanwhile, Vietnam—which had successfully contained earlier spikes—is struggling, like many countries, to curb the more transmissible Delta (B1617.2) variant. Cases continue at near record-high numbers, with the highest in three main industrial hubs in the southern part of the country, according to VN Express, an online newspaper based in Hanoi.

In Japan, where cases in its third wave remain near record daily highs, two people died after they were vaccinated with vaccine from lots that were suspended due to contamination with particulate matter, according to Reuters. The health ministry said the people who died were men in their 30s and that investigations into the cause of their deaths is still underway.

Yesterday the health ministry said most of the foreign material in the Moderna doses in Okinawa was fragments of rubber stoppers from the vials, according to the Japan Times.

At a briefing, Hans Henri Kluge, MD, MPH, who directs the World Health Organization (WHO) European regional office, said 33 countries reported a more than 10% rise in COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks. "This high transmission is deeply worrying – particularly in the light of low vaccination uptake in priority populations in a number of countries," he said.

Kluge also warned that a number of countries are seeing more hospitalizations and deaths, which increased 11% in the region last week. He added that one reliable group projects 236,000 deaths in Europe by Dec 1.

Growth in COVID activity is driven by the more transmissible Delta variant, the easing of restrictions, and more travel, he noted.

Regarding vaccination, the pace of immunization has slowed over the past six weeks, partly due to supply and partly due to lack of acceptance. In Europe's lower- and middle-income countries, only 6% of the population is fully vaccinated.

A team of researchers from South Africa, writing in the preprint server medRxiv, recently described a new variant of interest called C.1.2, which they said has mutations seen in variants of concern that have been linked to increased transmissibility and reduced neutralization. They also noted other mutations that could impact neutralization and replication fitness.

The virus evolved from one of the lineages that dominated South Africa's first wave. So far, the variant has been found in six of nine South African provinces, as well as in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mauritius, New Zealand, Portugal, and Switzerland.

Though the characteristics and epidemiology of the virus are still being defined, they said it's important to track the lineage, given its concerning group of mutations.

On Twitter today, Maria Van Kerkhove, PhD, the World Health Organization's (WHO's) technical lead for COVID-19, said the more the virus circulates, the more opportunity it has to change. She said the WHO has been in regular touch with South African researchers who have been sequencing the virus and that they first briefed the WHO on their C.1.2 variant findings in July.

So far, about 100 C.1.2 sequences have been reported globally since May. The variant so far doesn't appear to be increasing in circulation, but more sequencing and samples are needed. "Delta appears dominant from available sequences," she added.

Following a presentation to the Biden Administration last week, US intelligence agencies on Aug 27 released an unclassified summary of the report on the origin of the coronavirus, which said the origin is still uncertain, but leans toward a jump from animals to humans. President Biden in May had ordered a 90-day intelligence investigation into the source of SARS-CoV-2.

One of the agencies leaned toward the lab leak theory, but they agreed that SARS-CoV-2 wasn't developed as a bioweapon and that Chinese officials didn't know about the virus before the Wuhan outbreak began in the fall of 2019.

The group said it's impossible to be more definitive without more assistance from China.