How to protect yourself from COVID-19 in the “living with COVID” era

On August 11th, the CDC updated its COVID-19 guidelines, thereby reducing the extent to which COVID-19 policy disrupts people’s everyday lives, and shifting the responsibility for personal protection to the individual. But with the BA5 variant raging through the population and hospitalizations, cases, and deaths on the rise, the risk is far from over. So how can you protect yourself under these new guidelines? Read on to find out.

Vaccines, treatments, and the attained knowledge now on hand to treat COVID-19 coupled with the population’s pandemic fatigue and desire to get back to normal have led the CDC to reassess and align guidelines with the current status. This updated approach of living alongside the pandemic rather than aggressively combatting it allows for greater personal freedom but also poses higher risks for vulnerable populations who are now left to fend for themselves.

According to the updated guidelines, people who are exposed to someone with COVID-19 will no longer be required to isolate themselves, now only encouraged to mask for 10 days and test after 5 days. This means many more people who are infected with COVID-19 but don’t know it yet may be out there sharing public indoor spaces with others.

With physical distancing and isolation being removed from the equation, only one protection method remains intact and consistent since the pandemic started – wearing a mask.

We are currently dealing with the most evasive COVID-19 variant to date – the BA5. BA5 has shown exceptional evasion from existing vaccines as well as being able to reinfect people who have just recently recovered from COVID-19. Long COVID symptoms are also an unfortunate long-term side effect of COVID-19 for some people, with long COVID symptoms ranging from fatigue, shortness of breath and impaired cognitive abilities to hair loss, respiratory and heart conditions, and blood clots and another organ, system, and functional issues. It is therefore best to try and avoid catching COVID-19 to evade these risks altogether.  

How can we attempt to live alongside the pandemic while minimizing our risk of catching COVID-19, knowing every public indoor space we frequent: shopping malls, airports, flights, movie theaters, and office buildings, increase that risk? Since the onset of the pandemic, masks have proven time and time again to be the first line of defense against COVID. An increasing number of studies have shown masks provide a strong defense against COVID-19 infections in confined spaces.

A high-performing mask is the best way to decrease the risk of infection. The SonoMask™ Pro face mask is as good as they come. With a whopping 97% filtration efficacy against 3-micron particles, combined with superior comfort and the low-maintenance ease usually reserved for disposable masks, the reusable SonoMask Pro™ gives you everything you need in a mask and more.

The SonoMask™ Pro is a product of 10 years of R&D which was initiated by a Nobel prize winner at Israel’s Bar Ilan university and commercialized by Sonovia, the Greentech innovation company. Sonovia’s patented ultrasonic technology is both eco-friendly as well as extremely effective in creating performance textiles.

Desired antimicrobial properties are embedded in textiles via this ground-breaking technique. These long-lasting, durable antimicrobial fabrics were then used to make the SonoMask™ Pro face mask.

The built-in antimicrobial agent in the SonoMask™ Pro protects the mask from becoming a reservoir of microorganisms, meaning the mask stays clean, hygienic, and odor-free over time. These unique properties last for over 55 weekly washes, and even longer should you choose to wash the mask only as needed. Forego washing the mask altogether and enjoy the best low-maintenance, no-fuss reusable mask on the market.

In addition to its high-performance level of 97% filtration efficacy against 3-micron particles and the built-in antimicrobial agent in its fabric, keeping it clean, hygienic, odor-free, and low-maintenance over time, the SonoMask™ Pro is made up of 3 different layers of protection – an inner poly/cotton layer, a middle filter layer that boosts protection, and an additional outer poly/cotton layer. The multiple layers and alternating construction deliver high protection and high breathability, two features that rarely co-exist in most face masks.

This high filtration, the no-wash mask comes in four sizes as well as a separate kids’ collection and offers multiple adjustability options including a flexible nose wire, adjustable ear straps, and an ergonomic chin guard to keep the mask in place. All these combined properties offer you what Rochelle Walensky, the director of the CDC, has emphasized in her interview for ABC News is what you should be looking for when searching for the best mask for you:

“What I will say is the best mask that you wear is the one you will wear and the one you can keep on all day long, which you can tolerate in public indoor settings and tolerate where you need to wear it.”