Face masks ‘inadequate’ and should be swapped for respirators, WHO is advised

Surgical masks, such as the one on the left, which became ubiquitous during Covid, should be replaced by respirators like the FFP2 face mask, right. Composite: Robin Utrecht/Shutterstock

Surgical face masks provide inadequate protection against flu-like illnesses including Covid, and should be replaced by respirator-level masks – worn every time doctors and nurses are face to face with a patient, according to a group of experts urging changes to World Health Organization guidelines.

There is “no rational justification remaining for prioritising or using” the surgical masks that are ubiquitous in hospitals and clinics globally, given their “inadequate protection against airborne pathogens”, they said in a letter to WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.