Not really. Do you have a qualitative fit test handy? Because you need to do a fit test with one to figure out if an N95 you chose actually works properly, even if you're wearing it properly. Healthcare workers are tested, and the kits cost $200 or more.
https://www.medline.com/jump/product/x/Z05-PF07344
https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/3M-...
> [Surgical] Masks don’t have to be worn with perfect correctness to produce an effect in aggregate. If mask usage was even 30% effective, this would drop R0 by roughly as much, which is a big freaking deal.
I think that's why they ended up changing the recommendation.
The problem is that this isn’t the nuance that the Surgeon General or the CDC originally went with. His argument was literally “You can increase your risk of getting it by wearing a mask if you are not a health care provider”, and “STOP BUYING MASKS”, neither of which distinguishes between N95s, surgical masks, and cloth masks.
1) Wearing masks is a trainable skill. None of us know how to use condoms initially either, yet literally millions of Americans use them effectively yearly.
2) Masks don’t have to be worn with perfect correctness to produce an effect in aggregate. If mask usage was even 30% effective, this would drop R0 by roughly as much, which is a big freaking deal.
The N95 vs surgical mask is a tricky balance to strike; of course N95 should be saved for those at the highest risk, and if you know your mask will be sprayed with virus droplets, extra precautions must be taken. But that’s much more relevant to medical workers, not those of us who want to reduce risk going to the grocery store.