A spike in COVID cases has some talking about a return to face masking, and experts tell 1200 WOAI news that they do work if used correctly.
"The pandemic taught us that using a high-quality mask does reduce the chance of the COVID virus being breathed in," says Dr. Fred Campbell, a professor at UT Health San Antonio.
He says seniors and those with medical conditions should consider using N95 masks when traveling or even the store. Those flimsy paper masks, he says, offer less protection.
"The highest risk is very close transmission, which is what you see on public transportation such as airplanes," he says.
Nationally, COVID hospitalizations have been rising in the past few weeks. But, according to the CDC, admission rates are still considered in the low range.
"At this point, there is no evidence that this variant is causing more severe illness. That assessment may change as additional scientific data are developed," the CDC said in a risk assessment published Wednesday.
It says that this variant may be more capable of causing infection in people who have previously had COVID or who have received COVID vaccines.
Mask-wearing is still politicized, with questions about whether businesses, schools and government agencies had the authority to issue mandates. In Texas, that's outlawed thanks to a newly passed law. Governor Greg Abbott, on social media, says the debate is over here.
"There will be NO mask mandates in Texas," he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The Supreme Court, last year, gave the government limited authority. Their ruling allows the TSA to impose mask mandates on planes, trains and other forms of transport, leaving mask requirements as an option for the federal agency.
The CDC has a colored-coded COVID warning system with levels of green, yellow and red. It looks at hospital admission rates per 100,000 people. Bexar County is green.