Have finally had a formal fitting for my N95 mask.
Apparently quite a large proportion of people don’t fit them properly, in which case they aren’t any more effective than a standard surgical mask.
I am one of the lucky ones. The less fortunate have to wear an even rarer mask, which are so few and far between at the moment that they have to be not only reused, but shared amongst those similarly afflicted.
The testing was done by some employees of a special company, who usually do mask fittings with industrial applications, such as for asbestos removal. It takes about 20 minutes and involves testing whether you can smell a nasty substance or not. It’s surprisingly comical to watch a test being done, because the mask wearer has a giant hood over their head, and has to do a series of manouvres to try to check whether the mask will move, such as leaning forward and back, bending up and down, looking from side to side, and talking on any subject for two minutes. It’s very rigorous. I was ridiculously pleased to pass. I’m sure my poor sense of smell had nothing to do with it. The best part is that I get to keep my test mask for my own personal use! At work, obviously. For my next COVID patient.