Livre d'Or

The only elastomeric respirator users I personally know who have had covid either stopped wearing the elastomeric respirator in some contexts and then got covid, or got covid and then started using elastomerics. But I also don't really know anyone outside my own household who is as consistent as we are in wearing them in indoor non-home spaces, either. Some of those less-careful-than-us people have had covid, some haven't. I'm sure that no mask is magic; I'm also sure that, used consistently, they reduce my odds of getting COVID enough to be worthwhile. At the end of the day it is a numbers game and a filter that excludes 99.99% of particles larger than 0.3 microns in a mask that is sealed against my face is going to change the numbers substantially.

One of my main issues with non-elastomerics is that I personally find it difficult to take them off and then put them on again and still get a decent seal: there's a lot of fussing about with the nose wire etc every time. It might be the shape of my face, though I don't think it's particularly unusual. It might just be that I am a person who is hard on things -- shoes, backpacks, bikes, clothing all wear out fast. Either way, the non-elastomerics do become impossible to seal well pretty fast for me, even if I modify them by adding decent sewing elastic. I know that isn't everyone's experience, but it is one part of why I am so keen on elastomerics.