(CNN) — If you’re at high risk of serious illness or death from Covid-19, it’s time to dust off those N95 masks and place them snugly over your nose and mouth to protect yourself from a recent uptick of the virus, according to a growing number of experts.
That advice should go all the way up to 80-year-old President Joe Biden, said Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a cardiologist.
“Octogenarians comprise the highest-risk group for complications following Covid infection,” Reiner said.
“At least until the numbers start to drop again, it would be appropriate for President Biden to take some precautions and wear a mask in crowds.”
Other high-risk groups include people with diabetes, cancer, chronic liver, kidney or lung disease, organ or stem cell transplants, HIV or other immunocompromising conditions, a history of heart disease or stroke, dementia or mental health issues.
“If you’re a caregiver for somebody who is at increased risk of complication following infection, then I think you should also consider putting a mask on in public places,” said Reiner, a professor at the George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences.
“And since the masks that are most effective are N95 that are now readily available, that’s the kind of mask you should wear,” he added.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urges people to “wear a mask with the best fit, protection, and comfort for you,” and it notes that some people are at higher risk for severe illness from Covid-19. But the agency doesn’t make a broad recommendation for everyone to adopt masks. That could change if hospitalizations reach critical levels. The CDC recommends universal masking in jurisdictions that have 20 or more people with Covid per 100,000 in local hospitals and masking for high-risk individuals when 10 to 19.9 people per 100,000 are hospitalized from the virus.
Overall, there were about four new hospital admissions for every 100,000 people nationwide in the week ending August 12, which is considered low, according to CDC thresholds. No counties had high levels of Covid-19 hospitalizations. But 85 counties — about 3% of the country — were in the medium threshold. About a quarter of those counties were in Florida.