A variety of masks types frequently seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Confusion over face mask use and effectiveness may be remembered as the single costliest mistake of the entire COVID-19 pandemic. Aside from politicians and influential celebrities choosing to make this simple precaution a subject of political controversy (or even one’s masculinity), mixed reporting on masks’ efficacy has been a source of ongoing confusion since the early days of the virus.

Now, after placing our faith in easily manufactured cloth masks, new reports are indicating they may not be enough.

There a number of reasons for this confusion. One is the mercurial nature of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, coupled with the fact that scientists are learning how the virus works as they are giving advice. Though experts long expected the virus to mutate, the fact that several new strains exist means that disease’s lethality and infectivity could change, prompting different precautions. You might need to take different precautions for different variants for the same reason you might buy different traps for mice or ants, depending on which has infested your house.

Further complicating this are counterfeit mask sellers who use confusing language or outright fraud to imitate effective masks – most frequently NIOSH-certified N95s.

From a consumer’s standpoint, the most effective strategy is to only buy masks from sellers that have, in one way or another, earned your trust and to learn what the specific labels for different masks mean.

Harley N95 at WellBefore for $3.99

“N95” is a certification provided by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), an agency within the Center for Disease Control (CDC). According to the CDC website, N95 masks are “the most common of the seven types of particulate filtering facepiece respirators.” The “95” refers to the fact that they filter out 95% of airborne particles.

The CDC currently recommends laypersons not wear N95s for two reasons:

In order to fit properly, N95s require an elaborate “fit test,” where the wearer moves their head around and tries to detect a bitter odor.

On Sunday, Jan. 24, former CDC Director and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives Dr. Tom Tom Frieden tweeted that N95s are “the most protective mask.”

KN95 at WellBefore for $1.99 each

KN95 is an equivalent qualification given in China, and KF94 an equivalent qualification in South Korea for the standards those countries use to determine the effectiveness of face masks.

These standards are generally considered to be less stringent than those enforced by NIOSH, but the CDC does keep a whitelist of manufacturers whose KN95 masks passed an N95 qualification test, though these masks do not receive the N95 qualification.

Powecom KN95 Face Mask 10-pack for $12.94 at Amazon

EN149 is the European standard of testing face masks, and it sorts masks into three categories or Filtering Face Piece (FFP):

3-Ply Disposable Face Masks for $0.39 at WellBefore

While less convenient or stylish than cloth face masks, the 3-ply surgical masks’ three layers are far more effective than traditional cloth masks due to the non-woven materials, which are more effective at blocking particles than most ordinary cotton.

Of course, since there is so much variety in how unregulated cloth masks are manufactured, it's more difficult to get definitive about how effective masks are at this level.

Several months ago, there was something of a panic over the idea that neck gaiters were worse than not wearing a mask at all. This, along with the reports cloth masks may not be effective enough to stop the spread of the pandemic, have led some to conclude that cloth masks don’t work at all.

This isn’t true. Masks work. The overwhelming majority of gaiters work, and if you’re concerned yours doesn’t, it won’t hurt to double-layer it. Masks also don’t constrict your breathing, though some people suffer from psychosomatic breathing difficulties that are easily combated with exercises.

In short, there is still no compelling reason not to wear a mask, and you should keep one on any time social distancing is not possible.

Joshua Sargent is the Senior News Editor, Commerce, for Hearst Newspapers. Before this job he wrote video games and comedy, which probably just made you say "ah, yeah, that makes sense."

Josh can play the guitar solo from Steely Dan's "Kid Charlemagne" almost exactly right and lives in Brooklyn, NY with a cat that "belongs" to him according to the "law."

Email him at josh.sargent@hearst.com.