Coronavirus Watch: With mask mandates lifted, are airplanes safe?

Now that masks are optional on every major U.S. airline, are airplanes safe for preventing the spread of COVID-19?

While airplane filters remove 99% of particles, experts say, face masks provide an additional layer of protection — especially if you're sitting next to an infected passenger.

Though filters are effective, one expert said, people need to remember air systems can be turned off during boarding.

Read more from reporters Chris Kenning and Adrianna Rodriguez here.

It's Thursday, and this is Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network. Here's more news to know:

• COVID antiviral treatments that were once in short supply, such as Paxlovid, are now readily available but many don’t know the drugs exist. Read more.
• The Justice Department is planning to appeal a federal judge’s ruling that voided the federal mask mandate for travelers on planes, trains, buses and other public transportation.
• A former Washington Nationals scout who was fired after refusing to get vaccinated has filed a workplace discrimination lawsuit against the franchise.

See our COVID-19 resource guide here. See total reported cases and deaths here. On vaccinations: About 77% of people in the U.S. have received at least one vaccine shot, and about 66% are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

– Cady Stanton, Paste BN Nation NOW reporter, @cady_stanton