Let's apply a little common sense. The vast majority of COVID-19 infections come by way of droplets. How do we know this? "Small aerosols are more susceptible to be inhaled deep into the lung, which causes infection in the alveolar tissues of the lower respiratory tract, while large droplets are trapped in the upper airways (Thomas, 2013). For easy apprehension, aerosols can be defined as suspensions of solid or liquid particles in the air, which can be generated by either natural or anthropogenic phenomena (Judson and Munster, 2019; Tellier, 2009)." Transmission of COVID-19 virus by droplets and aerosols: A critical review on the unresolved dichotomy (ncbi)

"Respiratory particles may often be distinguished to be droplets or aerosols based on the particle size and specifically in terms of the aerodynamic diameter (Hinds, 1999). One could dispute that, unlike larger droplets, aerosols may pose a greater risk of the spread of the COVID-19 disease among many susceptible hosts positioned far from the point of origin. Nevertheless, it has been proven that viral disease outbreaks via aerosol transmission are not as severe as one would think, because of dilution and inactivation of viruses that linger for extended periods in the air (Shiu et al., 2019)."

Since most SARS-CoV-2 infections occur in the upper airways, droplets are the primary culprit. Omicron may be more amenable to airborne transmission, which may be why it is more transmissible, but it could also be because it replicates so much faster.

Masks, especially KN/N95s, reduce all transmission - droplets and aerosols. The better the fit and the better the material, the more reduction. The 95 addresses particles of .3 microns or larger. Aerosols don't become aerosols until their host material evaporates, so if they're trapped before that, they don't aerosolize.

A well reasoned argument is like a diamond: impervious to corruption and crystal clear - and infinitely rarer.

Here, as elsewhere, people are outraged at what feels like a rigged game -- an economy that won't respond, a democracy that won't listen, and a financial sector that holds all the cards. - Robert Reich