Do you need to wear two masks? Experts weigh in
Multiple layers and a snug fit are essential to making sure your mask is effective at protecting you and others.
a daily norm for millions of Americans and others around the world, but that constant wear and tear on your mask might mean it's time for a replacement. With multiple new strains of the coronavirus circulating in the U.S., now is a good time to take a closer look at the efficacy of your masks.
Earlier in the coronavirus pandemic, PPE shortages meant that many people were making cloth face coverings out of available fabrics, like T-shirts and bedsheets, or wearing bandanas. Not only are there now plenty of mask options out there, we have data on what materials and designs are most effective at blocking droplets and aerosolized particles.
"This is not something to wait on, we should be getting higher quality masks, people should be wearing higher quality masks, more or less, right away," Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University School of Public Health, said on TODAY last month.
A recent study at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, evaluated the efficacy of 11 face coverings, including one surgical mask, one face shield and nine different materials for cloth face masks. Researchers evaluated multiple factors, including how effectively the masks filtered particles, how many droplets they prevented from spreading and how many droplets they kept the wearer from catching.
Taking into account their study findings and the results of other studies, the Virginia Tech researchers recommended people wear a "three-layer mask consisting of two outer layers of a very flexible, tightly woven fabric and an inner layer consisting of a material designed to filter out particles," such as a "high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter." The researchers also suggested that masks should be well-fitted and not have any gaps between the fabric and the face. If all conditions are met, the study found that the mask's "overall efficiency would be greater than 90%."
Dr. Chris Beyrer, a professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland, who was not affiliated with the new study, told TODAY that layers in a mask can contribute to its efficacy. "The layers do help because they filter out the smaller aerosols," he said.
Should you wear two masks to make them more effective?
It's important to make sure that your mask has enough layers of fabric to be effective, but some, including President Joe Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci, have been seen wearing multiple masks at once. Experts say that this is an extra step that can help limit any "leakage" of air.
On Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said double-masking specifically, wearing a cloth mask over a surgical mask may provide an extremely high level of protection against the viral particles that cause COVID-19, NBC News reported.
"The recommendation is not that you have to wear (two masks)," Fauci, explained to TODAY's Savannah Guthrie. "What the CDC is saying (is) at minimum wear a mask."
Fauci explained that the fit is better if you put a surgical mask on and put a cloth mask over it.
"... A second mask may reduce 'leakage' and could be a reasonable thing to do, particularly for public-facing employees such as teachers, grocery cashiers and bus drivers," said Dr. Sten Vermund in early December, dean of the Yale School of Public Health in New Haven, Connecticut, noting that medical professionals wearing fitted N95 masks should avoid adding an extra layer. "There is no harm to dual masking unless someone were to have trouble breathing, but this is rare in mask use unless someone has prior respiratory limitations such as severe COPD."
If you are layering your masks, make sure that they are both cleaned regularly to avoid contamination.
"If you're layering two masks you should make sure you have enough to rotate them in and out and wash them regularly," Dr. S. Patrick Kachur, a professor at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City.
Credit = today.com
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