[ad_1]
By IOL Reporter 
13h ago
Cape Town – As more communicable variants of the coronavirus, first identified in the UK and South Africa, make their way around the world, White House adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci has endorsed the use of two masks for better protection.
The practice sparked discussion when people wearing two masks were seen at Joe Biden’s inauguration as president of the United States last Wednesday. Among others, the poet Amanda Gorman and Pete Buttigieg, who is Biden’s nominee to head the Department of Transportation, wore surgical masks under cloth masks.
Fauci said on NBC News Today show yesterday: “If you have a physical cover with one layer, you put another layer on, it just makes common sense which is probably more effective. That is why you see people double masking or doing a version of an N -95 “.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends that people wear masks that have “two or more layers of washable, breathable fabric,” the masks can block up to 70 percent of coronavirus particles.
In a comment in the journal Med, medical experts recommended using at least a “high-quality surgical mask or a fabric mask of at least two layers with a high thread count.”
But they added that wearing a tight-fitting cloth mask on top of a surgical mask could provide even more protection.
In places where social distancing is difficult to maintain, such as on a plane or in the store, two masks would provide additional protection, the researchers said. The next best option would be a three-layer mask that contains an internal filter.
Brigham and Women’s Hospital physician Dr. Abraar Karan recommends a unique multi-layered mask that fits comfortably and fits over the nose and mouth, reported npr.org.
Karan and other mask experts also look for two or three layers in a mask. Some masks, for example, come with an inside pocket where you can insert a filter. That adds up to three layers on one side.
“If you have a mask that is thin, flimsy, falls apart, frays, or if you turn it on and see light shining through it, it may be helpful to wear another on top,” said Dr. Abisola Olulade, MD, a family medicine doctor, told Refinery29.
Dr. Scott Segal, MD and president of anesthesiology at Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, agreed, telling Health: “Using two masks might be a reasonable idea if the filtration capacity of the masks is not very strong. “
Two is better than one and three is even better, says biosecurity expert Raina MacIntyre, who researches the effectiveness of masks at the University of New South Wales in Sydney.
However, it protects against the pitfalls of stacking masks. You might be more tempted to play with the extra mask, and that’s a bad idea if you’re in a place where other people have been hanging out and possibly spreading contagious droplets, MacIntyre said.
More importantly, while a second (or third) mask will create a more effective barrier to incoming and outgoing particles, it will also make it harder to breathe the air you need.
“It’s a double-edged sword,” Dr. Leonard Krilov, MD, chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at NYU Langone Hospital on Long Island, told Health.
“An extra barrier may sound like a good idea, but that extra layer can make it difficult to breathe, making it more likely that you will put on the mask to breathe better and not keep it properly in place.”
But the double layer doesn’t mean you should let your guard down. Public health officials say the general public should continue to use social distancing practices, wash their hands regularly, and avoid gathering indoors.
MESS
[ad_2]
