Does Wearing Two Masks Protect More against COVID-19?
Some people have opted for double protection when they think they will be in places of greater exposure to contagion. Is it safe more if we wear two masks to avoid infection from Coronavirus?
It depends, but it is possible that double protection can help in some situations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends wearing a cloth mask with two or more layers and making sure it covers your nose and mouth. The agency said that it should fit in a well-protected manner so that no gaps remain on the sides of the face.
Wearing two masks is better than one?
Wearing a mask should be sufficient in most situations. However, some may want additional protection if they are at risk of serious illness if they catch it or are in situations where they expect to be around people for a long period of time.
One option in settings where extra protection is wanted is to use a cloth mask in addition to a normal surgical one, said Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease expert at the University of California, San Francisco, reports AP.
This combination – with any of them above – could help to obtain the same effect as with an N95, she said. She recommended this level of protection for people in interior areas where contagion rates are high, which could reflect the circulation of more contagious variants.
Should we wear two masks?
Gandhi and a colleague recommend another option for situations where you want “maximum” protection: A two-layer cloth mask that has a filter material in between, the AP report said.
It is important that everyday masks made from cloth only are made of a dense material and have at least two layers, creating “an obstacle course” that makes it difficult for particles containing the virus to penetrate, Gandhi said.
