For those who didn't throw away their everyday mask when the requirement for medical masks came up, newer recommendations could be of interest.
There was a lot of controversy about mouth and nose protection at the beginning of the pandemic.
Masks are now considered a good measure against the spread of Corona.
But does that also mean that twice as good lasts?
An expert has now positioned herself.
Blacksburg / Virginia - Bearded people scratched their hands when the FFP2 mask requirement came about: How should these things work for you?
And others are also asking themselves in the corona pandemic, which does not seem to end despite the lockdown: Is it perhaps better to protect against the virus if you wear two mouthguards at once?
Experts say: it can't hurt!
"Combining multiple masks greatly increases their efficiency," Virginia Tech virologist Linsay Marr recently told the
New York Times
.
The mechanisms behind it are obvious, she told the US newspaper.
Respiratory pathogens such as Sars-CoV-2 spread through droplets of saliva and aerosols, but their path to the air is hindered by mouth and nose protection.
The protection does not have to be airtight on the face, stressed Marr.
Anti-corona strategy mask: several studies confirm its effectiveness
Several studies, which the
New York Times
alluded to in the report, support Marr's recommendation.
"The extent of the virus slowdown is impressive," it says.
In the US states that require a mask in public, according to an investigation, the Covid 19 cases also decreased in the lockdown light.
Another study followed nurses in Boston, Massachusetts.
The decline in positive corona test results among them was "drastic" after the mandatory face mask was introduced.
A study from Beijing in China certified masks to prevent the transmission of infected persons to contact persons in 79 percent of cases.
However: Many masks protect the environment rather than the mask wearer themselves - according to the US health authority CDC even to a certain extent even those who do not wear mouth and nose protection.
In the USA - unlike in Germany - there are no instructions to wear medical masks such as FFP2 in public transport and in shops.
Measure against Covid-19: US virologist recommends everyday mask over medical mask
But now the obvious question: If some people have difficulty breathing under one mask, how should it be with two?
According to the report, Marr acknowledged the problem - but dismissed it.
Of course, there is a risk until things get that far, but there is a lot of leeway.
Nor did she speak of two FFP2 masks on top of each other.
Her recommendation: wear an everyday mask over a medical mask - the second fix the former better on the face.
Maybe worth a try for bearded people.
(frs)
