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Is using two masks better than just one to prevent coronavirus?

2021-01-25T18:58:53.747Z


During Joe Biden's inauguration, several officials were seen using double protection against the coronavirus. Some medical experts are already warning that we must redouble our efforts and explain how best to do so.


After a year of pandemic, masks are no longer just one of the best defenses against the coronavirus.

Masks have gone from being an uncomfortable piece of everyday attire to an accessory that allows people to express their personality and aesthetics, and even flaunt their pockets. 

But if wearing a mask was a nuisance before, today there are those who even prefer to use two at the same time.

What is behind this fashion?

More importantly, do two masks protect more than one? 

It's not a new trend, but during Joe Biden's inauguration last week it became more apparent: that day, Transportation Secretary nominee Pete Buttigieg was wearing a white surgical mask and on top he was wearing a dark cloth one. that matched her coat.

Her husband also wore two masks.

That same afternoon, the new White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, arrived for her first meeting with journalists wearing two masks: a white medical one and a red one with blue stars, like the dress she was wearing.

[Follow all our coverage on the coronavirus pandemic]

The use of two masks did not go unnoticed and there were those who shared the trend in networks with the hashtags #doublemasking or #doublemask. 

It may be that the use of masks is now - literally - on everyone's lips because the population was awaiting the swearing in of the new president or because a few days ago, Biden issued two executive orders to establish their mandatory use in federal facilities and means of transportation public. 

Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been quite clear in emphasizing the use of masks "to slow the spread of COVID-19," so far they have not advised the population that wear two masks together.

However, there seems to be a consensus among experts that two masks are more protective and could be a good strategy to avoid the new strain of COVID-19, which is highly contagious. 

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What do the experts say?

Noticias Telemundo consulted Monica Gandhi, a doctor specializing in infectious diseases at the University of California, San Francisco on this issue.

"We are recommending a specific type of [use of] double mask, which is a cotton mask and a surgical mask together for maximum protection," said Gandhi, who this month published a medical article on the matter with Linsey C. Marr, specialist in airborne virus transmission at Virginia Tech.

Gandhi noted that scientific experiments have shown that the use of two masks at the same time offers "almost the same level of protection as the N95", which is used by medical personnel. 

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"I would specifically recommend this to people with some kind of vulnerability, such as the elderly, those who live in areas with high transmission rates, or who have to work in closed environments with many people," Gandhi said. 

The doctor Tom Friedmen, former director of the CDC, warned this Sunday on the social network Twitter about the need to intensify the use of masks: “The N95 masks are the most protective, followed by the three-layer surgical masks and then those of cloth.

A cloth mask is much better than nothing, but we may need to redouble our efforts with masks if contagious variants of Covid begin to spread widely. "

An option to the simultaneous use of a surgical mask and a fabric mask, which Gandhi and Marr highlight in their research, is to use a three-layer mask with flexible fabric and hermetically sewn on the outside, which fits well to the face, and another layer Intermediate made of a high-efficiency non-woven filter material, such as the material of vacuum cleaner bags.   

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The position of Gandhi and Marr coincides with that of doctors quoted by other means.

Scott Segal, director of anesthesiology at Wake Forest Baptist Health hospital in North Carolina, told the Health website this month that "wearing two masks might be a reasonable idea if the masks' filtration capacity is not very strong."

"With lower quality materials, more layers could work better," he noted. 

For her part, nurse Elizabeth Hanes wrote in November on WebMD that if a person wears a basic cotton mask, “wearing a second mask could trap more viral particles in their breath when they exhale and could also offer better protection against inhalation. of the air virus ”. 

One of several prevention measures

Both Segal and Hanes emphasized that it is important that both masks are comfortable because if they make breathing difficult, all they will do is have people take them off. 

Lastly, which mask should be worn over or under?

Gandhi told Noticias Telemundo that either way is suitable, although she prefers to wear the surgical mask over the cotton one for practical reasons.

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"The cotton mask can be washed, but the surgical mask cannot, so putting the surgical mask on top allows it to be worn for five to seven days," he said.

"It is important to emphasize that the surgical mask electrostatically repels the virus while the cotton mask physically blocks the virus," he explained.

The data and the opinions of the specialists suggest that it 

is true, 

two masks protect better than just one

, especially if we do not have masks like those used by medical personnel.

But wearing one or two masks, while vital to fighting the coronavirus, is only part of the strategy.

Remember also the importance of keeping your distance, avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated places, and constantly washing your hands.

Source: telemundo

All news articles on 2021-01-25

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