Paula Lugones
02/10/2021 18:56
Clarín.com
World
Updated 02/10/2021 19:35
It is already known that wearing a chinstrap greatly reduces the spread of coronavirus.
But now in the United States they
advise using a well-fitting surgical one or a surgical one plus a cloth one
to achieve almost total protection from new strains.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, for its acronym in English) said Wednesday that new studies conducted by the agency indicated that transmission of the virus
can be reduced by up to 96.5%
if an infected individual wears a mask of Surgical type well adjusted to the face or, even safer, a combination of a surgical one plus another made of cloth.
Rochelle P Walensky, director of the CDC announced the novelty during a press conference at the White House on coronavirus and asked Americans
to wear a “well-fitting” chinstrap that has two or more layers.
One of the first measures of President Joe Biden, who took office on January 20, was to
require the use of masks at the federal level
and in international transportation (in this country each state decides whether or not it is mandatory in its territory), but not there were specifications on what kind of mask.
Walensky reinforced that idea, saying that now masks are crucial because of new variants of the virus.
"With the number of cases and hospitalizations still very high,
now is not the time to lower the requirement for masks,
" he said, adding: "The important thing is: the masks work and work when they are adjusted and used correctly."
While case numbers remain high, deaths and hospitalizations from coronavirus began to decline in recent weeks, after a sharp spike after the Holidays.
Research
John Brooks, the researcher who led the new CDC chinstrap study, said that "there is substantial information that wearing a mask reduces the spread of the virus and in chinstrap communities, infections fell."
"But now these new variants are circulating ... everything we can do to make the chinstrap tighter, to make it work better, will be good to accelerate the end of the pandemic."
But, he added,
the new studies show how to increase protection.
The agency noted that laboratory experiments showed that one option to reduce transmissions is to
wear a cloth mask over a surgical one
, the agency said.
The alternative is to wear a tight-fitting surgical mask with knots at the ends of the elastics near the mouth to close the spaces where the virus can enter the nose and mouth.
Until now, the CDC's recommendation had focused on cloth masks because there was concern about the shortage of surgical masks (the light blue ones) or the N95, which are those used by health professionals.
But as supply has improved, the agency is providing information about the pros and cons of different masks "so that consumers can make an informed decision about what they want to wear," Brooks said.
The agency still does not recommend that consumers use N95.
PB
Look also
Proof that the use of double chinstraps increases protection against the coronavirus
Coronavirus: UK imposes triple test on travelers