The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday updated its mask guidelines to include information from a recent laboratory experiment that found that a cloth mask was placed over a surgical mask, as well as the use of a well-fitting mask. , was effective in stopping the spread of coronavirus.
The update, released by CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky announced during a Coronavirus briefing in the White House, comes after a laboratory experiment using simulated breathing exercises found that a cloth mask was placed over a medical procedure mask or a medical procedure mask with knotted earlobes was used . and stuck to sides, reduced exposure to potentially infectious aerosols by about 95%.
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The new guideline recommends that you follow two important steps, namely to ensure that the mask fits snugly against the face, and to choose a mask with layers to ‘keep your breathing drops inside and out’. In addition, the CDC recommends using a mask with a nose wire, using a mask fitting or brace to improve the fit, and to ensure that there are no gaps where air can flow.
At present, however, the agency recommends using two disposable masks because they “are not designed to fit snugly and wearing more than one will not improve it.” It is also not recommended to combine a KN95 mask with any other mask.
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“The end result is this: masks work and it works best if it fits well and is worn correctly,” Walensky said.
The CDC announced a few weeks ago that it was studying whether the use of two masks was effective in stopping the spread of the coronavirus, after Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading expert on infectious diseases, said it was ‘logical’.
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The agency waited to see “hard data” before making any adjustments, said Dr. John Brooks, the CDC’s chief medical officer of the COVID-19 response, during an information session of the Infectious Diseases Society of America that was held late last month.
“We want to put out all the options available to people there,” he said at the time. “If we can mask people, that’s the biggest first step.”