Most of us have been wearing masks since last year, which is an important step in protecting ourselves and others from the spread of the coronavirus. However, there are many different masks, and not all offer the same protection. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) says that your mask should “fit snugly” to really protect you. But what exactly does it mean for a mask to fit snugly? According to the CDC, there are certain ways you can determine if your mask fits properly and protects you from COVID. Read on to find out if your mask works, and if you see it on your mask, the FDA says you should throw it away right away.
The CDC says you need to pay attention to how air flows out of your mask.
Masks are meant to filter air through the material as it helps to trap potentially contaminated air droplets. The CDC says there are two air tests you can do to make sure your mask fits properly. First, confirm that you can not feel any air “flowing from the area near your eyes or from the sides of the mask.” If you do not notice air leaking around the mask, check to see if your warm air is coming through the front of the mask, which means it fits well. According to the CDC, it is a good sign if you are also “able to see the mask material moving in and out with each breath.” And for more ways to keep yourself healthy, you do not get ‘maximum protection’ if you wear your mask like that.
You should also make sure that your mask has gaps.
According to the CDC, there are gaps in your mask that can “let air with breathing drops leak in and out around the edges of the mask.” Your mask should be placed well over your nose, mouth and chin. To see if there are gaps, hold your hands around the outside of the mask to see if you notice large gaps or feel air leaking from smaller gaps to your hands. And to avoid more masks, this one type of face mask is ‘unacceptable’, warns the Mayo Clinic.
There are certain ways in which your mask can fit better.
However, you do not have to automatically throw away a mask that does not fit properly. According to the CDC, there are two tools that can help you fit a mask better: mask adapters and wires. Placing one of these devices on a disposable or cloth mask can prevent air from leaking around the edges, says the CDC. If you wear a ruffle mask, you can improve its fit by up to 20 percent by tying and tying the ruffles, according to Emily Sickbert-Bennett, PhD, Director of Infection Prevention at UNC Hospitals. And sign up for our daily newsletter for more information.
You also need to make sure that your mask contains enough layers.
A nice fitting mask should also contain enough layers to protect you. The CDC currently recommends masks with two or three coats and does not recommend masks with only one coat. You can choose a cloth mask that contains different layers of fabric, or to layer your masks if you do not have one mask with enough layers.
According to the CDC, the best way to wear a disposable mask is under a cloth mask, as a cloth mask ‘must press the edge of the inner mask against your face’. However, do not combine a KN95 mask with any other mask or use two disposable masks to lower it, as it is “not designed to fit snugly and if you wear more than one, it will not be better, says the CDC. And for more news on the coronavirus, this is where your COVID is likely to catch, new study says.