As new cases of more contagious COVID-19 strains emerge in the U.S., more public health officials are supporting dual masking, or wearing two face masks at the same time to protect against COVID-19 transmission.
There are a few ways to do double masking. Some experts, such as former US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) director Tom Frieden, have advised the public to upgrade from cloth masks to medical masks, including N95 models, to reduce the risk of infection.
Consider upgrading from a cloth mask to a surgical mask, or from a surgical mask to an N95 / KN95 / equivalent, if available. Better masks can help reduce the risk of more contagious strains.
– Dr. Tom Frieden (@DrTomFrieden) 25 January 2021
Others, such as Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical adviser, advocate the imposition of two masks on each other, either using a surgical mask as the first layer covered by a cloth mask or using two cloth masks.
“If you have a physical coating with one layer, you put on another layer, it’s only logical that it will probably be more effective, and that’s why you see people double masking or a version of ‘ do an N95, ‘Fauci said earlier.
But, The Washington Post noted that Fauci complied with existing CDC guidelines during a CNN appearance, which does not explicitly recommend double masking. The new CDC chief, Rochelle Walensky, added that N95s could be uncomfortable and undermine federal initiatives to promote consistent mask use.
Cloth masks became prominent because medical-grade masks, or personal protective equipment, were scarce at the outbreak of the US pandemic. Former President Trump and current President Biden have produced them on the Defense Act to increase the manufacture and supply of masks, more Masks are available surgically and medically.
Linsey Marr, an engineering professor at Virginia Tech, said the public has the best chance of wearing a reusable cloth mask on top of a surgical mask, wearing a reusable cloth mask outside of a medical grade face mask.
“The standard cloth masks can be about 50 percent effective in protecting you,” Marr added. “Maybe it used to be good enough when combined with the removal and trying to avoid being in the indoor spaces.”