With the third wave of coronavirus hitting the United States and cases declining rapidly, there reason you should be taking off your mask.
Still, the spread of the deadly virus prevails in several parts of the US. And, you need to still take preventive measures to stop the spread of the contagious virus. Wearing masks, sanitizing the hands, maintaining at least 6 feet of social distance, and put on complete personal protective equipments at high-risk areas, still consider important for all.
Now, there are other variants of Covid-19 spreading widely making it more contagious and fast to spread.
Concerning this, double masking has been grabbing headlines in recent months. Even the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the US, has recommended wearing a double mask as an additional way to protect self and further reduce the spread of the virus.
What is double masking? What are its benefits, guidelines, effectiveness, and much more that are raising doubts in the minds of people? Continue reading to get answers to all these questions and additional information to further safeguard against Covid-19. Once, you are clarified, then you reach the reliable face masks manufacturers asking for the double layers of surgical and high-quality face masks.
What is Double Masking?
Double masking is all about covering the face with two masks one above the other to further prevent the spread of the virus. Even CDC recommends this measure of adding an extra layer of protection to your face during the current wave of Covid-19 and put against a stop to it.
Benefits of Double Masking
1. Better Fitting
If you wear a single mask, no matter the cloth or the surgical mask, it does not fit properly on the face and might open little spaces to let the air comes in and out. This little space can allow your respiratory system to shoot droplets of the contagious virus to others and even receive the same.
But when you wear two masks at a time, you get the best fitting of the inner mask and the outer mask combining with the inner one offers an added layer of protection with no few spaces left in the sideways.
2. Enhance Filtration
As you already know the fac that Novel coronavirus spread through the respiratory droplets that are made when someone contracted the virus through coughing, sneezing, and talking.
Thus, layers of the mask help to prevent the entry of contagious droplets. And, adding two or three layers of mask increase your chances of fully preventing the contagion to an optimum level.
Double masking can be further beneficial for you when going shopping, traveling using public transportation, visiting the doctor, and working at an office.
How Can You Do Double Masking Effectively?
CDC in the USA has recommended proper ways of doing double masking to lessen the impact of the rising pandemic.
- Add a layer of cloth mask over a surgical mask.
- Make sure the fact that no mask out of the two has any vent.
- Make a proper combination of the double masking by referring to the following few tips
a. Do not wear two surgical masks.
b. Do not wear a KN95 mask with any other type of mask.
c. Do not wear an N95 mask with any other type of mask.
- Test your double masking technique first at home before moving outside.
a. Make sure the fact that the outer mask presses the inner mask to give an ideal fit to your space leaving no space left for air to escape or let in.
b. Do test that double masking does not let you breathe heavily or using force to breathe.
c. The double mask should not block your vision.
Effectiveness of the Double Mask
You might have observed the fact that double masking recommendation is highly useful to reduce the exposure of Covid-19.
In a study conducted by CDC, double masking helps to stimulate the process of coughing and breathing.
Coughing
Coughing simulation is effective when:
- Wearing a clothe mask only
- Surgical mask
- Combining the safety layer of cloth mask over the surgical mask
It has been evident from the research that the double masking technique can block 85.4% of the aerosol particles during the coughing situation. It is best compared with 51.4% and 56.1% for the cloth and surgical mask separately.
Breathing
There are several situations in which breathing simulation is impacted by double masking.
- When the source wears a double mask and the recipient does not cover up the face, then aerosol exposure is reduced to 82.2%.
- When the recipient wears a double mask and the source does not cover up the face, then aerosol exposure is reduced to 83%.
- When both the source and recipient wear a double mask, then aerosol exposure is reduced to 96.4%.
Different Ways to Improve Double Masking
There are different ways to improve the effectiveness of your mask including the cloth and surgical one.
- Add Filter to Cloth Mask: If your cloth mask has a pocket inside, then you can install a filter into it to make it more protective.
- Mask with a Nose Wire: Using a mask with a nose wire can be effective to prevent fogging up the glasses on your eyes.
- Knot and Tuck Method: Knot the ear loops of your surgical mask and find the best fitting on the face.
Final Note
Double masking is highly recommended during the present scenario of the third wave of Covid-19 prevailing in the US. CDC advises all people to wear a surgical mask inside and a cloth mask over it to prevent exposure to aerosol particles during coughing and sneezing.
If you want to buy the best quality masks and other protective equipment, then get in touch with Codefend. This company is one of the leading bulk PPE suppliers in the USA offering a cost-effective range of protective masks, head cover, gloves, shoes, and other necessary equipment.